Who can spark the fire? The big questions for the Blues to answer in 2024
The Blues have lost their coach and their star playmaker for their 2024 Super Rugby Pacific campaign, but otherwise remain relatively unscathed from the post-World Cup exodus.
Since winning the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman title in 2021, the team have struggled to reach the potential that started to look well within reach once Leon MacDonald took over in 2019.
And so, the 2024 season beckons as an opportunity to reset under new leadership, with a new direction and a new chance to stamp their claim as true, hard-nosed contenders in Super Rugby.
To do so, the team must answer some burning questions.
Can Stephen Perofeta and Zarn Sullivan fill Beauden Barrett’s boots?
Perofeta and Sullivan are a duo that hold huge promise, not just at Super Rugby level but for the international game as well.
Perofeta has enjoyed the most brief of international careers to date but faces the greatest opportunity of his Blues and All Blacks journey in 2024 as both teams have lost their preferred playmakers.
Sullivan has been held at bay while Beauden Barrett as been with the team, but has shown huge upside in his showings to date with his booming kicking game, game IQ and athleticism. A strong Maori All Blacks performance against Ireland in 2022 proved his love of the big moments.
While many expect Perofeta to slide into first five-eighth in Barrett’s absence, it’s Sullivan who has been chasing the 10 jersey of late and started there throughout the 2023 NPC season. Perofeta won the NPC title with Taranaki, but played mostly at fullback during the season.
The ability of both players to play both positions lends to a dual playmaker system, but it remains to be seen how incoming coach Vern Cotter sees it best to accomodate the pair.
Regardless of selection, while Barrett hadn’t enjoyed the finest of form – by this standards – in the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season, he leaves huge boots to fill and that poses a huge challenge to the prospective flyhalfs.
Can Vern Cotter get their attack firing?
The attacking threats within the Blues’ ranks are undeniable; There is All Blacks pedigree or potential at every position in the backline, but the results haven’t lived up to expectations in recent seasons.
Under former head coach and new All Blacks attack guru Leon MacDonald, the Blues were trending in a more conservative direction over recent seasons, looking to build pressure through phase play attack but struggling to execute consistently enough to capitalise on any opportuntinties they earned.
Cotter’s recent experience with the Flying Fijians puts him in prime position to embrace some running rugby, and with the form of a player like Mark Tele’a, the coach will be eager to see the ball spread wide, often.
The coach will also want to see a return to form from Caleb Clark, who hasn’t been quite the threat he was prior to trying for a return to sevens for the Olympics in 2021. And, 2024 could be the year Rieko Ioane finds another gear in the midfield – although it’s unclear who will partner him there for the Blues after Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s return to the NRL.
If the team are to unlock their full potential on attack, it would be a long night for anyone visiting Eden Park.
Will this be the year of Hoskins Sotutu’s redemption?
Sotutu has all the physical tools to be a premier No 8, but is struggling to live up to that potential and fell out of favour with All Blacks selectors entirely in 2023, failing to even make the All Blacks XV.
The 25-year-old has 14 international caps to his name, mainly through filling in for Ardie Savea when the reigning World Player of the Year needed a rest or when playing against lesser opposition. If he is to earn a recall in 2024, Sotutu is going to have to attack Super Rugby with renewed vigour consistently throughout the campaign.
Should Sotutu have another down year, he could very easily be leapfrogged in the pecking order by a number of players including Cullen Grace, Hugh Renton and even a youngster like Peter Lakai. Sotutu’s teammate Akira Ioane might also look to feature at the back of the scrum again, like he did during Auckland’s 2023 NPC campaign.
Sotutu’s career seemingly hangs in the balance in 2024, could it be the year where he regains the form that saw him debut for the All Blacks in 2020? Or, could he be another ‘what could have been’ player that ends up in Japan or France before hitting his prime years?
Will they ever beat the Crusaders?
Meanwhile, in what has become perhaps the most lopsided rivalry in sports, the Blues will be out to find some success against a team that has dominated them for the majority of the past 20 years – specifically winning 18 of the last 19 encounters.
The fixture has become something of a monkey on the back for the club, and the recent losing record is something the players and fans alike will be desperate to shake.
Beyond a potential win being a step in the right direction for the context of the Blues’ season, it would no doubt be a huge confidence booster to tackle the reigning champions and could help frame a narrative of a changing of the guard in Super Rugby after seven Crusaders titles.
Of course, a win during the regular season is one thing, but facing the Crusaders in knockout footy is a different beast altogether. Will the rugby gods line up another Crusaders vs Blues fixture once June rolls around?
Who can spark a fire within the group?
There’s something haunting the Blues’ psyche, it often manifests as an apparent lack of chemistry on the field or lack of mental edge in the big games.
Patrick Tuipulotu has been named captain for 2024, and will provide level-headed and experienced leadership, but someone from within the camp will have to instil a ruthlessness that the team is missing – and lead by example on the field.
A player like Adrian Choat has the energetic game to make a difference, but is unlikely to find many minutes while behind All Black flankers in Dalton Papali’i and Akira Ioane, not to mention competing for bench minutes with quality youngsters Anton Segner and Cameron Suafoa.
The promotion of Zarn Sullivan in the absence of Beauden Barrett on the other hand will be felt consistently throughout the season. Sullivan is a talent who plays with an edge, happy to chirp at the opposition – to put it kindly – and demand a lot from himself and those around him.
The question will be can he influence the hunger of the team from the backfield? And if not him, then who?
Comments on RugbyPass
This is might be the most generalised, entitled, patronising, out-of-pocket cultural indictment on a group of people you’ll ever see on what is supposedly a sports publication. I can only assume the author is weak like a woman or homosexual. I’m feeling an incredible range of emotions but I am not quite sure how to express them. I might go beat up a hockey player - assuming that’s okay with Duane and the boys? 🙂
9 Go to commentsBest thing the Welsh clubs could do is apply to join Gallagher prem surely be more exciting matches for there support than they have now.
2 Go to commentsRugbyPass writers are useless! you guys should get a real job because you all suck at writing about rugby!!!
9 Go to commentslooking forward to RWC2027 …. Boks on mission impossible for the Three-in-a-row, ABs to prove they being on par, France wishing to crown the “DuPont-era”, Ireland knocking on the Semi-Door ….. until then we’ll probably have to deal with Weird Ben’s fantasy-RWC23 (fun fact is, the drivel always creates a flooding of comments) …..
221 Go to commentsBen Smith you really make some good points in this article, the Springboks were not close to perfect and good still beat the All Blacks, imagine if they were as good as they were against France what a hiding the All Blacks would have gotten… maybe another Twickenham drubbing
221 Go to commentsIt is a good argument to keep the Rebels for one more year but also isnt this just opening the door as well for keeping them beyond 2025. If they can create some sort of financial stability in the next year and if their performances lift as they have this season then how would RA even cull them after that? It might be the most cost effective decision at this stage and perhaps many people are guilty of keeping relationships going because of the cost to decouple but then again when does that ever work out well?
24 Go to commentsDear Ben Smith you are a genius! God please become the next all blacks coach that can take on the mighty BOKS. Your rugby acumen is second to none - imagine your dads sperm bounced as unfortunately as that oval ball did….we would not be blessed with your presence. Just as the all blacks were missing a man you too are missing a chromosome for 80% of your life, so your insights are not only profound but ring true from your own experiences. Just as the TMO interfered with citing an illegal pass I am sure your local authorities interfere with your illegal passes you make on women - How dare they!!! God forbid that rugby be officiated fairly. You are the right man for the job. Next all blacks coach is here ladies and gentlemen Miss Ben Smith (He/She/They/IT)
221 Go to commentsHuge engine this guy and great to see him back ..The amount of clean outs he does at the ruck are ridiculous !!
3 Go to commentsThe level of desperation in this article is just embarrassing.
221 Go to commentsSome silly trolling in the comments.
9 Go to commentsEverywhere you turn some irish journo is advocating Ireland as the greatest, reasoning that the wc is a 4 year cycle event so, they say wc doesn’t matter it’s the rugby in between that should account for the accolade. If there was no wc then some substance could be gained, however in my opinion the moment that defined Ireland’s fate against the abs was 37 phases of repeated head bashing against a brick wall. If a change in strategy or a tinker with the game plan was executed then things could've been vastly different. And to point a finger the let down was in the hands of the number 10.
64 Go to commentsI have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.
24 Go to commentsYeah, and ours is waaay bigger than yours. Just as you's get a semi…oh hold on that never happens
64 Go to commentsLove watching
1 Go to commentsThe Melbourne Rebels lineout is a complete disaster so not surprisingly a kiwi coach of the Wallabies hires the worst lineout coach in the country and a foreigner to boot. No surprises whatsoever here…….
6 Go to commentsThank your for wasting 2 minutes of my life Daniel. There is a useful message in there somewhere but your delivery sucks.
9 Go to commentsBen Smith, you are cry baby
221 Go to commentsSux that homophobia is still a thing though. I wonder how many players who could have become legends never kept playing rugby because they felt unwelcome.
9 Go to commentsCrazy he’s only 28, feel like he’s been around forever - don’t mind the move, safe pair of hands and creates depth in a thin position for ABs. Hopefully aides Kemara’s growth also without thrusting too much responsibility on him
1 Go to commentsMen should show strength and be mean, but they should be able to show emotion to those close yo them in certain times, birth of your child, death of family, proud moment. This article is stupid
9 Go to comments