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Blues welcome back All Blacks for Sharks clash
By Online Editors
After coming off the bench in the season opener, the Blues welcome three All Blacks into its starting line-up to take on the Sharks in Durban on Sunday (NZ time).
Props Ofa Tuungafasi and Karl Tu’inukuafe join Sonny Bill Williams in the run-on side for the second round of Super Rugby, following their 24-22 loss to defending champions, the Crusaders at home last weekend.
There’s a double celebration with Melani Nanai, starting a fullback, and No 8 Akira Ioane playing in their 50th Super Rugby game for the Blues. Ioane, who also played for the Blues against the Lions, celebrated his 50 games for the club last week.
Tu’inukuafe and Tu'ungafasi make their first start together for the Blues, but both have previously paired up for the All Blacks.
The remainder of the pack is the same that started against the Crusaders, including All Blacks Dalton Papalii and captain Patrick Tuipulotu.
Williams starts in his customary second five position with the in-form TJ Faiane at centre, while Ma’a Nonu is spelled after his first game back in Super Rugby after four years last week.
New Zealand Under-20s winger Caleb Clarke moves to the right wing after a superb pre-season with star All Black Rieko Ioane on the left wing, while the free-running Nanai, impressive against the Crusaders, moves to fullback.
Another New Zealand under-20s player Tanielu Tele’a, a versatile outside back who also impressed in pre-season, is positioned for his debut off the bench.
Coach Leon Macdonald said he is looking for improvements against the Sharks, a dangerous and open-running team. While he was not involved last year, he said many of the team remembers the loss to the South African side at Eden Park last year.
BLUES
15. Melani Nanai, 14. Caleb Clarke, 13. TJ Faiane, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 11. Rieko Ioane, 10. Otere Black, 9. Jonathan Ruru; 8. Akira Ioane, 7. Dalton Papalii, 6. Tom Robinson, 5. Josh Goodhue, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu ©, 3. Ofa Tuungafasi, 2. James Parsons, 1. Karl Tu’inukuafe. Reserves: 16. Matt Moulds, 17. Alex Hodgman, 18. Sione Mafileo, 19. Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 20. Matt Matich, 21. Augustine Pulu, 22. Harry Plummer, 23. Tanielu Tele’a.
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Latest Comments
Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.
If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.
It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅
Go to commentsYeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?
It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.
That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.
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