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‘Our destiny’s in our hands’: No Beauden Barrett in Blues’ team to play Hurricanes

By Finn Morton
(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Playmaker Beauden Barrett will miss the Blues’ crunch clash with the Hurricanes at Eden Park on Saturday due to the All Blacks’ mandatory resting policy.

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Barrett has been replaced by experienced campaigner Harry Plummer in the No. 10 shirt, while Bryce Heem shifts to inside centre.

The Blues are currently fourth on the Super Rugby Pacific standings, and will look vying for a home quarterfinal when they host the fifth-placed Hurricanes.

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There’s plenty to play for this weekend.

In the last 39 meetings between the two proud Super Rugby franchises, the teams are split at 19 wins each – and one draw.

Props Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Nepo Laulala come into the starting side as the only two changes to the forward pack. They’ll pack down in the front row alongside former Hurricane Ricky Riccitelli.

Patrick Tuipulotu will captain the side again this week in the absence of Dalton Papali’i. The skipper will combine with Cameron Suafoa in the second row.

Akira Ioane, Adrian Choat and Hoskins Sotutu make up the loose forward trio this weekend.

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As for the backline, All Blacks Finlay Christie, Caleb Clarke and Rieko Ioane are set to return for the Blues this weekend.

“These weeks are what rugby is all about,” coach Leon MacDonald said in a statement. “As a team you’re preparing for a tough, uncompromising battle in the knowledge it’s likely to be small margins and moments determining the outcome on Saturday.

“Our focus is on stacking good performance together.

“I thought we created space and time really well against the Reds and want more of the same taking on the Hurricanes.

“Our destiny’s in our hands and we need to push hard in this final phase of the round robin.”

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Captain Patrick Tuipulotu said that the Blues are eager to “defend” their “fortress” with “honour’ this weekend.

“Eden Park’s our home, our fortress and it’s up to us to defend it with honour,” he said.

“Look at the table, one point separates us and we’re both gunning for a home quarter-final spot.

“We love it when the fans turn up in numbers and we’re hoping for a bumper crowd on Saturday night.”

The match is set to get underway at 7.05pm NZST at Auckland’s Eden Park on Saturday.

Blues team to take on Hurricanes

  1. Ofa Tu’ungafasi
  2. Ricky Riccitelli
  3. Nepo Laulala
  4. Patrick Tuipulotu (c)
  5. Cameron Suafoa
  6. Akira Ioane
  7. Adrian Choat
  8. Hoskins Sotutu
  9. Finlay Christie
  10. Harry Plummer
  11. Caleb Clarke
  12. Bryce Heem
  13. Rieko Ioane
  14. Mark Telea
  15. Zarn Sullivan

Replacements:

  1. Kurt Eklund
  2. Jordan Lay
  3. Marcel Renata
  4. James Tucker
  5. Anton Segner
  6. Sam Nock
  7. Stephen Perofeta
  8. AJ Lam/Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens

Players not considered: Beauden Barrett, Sam Darry, Alex Hodgman, Dalton Papali’i, Tanielu Telea

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J
Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

36 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

36 Go to comments
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