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Blues
35
Match Complete
Highlanders
6
| S. Perofeta |  | 69 | ||
| R. Tuivasa-Sheck |  | 68 | ||
| S. Perofeta | | 59 | ||
| A. Lam | | 58 | ||
| S. Perofeta | | 48 | ||
| B. Barrett | | 47 | ||
| S. Perofeta | | 36 | ||
| B. Barrett | | 34 | ||
| S. Perofeta | | 32 | ||
| A. Ioane | | 30 | ||
| 29 |  | M. Banks | ||
| 4 | | M. Banks |
| 5 | Tries | 0 | ||
| 5 | Conversions | 0 | ||
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 2 | ||
| 0 | Field Goals | 0 |
Show Preview
The Blues and Highlanders meet in Eden Park for an all-New Zealand quarter-final. Join The Roar for live scores from 5:05pm AEST.
It’s no secret that the Blues were eyeing this final off for the last month knowing that their place at the top of the Super Rugby table was all but secured.
They had the luxury of resting their entire starting XV against the Waratahs and still managed to pull off a three-point win to end the regular season.
It’s a testament to the team’s depth and a warning sign for the Highlanders.
The underdogs have had a far different run to the finals and only scraped in due to a superior for and against record compared to the Western Force after losing to the Rebels by a point.
“When I first started playing for Otago and the Highlanders, the Blues were always the team that was tough to beat, especially when you’re going up to Eden Park,” Highlanders coach Tony Brown said.
“We’ve got to give it everything we’ve got, we can’t be afraid of their team and if it’s good enough at the end of the day then we win the game and if it’s not we’ll still be proud of the effort and the preparation that we’ve had,” he said.
The Blues have so many options this evening and could even afford to put Luke Romano on the bench who was stand in captain against the Waratahs in a man-of-the match performance.
The Highlanders will need to find a way to stop Finlay Christie and Beauden Barrett with Rieko Ioane and Tuivasa-Sheck making up an imposing midfield.
The Blues won both matches in the previous meetings between these two but the last match was only a 7-point margin which will give the Highlanders hope.
Venue: Eden Park
Kick-off: 5:05pm (AEST)
Live stream: Stan Sport
Betting: Blues $1.10, Highlanders $6.50 – odds via PlayUp
Blues
(1-15) Alex Hodgman, Kurt Eklund, Ofa Tuungafasi, James Tucker, Tom Robinson, Akira Ioane, Dalton Papalii (c), Hoskins Sotutu, Finlay Christie, Beauden Barrett, Mark Telea, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Rieko Ioane, Bryce Heem, Stephen Perofeta
Reserves: Soane Vikena, Karl Tu’inukuafe, Nepo Laulala, Luke Romano, Adrian Choat, Sam Nock, AJ Lam, Zarn Sullivan
Highlanders
(1-15) Ethan de Groot, Andrew Makalio, Jermaine Ainsley, Bryn Evans, Josh Dickson, Hugh Renton, Billy Harmon, Marino Mikaele Tu’u, Aaron Smith (c), Marty Banks, Mosese Dawai, Scott Gregory, Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Fetuli Paea, Connor Garden Bachop
Reserves: Leni Apisai, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Saula Mau, Max Hicks, Shannon Frizell, Folau Fakatava, Liam Coombes-Fabling, Denny Solomona
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Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.