The Blues have played the Chiefs 33 times in Super Rugby since 1996, the Blues have won 11 matches, lost 21 times and drawn once.
The Blues’ 11 wins give them a record of winning 33% of their matches against the Chiefs regardless of venue.
- The Auckland side has won two of their last three Super Rugby games against the Chiefs (L1) and will be looking to snatch back-to-back wins against them for the first time since 2010/11 after earning a 24-12 victory when they last met in round 2 of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
- The Chiefs have won seven of their last nine away games against the Blues in Super Rugby (D1, L1), including a 37-29 win when they met in Round 1 of the 2020 SuperRugby campaign – their last encounter in Auckland.
- Warren Gatland’s charges have lost a club-record equaling six consecutive Super Rugby games heading into this fixture and will be looking to avoid an outright club record of seven straight defeats; although, they have earned a losing bonus point in five of the six games in this current stretch.
- The Chiefs have gained 122 metres from mauls in Super Rugby Aotearoa, the most of any team in the competition; although, only the Blues (3) have scored more tries via mauls than the Chiefs (2) in this campaign.
- Rieko Ioane has scored 15 tries in his last 14 games on home soil for the Blues, including five tries in his last four home games.
Match detail
We are waiting for the kick-off.
In the meantime why not have a look at the match preview.
1.00: PEEEEP! We are underway in New Zealand.
3.00: The Chiefs win a penalty, they’ll kick to touch.
5.00: Oh, boy! The Blues get the scrum after McKenzie drops a high ball.
6.00: TRY! Matt Duffie finishes off a sublime scrum attack from the Blues. 5-0
7.00: CONVERSION! Barrett adds the extras. 7-0
10.00: The Chiefs have a great attacking scrum in the middle of the field.
13.00: The Blues are back on the attack inside the Chiefs’ 22.
14.00: TRY! Patrick Tuipulotu crashes over the chalk after a sustained attack. 12-0
16.00: CONVERSION! Barrett makes no mistake from wide. 14-0
18.00: The Chiefs are under the pump, here.
20.00: TRY! After camping on the Blues’ line, Lachlan Boshier – who else – crashes over. 14-5
21.00: CONVERSION! The kick is good. 14-7
24.00: The Chiefs win a penalty for offsides.
25.00: Oh, dear! The chiefs botch a great chance at seven points when they knock-on inside the Blues’ 22.
28.00: McKenzie sparks another attack, his pass looked forward but the ref didn’t see it. The ball is slow, and the Blues win a penalty at the breakdown.
31.00: The Blues win a counter-ruck, but the ball is passed forward, killing the attack.
33.00: BIG scrum by the Chiefs; they win the penalty and will kick to the corner.
35.00: The Chiefs go 10 phases, winning multiple penalties before the ref has a word with skipper Tuipulotu.
36.00: A messy lineout leads to a Blues scrum inside the hosts’ 22.
37.00: Scrum reset.
38.00: Finlay Christie clears.
40.00: Blues win the lineout and go on the attack, but the ball is kicked away by Christie into touch.
The halftime score was Blues 14 Chiefs 7
41.00: PEEEEP! We are back underway in New Zealand.
43.00: Superb work by the Blues to win the turnover inside their 22.
45.00: The Blues have the from foot and are on the attack inside the Chiefs’ half. The hosts are going through the phases but Anton Lienert-Brown’s defending saves the day – scrum to the visitors.
46.00: TRY! Solomon Alaimalo races away down the sideline after Aaron Cruden’s dummy sucked in the defenders. Lienert-Brown’s delayed pass sent the winger away to score. 14-12
48.00: CONVERSION! McKenzie levels from the sideline. 14-14
51.00: PENALTY! McKenzie puts the Chiefs ahead. 14-17
53.00: There’s a break while the players come off the bench.
55.00: TRY! The Blues hit back. Christie crashes over from close-range to give the hosts the lead. 19-17
56.00: CONVERSION! The kick is good. 21-17
59.00: Both teams conceding penalties at the breakdown. Whoever controls the ruck, controls the game.
61.00: Scrum to the hosts inside the opposition’s 22.
64.00: The Blues keep coming; can they find a way to take full control? No, the Chiefs earn a scrum.
65.00: Thirty-five-year-old Adam Thomson is on for his 100th Super Rugby game.
67.00: The Blues drive from the messy lineout. They keep possession and are rolling their way close to the line. Tuipulotu goes close before the ball is shifted wide; however, the Chiefs keep the home team out with some good defending.
68.00: Alex Nankivell loses the ball in contact and the Blues breath a sigh of relief.
71.00: It’s all Blues at the moment.
74.00: A high ball falls to the Blues, but the Chiefs win the penalty despite a knock-on by McKenzie. The fullback does not find touch. Harry Plummer’s return is not great, either.
77.00: It’s all Chiefs at the moment; they have all the ball and are on the Blues’ line.
79.00: YELLOW CARD! Harry Plummer is sent to the bin. The chiefs look to take a quick-tap scrum. 21-17
80.00: Josh Goodhue wins the turnover penalty to save the home team’s bacon.
82.00: The Blues win possession and boot the ball into touch.
FULL TIME
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The final score is Blues 21 (14) Chiefs 17 (7)
Scorers
Blues
Tries – Duffie, Tuipulotu, Christie
Pen –
Con – B. Barrett (3)
Drop –
Cards – Plummer (Yellow, 79′)
Chiefs
Tries – Boshier, Lienert-Brown
Pen – McKenzie
Con – McKenzie (2)
Drop –
Cards –
Match Officials
Referee: Brendon Pickerill
Assistant Ref 1: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 2: Paul Williams
TMO: Mike Fraser
Teams
Blues
15 Matt Duffie, 14 Mark Telea, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 TJ Faiane, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Finlay Christie, 8 Akira Ioane, 7 Dalton Papalii, 6 Blake Gibson, 5 Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 3 Ofa Tuungafasi, 2 Kurt Eklund, 1 Alex Hodgman
Replacements: 16 Luteru Tolai, 17 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18. Sione Mafileo, 19 Josh Goodhue, 20 Tony Lamborn, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Otere Black or Emoni Narawa, 23 Harry Plummer
Chiefs
15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Sean Wainui, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Solomon Alaimalo, 10 Kaleb Trask, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Pita Gus Sowakula, 7 Sam Cane (captain), 6 Lachlan Boshier, 5 Mitchell Brown, 4 Tupou Vaa’i, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Bradley Slater, 1 Reuben O’Neill
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Ross Geldenhuys, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Mitchell Karpik, 21 Lisati Milo-Harris, 22 Aaron Cruden, 23 Quinn Tupaea