The Super Rugby final matchup AJ Lam thinks will get the crowd 'roaring'
The Super Rugby Pacific final will feature blockbusting matchups across the park, with a combined total of 16 All Blacks named in the starting XVs for the Blues and Chiefs in their respective semi-final teams.
Various All Blacks will likely be lining up across from one another, with Rieko Ioane and Anton Lienert-Brown set to square off in the midfield, Emoni Narawa and Caleb Clarke most likely locking horns on the wing and captains Luke Jacobson and Dalton Papali'i expected to both don the respective No. 7 jerseys.
But there was no denying the Chiefs' standout performer in the semi-final was a man without any All Blacks caps to his name; 21-year-old Wallace Sititi.
Enjoying a breakout season in 2024, Sititi was a powerful force in the No. 8 jersey once again in the dramatic semi-final win over the Hurricanes, contributing 16 carries and 13 tackles while providing impact with every touch. The 21-year-old was involved with the Blues previously, representing the club in the 2022 U20 Super Rugby season.
In the final, he'll look to line up against perhaps the competition's form No. 8 in Hoskins Sotutu. It's a matchup that even has Sotutu's Blues teammate AJ Lam excited.
"Wallace is in good form, I think he's doing really well to be honest, especially for a young kid," Lam told RugbyPass at Blues training ahead of the final.
"Hoskins is in there trying to prove a point as well, so I think it'll be a huge battle between them both. It'll go back and forth which will be good. I think it'll be really good for the crowd as well, it should get them roaring.
"I wish them both the best but we'll just see who comes out on top."
Sotutu, having been dropped from not just the All Blacks but All Blacks XV in 2023, has had a resurgent, career-best season to begin 2024, equalling the Blues' single-season record for tries scored.
Lam says while sometimes the Blues look to fuel the fire in certain players, it's not necessarily the recipe for success in the final.
"Sometimes we do try and rile up the boys, try to get them fizzed up. But, it's dependent on the player and how they rile up.
"We do give a little bit of a nudge here and there, but not too much. We don't want to get them off track too much."
A sold-out crowd has been confirmed at Eden Park for the final, and the Blues couldn't be happier to be back home for the big dance.
"We're pretty excited to come back to Auckland, I think all the boys are excited to play in front of family and friends. It will probably give us an extra boost.
"That in itself, we just don't want the moment to get in front of us and what our end goal is."
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who would you select instead?
Go to commentsThe International rugby playing population is relatively tiny compared to soccer, for example. England have probably 10s the amount of club players as Ireland for example.
England, South Africa, France and New Zealand's player pool dwarves everyone elses.
The smaller nations get caught in a 20:20 bind: You need a successful International team to grow the game, but you can't grow the game without a successful International rugby team. Because there was no real concerted effort to grow the Global game: The RWC was a mickey mouse tourno for bragging rights between the big teams. Until 2003 there was never realistically more than 3 winners and only even been 4.
Ireland said enough was enough and tried to recruit for a few key positions while building the domestic game. Scotland are following suit and I am sure the emerging nations will also.
Case in Point Rugby Europe starts this weekend (the second division) and zero articles on this site run by World Rugby. I turned on a match last year as Belgium were taking down Portugal. THe atmosphere was absolutely mental. THe Belgian supporters are nuts, global nutcases. We saw the Portugese support in 2023. Lets support
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