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Zarn Sullivan gets second shot at Blues No 15 jersey for Rebels clash

Zarn Sullivan. (Photo by Andrew Cornaga/Photosport)

There’s excitement in the Blues camp as they begin a new competition and international travel when they take on the Rebels in the opening round of the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition.

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The Blues head to Melbourne for the clash against the Rebels at AAMI Stadium on Saturday evening.

The team will honour experienced midfielder TJ Faiane, who returns to earn his 50th cap, the seventh-highest capped Blues player in the current squad. The 25-year-old will make just his fifth outing of an injury-affected season, but is a key link player on attack and organiser on defence.

The other team honour goes to No 8 Hoskins Sotutu who will earn his blazer in his 20th appearance, which is an impressive effort for the 22-year-old. He and fellow All Black Rieko Ioane are the only players to have started in all 10 games this season after appearing in all but four games of his debut season in 2020.

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The panel of Ross Karl, James Parsons and Bryn Hall talk about all the action and news from the week of rugby in New Zealand and across the world.

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The panel of Ross Karl, James Parsons and Bryn Hall talk about all the action and news from the week of rugby in New Zealand and across the world.

“We have freshened up after Super Rugby Aotearoa and are excited about this new competition,” said head coach Leon MacDonald. “The squad are looking forward to flying to Australia and to take on a different team with a different style in a different city.

“There is an element of the unknown but that is what is exciting them and us as coaches.

“We have been watching the Australian games and have been impressed with the speed of the game and the attacking play.

“One of the key challenges this year has been discipline with referees and now we will face new referees and no doubt a different take on the same laws, so we will need to adjust quickly.”

MacDonald said the team has the opportunity to start again in a new competition and he has challenged them to be more accurate and clinical in their execution.

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The team want to build throughout the 80 minutes, with a powerful look to the bench that includes three All Black forwards in Ofa Tuungafasi, Nepo Laulala and Akira Ioane.

Twenty-year-old Zarn Sullivan earns a second start at fullback after an impressive debut, while his fellow Auckland teammate AJ Lam, with two tries against the Chiefs, gets his first start on the left wing, with Caleb Clarke back with the All Blacks Sevens training squad.

The team return on Sunday to prepare for next week’s special Triple Treat, with the All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens playing their Australian counterparts in two games each before and after the Sky Super Rugby Trans-Tasman clash between the Blues and Waratahs at Eden Park on Saturday May 22.

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Blues: Zarn Sullivan, Bryce Heem, Rieko Ioane, TJ Faiane, AJ Lam, Otere Black, Finlay Christie, Hoskins Sotutu, Adrian Chota, Tom Robinson, Joshua Goodhue, Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, Marcel Renata, Kurt Eklund, Karl Tu’inukuafe. Reserves: Soane Vikena, Ofa Tuungafasi, Nepo Laulala, Jacob Pierce, Akira Ioane, Sam Nock, Harry Plummer, Mark Telea.

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Tom 1 hour ago
Has 'narrow-mindedness' cost Ribbans and others their Lions chance?

I didn't say anything regarding whether I feel the eligibility rule is right or wrong, you've jumped to conclusions there…


The fact is the eligibility rule does exist and any English qualified player is aware when they sign a foreign contract that they're making themselves ineligible and less likely to be picked for the Lions. If Jack Willis and Dave Ribbans priority was playing for England and the Lions they wouldn't be playing in France. Whether they should be allowed to play for England or not isn't my point. Under the current rules they have chosen to make themselves ineligible so they can't have their cake and eat it while other players have taken lesser salaries to commit themselves to their dream of playing for England and the Lions. They have made their choices.


Besides, while it works for South Africa doesn't prove it will work for any other country. South Africa have an extraordinary talent pool of incredible rugby athletes which no other country can compete with. They sadly don't have the resources to keep hold of them so they've been forced into this system. If they had the wealth to keep all their players at home and were still playing in Super Rugby they might be even better… they could be worse. We can't know for sure but cherry picking the best country in the world with a sample size of 1 and extrapolating it to other nations with very different circumstances doesn't hold water. Again, not saying the eligibility rule is correct just that you can't assume scrapping it would benefit us simply because South Africa are world champions.

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I
IkeaBoy 1 hour ago
How Leinster bullied the Bulls at Croke Park

Expert coaches exist across the land and the IRFU already funds plenty. Ulster own their academy and who owns Ulster?


If you go to school in the North and rugby/tag rugby isn’t even on the PE curriculum until 12/13 as opposed to 7 or 8 in Leinster, how is that the IRFU’s fault? Even then, it’s only certain schools in the North that will offer it. On what basis would they go up to the North (strictly speaking, another country in the eyes of some) and dictate their schools programme?


The ABs used to be light years ahead of the pack because their eventual test superstars had been playing structured, competitive rugby from an average age of 5/6! On top of kicking it around the yard from the age they could walk with their rugby mad parents and older siblings.


Have you somehow gotten the impression that the Leinster system is not working for Irish rugby? What is that based on? The SARU should just stop competing because despite their back to back RWC’s, all 4 of their URC teams aren’t contesting semi-finals every year?


A couple of mining towns basically provided a Welsh team in the 70’s that were unplayable. Queensland in the old Super 10 provided the spine of an Oz team that were the first to win multiple world cups and in the same decade. The ABs population density is well documented with 35% of the population living around one city.


Is England’s match day 23 equally represented by mid-counties players, tough as nails northerners, a couple from Cornwall, a pack of manc’s and a lone Geordie? Ever?

It’s cute they won’t relegate the Falcons but has a Geordie test player ever hit 50 caps?


It’s ok not to understand geography. It’s also ok not to understand sport. Not understanding the geography of sport is something different entirely.

266 Go to comments
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