The Blues have won five of their last six Super Rugby matches against the Highlanders (L1), including each of their last two meetings; more than they won across their 15 games prior (W4, L11).
The Highlanders have won eight of their last nine Super Rugby home matches against the Blues (L1); their only defeat in that span was an 11-point loss in August 2020 (32-21, Super Rugby Aotearoa).
- The Blues have won their last two Super Rugby away matches, as many as they won in their seven games on the road (W2, L5).
- Tony Brown’s side has lost their four matches in Super Rugby Pacific; the last time they began a season with more consecutive defeats was an eight-match span in 2013.
- The Blues have won four of their last five Super Rugby matches against fellow New Zealand teams (L1), after winning only one of their five New Zealand derbies prior (L4).
- The Crusaders (25) are the only team to have made more kicks in play per game in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific campaign than the Highlanders (23) and Blues (23).
- Leon MacDonald’s men have scored five tries from possession begun with a turnover won in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific competition, more than any other team, while only Fijian Drua (6) have conceded more tries via this method than the Highlanders (4).
- The Blues have won 7.7 turnovers per game in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific campaign, the second-most of any team in the competition and more than two per game more than the Highlanders (5.3).
Players to watch
- Aaron Smith has been directly involved in 10 tries in his last eight Super Rugby games (2 tries, 8 assists); however, his last Super Rugby try against the Blues came in Round 2, 2014.
- Rieko Ioane has been directly involved in eight tries in his last eight Super Rugby games against the Highlanders (5 tries, 3 assists), including one try when the teams met in Round 4 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific competition.
- Caleb Clarke (9) has the mosts linebreaks in Super Rugby Pacific.
Match detail
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1.00: PEEEP! We are underway at ‘The Zoo’ in dunedin.
2.00: PENALTY! Beauden Barrett opens the scoring. 0-3
4.00: A nine-phase attack from the restart sees the Highlanders win a kickable penalty.
6.00: MISS! Mitch Hunt, kicking at 86% this season, misses from wide. 0-3
9.00: Blues are enjoying mosts of the possession in the opening stages.
10.00: TRY! Rieko Ioane wins a turnover at the ruck, the ball is recycled quickly to Caleb Clarke on the wing. Clark cut inside, brushing off Mitch Hunt, before swerving inside Sam Gilbert to score under the posts. 0-8
11.00: CONVERSION! Barrett adds the extras. 0-10
14.00: Tom Robinson’s knock on gives the Landers a scrum inside Blues territory; however, Aaron smith’s grubber rolls out inside the Blues’ 22. Blues clear.
16.00: Hoskins Sotutu is pinged at the breakdown; Hunt calls for the tee.
18.00: PENALTY! Hunt puts his team on the board. 3-10
20.00: Highlanders get a decent exit from Smith, but it is all Blues in the opening quarter of the game.
21.00: The visitors earn another penalty after Liam Coltman infringes on the ground. Barrett will take an angled shot.
23.00: PENALTY! The kick is good. 3-13
26.00: Mark Telea makes a linebreak, but the ball lodges loose and goes to the ground; however, another indiscretion by the Landers at the breakdown allows Barrett to kick to the corner.
27.00: Highlanders compete and win the turnover before Smith relieves the pressure to his side’s 10m.
30.00: Ofa Tu’ungafasi’s knock-on in midfield sees the home team counter-attack before winning a penalty after 11 phases when James Tucker gets caught offside.
32.00: PENALTY! Hunt slots the kick from in front. 6-13
34.00: Clarke gives away a penalty after taking out Manaaki Selby-Rickit in the air from the restart. It looked like a 50/50 call.
37.00: Blues kick to the corner again. Liam Coltman is in from the side, Dalton Papalii opts for a scrum this time.
39.00: TRY! Beauden Barrett beats Ngatungane Punivai and Shannon Frizell to score his 36th Super Rugby try. Hoskins Sotutu, under pressure from Aaron Smith at the base of the scrum, dropped the ball. Sam Nock, however, gathered and switched to the blindside for Barrett to weave his magic. 6-18
40.00: MISS! Barrett shaves the post. 6-18
The halftime score was Highlanders 6 Blues 18
41.00: PEEEP! We are back underway at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin.
43.00: Barrett went down after making a big hit on Fetuli Paea, he’s bleeding from the mouth before walking off for an HIA; not sure we will see him again. That’s a big blow for the Blues.
45.00: Highlanders go nowhere with their maul, but they do, however, win another penalty; Hunt goes to the corner again.
47.00: Telea wins an important turnover after the Blues’ forwards repelled the rolling maul. Stephen Perofeta clears the danger.
49.00: TRY! Another driving maul is stopped, but this time the Blues run out of defenders after the Highlanders spread the ball left then right to Sam Gilbert to score his second Super Rugby Pacific try. 11-18
50.00: MISS! Hunt cannot convert. 11-18
52.00: Barrett will not return. Blues have a scrum after Sotutu’s kick is carried back over the Landers’ line by Smith.
54.00: NO TRY! Sotutu breaks from the scrum, but he is held up by Scott Gregory with the help of Mitch Hunt. 11-18
55.00: TRY! Hoskins Sotutu scores a sublime try with a trademark power run. Sotutu slipped inside Fetuli Paea and Jermaine Ainsley’s weak tackles before handing off Aaron Smith and shrugging off Mitch Hunt to score under the posts. 11-23
56.00: CONVERSION! Stephen Perofeta adds the extras. 11-25
59.00: TRY! Daniel Lienert-Brown takes Hunt’s deft pass and powers his way over to keep the hosts in the contest. 16-25
61.00: CONVERSION! Hunt adds the two. 18-25
63.00: NO TRY! Oh boy, what a turn of events. Mosese Dawai chased Aaron Smith’s clearance kick. Zarn Sullivan let the ball bounce allowing Dawai to steal the ball and race away to score. After TMO review, the try is chalked off because Dawai had earlier knocked on the restart before Smith’s kick. 18-25
65.00: Blues on the attck inside the 22.
67.00: TRY! Stephen Perofeta takes Sam Nock’s flat pass, slips a weak tackle to score under the sticks. 18-30
68.00: CONVERSION! Perofeta coverts his score. 18-32
70.00: TRY! Gilbert at the double after a swift counter-attack after the restart. 23-32
72.00: CONVERSION! Hunt makes it a one-score game. 25-32
75.00: A forward pass kills a Landers attack.
77.00: It’s all Highlanders at the death in Otago. Blues holding them at bay, but are under huge pressure.
79.00; superb defending by the Blues keeps the Landers out.
81.00: The hooter goes, the Blues boot the ball into touch. Phew!
FULL TIME
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The final score is Highlanders 25 (6) Blues 32 (18)
Scorers
Highlanders
Tries – Gilbert (2), D. Lienert-Brown
Pen – Hunt (2)
Con – Hunt (2)
Drop –
Cards –
Blues
Tries – Clarke, B Barrett, Sotutu, Perofeta
Pen – B. Barrett (2)
Con – B. Barrett, Perofeta (2)
Drop –
Cards –
Match Officials
Referee: Angus Mabey
Assistant Ref 1: Mike Fraser
Assistant Ref 2: Mike Winter
TMO: Glenn Newman
Teams
Highlanders: 15 Sam Gilbert, 14 Ngatungane Punivai, 13 Fetuli Paea, 12 Scott Gregory, 11 Mosese Dawai, 10 Mitch Hunt, 9 Aaron Smith (captain), 8 Gareth Evans, 7 James Lentjes, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Josh Dickson, 4 Manaaki Selby-Rickit, 3 Jermaine Ainsley, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Daniel Lienert-Brown
Replacements: 16 Andrew Makalio, 17 Ayden Johnstone, 18 Josh Hohneck, 19 Fabian Holland, 20 Hugh Renton, 21 Folau Fakatava, 22 Vilimoni Koroi, 23 Freedom Vahaakolo
Blues: 15 Zarn Sullivan, 14 Mark Telea, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Bryce Heem, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Sam Nock, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papalii (captain), 6 Tom Robinson, 5 Josh Goodhue, 4 James Tucker, 3 Marcel Renata, 2 Kurt Eklund, 1 Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Replacements: 16 Ricky Riccitelli, 17 Jordan Lay, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Adrian Choat, 21 Taufa Funaki, 22 Corey Evans, 23 Stephen Perofeta
