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Blues (Super Rugby)

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Blues
UnionNew Zealand Rugby Union
Nickname(s)The Blues
Founded1996; 28 years ago (1996)
LocationAuckland, New Zealand
RegionAuckland
North Harbour
Northland
Ground(s)Eden Park
(Capacity: 50,000)
Coach(es)Vern Cotter
Captain(s)Patrick Tuipulotu
Most capsKeven Mealamu (164)
Top scorerAdrian Cashmore (617)
League(s)Super Rugby Pacific
2024Playoffs: Champions
2nd overall
Team kit
Official website
www.blues.rugby

The Blues (Māori: Kahurangi;[1] known as the Auckland Blues from 1996 to 1999) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Auckland, who play in the Super Rugby competition. Like New Zealand's four other Super Rugby teams, the Blues were established by the NZRU in 1996. One of the most successful teams in Super Rugby history, the Blues won the competition in its first two seasons, 1996 and 1997, and again in 2003 and 2024. Additionally, the team were finalists in 1998 and 2022,[2] and semi-finalists in 2007, 2011 and 2023. They won a Trans Tasman competition in 2021.

History

[edit]

Formation, early years and immediate success (1996–97)

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The team's logo from 1997–1999, when the team dropped the Auckland prefix from its official name.

Along with New Zealand's other Super Rugby sides, the Blues were established by the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) to take part in the newly formed Super 12 competition which, involved teams from South Africa and Australia in addition to New Zealand. Each of New Zealand's five sides represented a number of provincial unions, with the Blues representing the Auckland, Counties Manukau and Thames Valley unions, while the neighbouring Waikato Chiefs representing the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, King Country, Northland and North Harbour unions. As the amount of international representatives in the Auckland region was thought to be unfair, it was split up between The Blues and The Chiefs. During this era, the Blues played the majority of their home matches at Eden Park, with round robin fixtures occasionally held at Growers Stadium in Pukekohe.

The Blues tasted immediate success, winning the Super 12 back-to-back in 1996 and 1997. In 1996 the side won eight of eleven round robin matches and finished the regular season in second place (behind the Queensland Reds on 41 points. They then went on to defeat Northern Transvaaal, now the Bulls, 48–11 in the semi-final at Eden Park. This result secured a home final, where the Blues comfortably defeated the Sharks 45–21. In 1997, the side improved on their previous season, comfortably topping the table with 50 points after going undefeated in the regular season, the sole blemish on an otherwise perfect season being a draw with Northern Transvaal in a re-match of the previous season's semi-final. The Blues once again easily won their semi-final, defeating the Sharks 55–36 at Eden Park and again securing a home final. The 1997 final was a more hard-fought encounter than the previous year's, with the Blues defeating the ACT Brumbies 23–7.

Middle years (1998–2005)

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By the end of the 1990s the number of international representatives from the Blues region had decreased. This led the Blues and the Chiefs to arrange a swap, where the Chiefs would represent the Thames Valley and Counties Manukau provincial unions in exchange for the Blues representing the Northland and North Harbour unions in addition to Auckland. Although in the seasons leading up to the trade North Harbour and Northland had outperformed Counties Manukau and Thames Valley in provincial rugby (thus potentially widening the already sizeable gap between the Blues' and Chiefs' on-field performance), it enabled both teams to represent unions in closer geographical proximity. Because of this trade, the Blues lost the area colloquially referred to as South Auckland, (excluding those portions of the South Auckland to the north of Manurewa). Thus, the Blues traded a portion of South Auckland for the Northern portion of the Auckland region and Northland, and still do not represent the entire Auckland region. Generally supporters in the South Auckland region identify as Blues supporters even though they are technically in the Chiefs region. In 2000, the Auckland Blues dropped the Auckland prefix from their name, and became known simply as "Blues".

The 1998 season saw the Blues again top the points table with 43 points at the conclusion of the round robin, with nine wins and two losses to their credit. They defeated the Otago Highlanders by 37–31 in the side's third consecutive home semi-final, securing a home final against the Crusaders, a match which promised a great deal due to Auckland's traditional sporting rivalry with Canterbury. The Crusaders ultimately won the match by 20–13, putting an end to the Blues' dominance of the competition. [citation needed]

From 1999 – 2002 the Blues' onfield performance was poor, missing the playoffs every season, finishing at an all-time low of 11th on the ladder in 2001 with just four wins for the season. The club was able to turn its from around in the 2003 season, topping the ladder with 49 points and 10 wins from 11 matches. The team went on to defeat the ACT Brumbies by 42–21 in the semi-final, before beating the Crusaders 21–17 in the final for the team's third Super Rugby title. The Blues were unable to follow their 2003 success up in 2004 and 2005 however, missing the playoffs in both seasons. [citation needed]

Super 14 era (2006–10)

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Blues playing against the Crusaders in Eden Park in 2008

The expanded 14 team competition could not have started worse for the Blues, who were in 2006 forced by the NZRU to include North Harbour captain Rua Tipoki in their squad of 24 players who are 'protected' from the draft. Tipoki was originally to be excluded from the draft due to personal circumstances to stay in Auckland. Andrew Mehrtens had in the past done this with the Crusaders. The NZRU however forced coach David Nucifora to pick Tipoki in his 24-man squad and hence drop another player. It is believed the NZRU was in favour of dropping players such as Isa Nacewa who are ineligible to play for the All Blacks.[3] Instead, Nucifora excluded All Black Isaia Toeava, who subsequently played for the Hurricanes in 2006. Following the draft fiasco, and the forgettable season which followed, the Blues showed signs of resurgence in 2007, finishing the round robin in fourth place, securing a semi-final against the Sharks in Durban. The travel and form of the opposition were too difficult to overcome, however, with the Blues losing 34–18 to the eventual runners-up. The 2008 season, the final under coach David Nucifora, saw the team finish the season with an 8–5 record and a sixth-place finish on the ladder. In 2009, Pat Lam was appointed as coach, however the team was not able to make significant improvements under his leadership for the remainder of Super 14, missing the playoffs in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

Super Rugby era (2011–present)

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2011 season

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In 2011 the Super Rugby competition was expanded to 15 teams and adopted a conference format. The Blues had a successful start to the season, defeating the Crusaders by 24–22 at Eden Park. This was followed by a win and a loss on their South African tour, followed by a 22–22 draw against the Western Force in Perth. This was followed by a seven match winning streak between rounds five and twelve. However, the mid-season winning streak came to an abrupt end with a 37–31 loss to the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, which initiated a four-match losing streak. In the final round-robin match of the season, the Blues defeated the Highlanders by 33–16 at Eden Park, securing the side's first playoff appearance since 2007 and first home playoff match since 2003. The team subsequently defeated the New South Wales Waratahs 26 – 13 to secure a semi-final against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, which they lost 30–13.

The 2011 season also marked the departure of Kurtis Haiu, who was diagnosed with a bone tumour in April.[4] Following his diagnosis, he took an indefinite break from rugby to focus on his health.[5]

2012 season

[edit]
Main article: 2012 Blues season

2012, the team's fourth season under coach Pat Lam, saw the arrival of former Hurricanes icons, and 2011 Rugby World Cup winners, Ma'a Nonu and Piri Weepu. The regular season began on 24 February against the Crusaders at Eden Park. Following two successive losses to start the season, the side's first victory came away to the Bulls, with starting debutant Gareth Anscombe scoring all of the Blues points in the 29–23 win. In doing so, Anscombe set a team record for most points in a match.[6] In the same match, Rene Ranger became the first Blues player to receive a white card, which resulted in a two-week suspension. Seven consecutive losses followed, beginning with the Stormers in round four, and finishing with the Hurricanes in round eleven. Growing frustration among fans was evident during this period, with racist remarks directed at coach Pat Lam via social media, talkback radio and the Blues own website.[7][8] Lam, who is of Samoan descent, received support from a number of former Blues players during this period, including Michael Jones and Eroni Clarke.[8] After beating the Lions in round twelve, the Blues suffered the biggest defeat in club history with a 59 – 12 loss away to the Crusaders, which was followed by losses at home to the Highlanders and table-topping Chiefs. The Blues finished the season on a high note, with wins against the Western Force and Brumbies.

On 17 July, Pat Lam was released. On the same day, Sir John Kirwan was appointed as head coach for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.[9] In August, the Blues' full coaching staff for the 2013 season was announced, with Sir Graham Henry taking on a role as technical advisor and defensive coach, Mick Byrne appointed forwards and kicking coach, and Grant Doorey appointed skills and backline coach.[10]

2013 season

[edit]
Main article: 2013 Blues season

The 2013 season saw an all new Blues team with many players leaving, including Ma'a Nonu to the Highlanders[11] and Gareth Anscombe to the Chiefs.[12] On the morning of 31 October 2012 new coach Sir John Kirwan announced the 2013 Blues squad which included 14 Super Rugby debutants, and Ali Williams taking over as captain.[13] Handed a bye on the first round the Blues started the regular season on 23 February 2013 with a 34–20 away win against the Hurricanes, followed by a 34–15 home win against the Crusaders the next week. Three consecutive losses followed, including the Bulls' first victory at Eden Park.[14] The Blues regained some form again, winning four of the next five games. Beating the Highlanders at home and completing the double over the Hurricanes with a 28–6 win at Eden Park before losing a close game against the Reds. The Blues then defeated both the Stormers and the Rebels before losing 3 games in a row to the Crusaders, Brumbies, and Highlanders respectively. The Blues then travelled to South Africa with two must win games against the Sharks and the Cheetahs, unfortunately losing both and ending the Blues chances of making the play-offs. Ali Williams played his 100th game for the Blues against the Sharks.[15] The Blues returned to New Zealand with a last home game against the already play-off qualified Chiefs. Despite a red card to Kane Barrett for stomping in the 23rd minute, the Blues played a remarkably strong game, taking the lead just after half-time but a yellow card to first-five Baden Kerr struck another blow for the Blues. The mounting Chiefs pressure paid off resulting in a Ben Tameifuna try with 17 minutes to go, winning the game for the Chiefs. The Blues walked off the field to a standing ovation from their fans, the first time an Eden Park crowd had been upstanding for a defeat.[16]

The Blues finished the season in 10th place, with six players earning call-ups to the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks, and Frank Halai as the team's top try scorer scoring 10 tries in his debut season. They signed international super star Benji Marshall for the 2014 season (only to return to league with the Dragons halfway through it) and Ma'a Nonu for two seasons starting in 2014.

2014 season

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The Blues 2014 season started with coach Sir John Kirwan announcing six new players to the squad including three All Blacks with the return of Ma'a Nonu and Tony Woodcock after they both played with the Highlanders for a season, and Jerome Kaino. This also included former National Rugby League (NRL) player Benji Marshall who had previously played with the Wests Tigers for 10 years.[17]

The Blues season started with an away loss to the Highlanders, going down 29–21. The next week they played their first home game of the season at Eden Park, defeating the Crusaders 35–24. They travelled to South Africa for two games against the Sharks and the Lions, losing both games but coming away with a losing bonus point against the Lions. They returned to New Zealand for two home games against the Cheetahs and the Highlanders, both of which they won bringing the up to 6th place on the ladder. The team travelled to Canberra to face the Brumbies and were defeated 26–9, and were defeated again by the Hurricanes in Wellington after a bye week. This was followed by two home games against the Waratahs and the Reds, winning both and coming away with a bonus point win against the Reds. They then lost their next two games going down to the Chiefs and the Sharks, picking up a losing bonus point against the Sharks. They returned to Eden park to defeat the Hurricanes, followed by a bonus point win in Perth against the Western Force. This put them into 8th place on the ladder with two games to play in the regular season before finals, needing to place in the top 6 for a spot in the play-offs. They lost to the Crusaders in Christchurch, therefore to make the finals they needed to win their final game against the Chiefs who were in the same situation. They lost their final game against the Chiefs going down 11–8, putting them out of the finals and ending a six-game winning streak at Eden Park for the season. The Blues finished 10th overall and 5th place in the New Zealand conference.[18]

Ihaia West, Patrick Tuipulotu, Benji Marshall, and Tom Donnelly all made their Super Rugby debut for the Blues in the 2014 season.

2015 season

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The 2015 season started with coach Sir John Kirwan announcing the Blues squad, with the inclusion of 11 new players after losing 12 players including Ma'a Nonu and Piri Weepu, who both played over 100 super rugby games.[19]

The Blues season started with a loss to the Chiefs, going down 23–18, picking up a losing bonus point. This was followed by an unsuccessful tour of South Africa, going down to the Stormers and Cheetahs, coming away with a single bonus point from a 25–24 loss to the Cheetahs. This was followed by four consecutive losses against the Lions, Hurricanes, Waratahs and Chiefs, 3 of which they picked up a losing bonus point. Their first win of the season came against the Brumbies at Eden Park with a 16–14 victory, ending the Blues 9 game losing streak. This was followed by consecutive losses against the Highlanders and Crusaders, picking up a bonus point against the Highlanders. This was followed by a strong 41–24 win against the Force. Their next game against the Rebels was their final away game of the season, they lost 42–22, ending the season with no away wins, having only won two away games in the last three years. Their final four games were all at home with high hopes of finishing the season on a high. They won the first game 23–18 against the South African conference leaders the Bulls, however this was their last win of the season going down in their final three games against the Hurricanes, Crusaders and Highlanders. This ended the franchises worst super rugby season,[20] ending in 14th place ahead of the Force, with just 3 from 16 wins for the season.

The end of the season was marked by the resignation of coach Sir John Kirwan, who had been with the team for the last three years winning just 17 out of 58 games. The Blues signed former All Black captain Tana Umaga to replace Sir John Kirwan as head coach of the Blues.[21]

2016 season

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The Blues endured yet another disappointing year in 2016, although there were some improvements. A close first round win over the Highlanders by 33–31 was followed by successive losses to the Crusaders (28–13) and Hurricanes (19–23). A 25–25 draw with the Reds in Round 4 was followed by a 24–16 win over the Jaguares in Round 6 (Round 5 being a bye). A week later the Blues lost to the Chiefs by 23–29, but bounced back with wins over the Sharks (23–18), Rebels (36–30) and Kings (34–18). A 43–5 loss to eventual finalists the Lions was followed by a tight 17–13 win over the Force. Another tight game resulted in a 21–26 loss to the Crusaders, while a yet another loss followed against the Hurricanes 27–37. Dominant wins against the Brumbies (40–15) and Waratahs (34–28) showed that the Blues could still be highly competitive, however their last-place conference finish left them outside the qualification pool for the season´s semi-finals, with rival New Zealand franchise the Hurricanes emerging the eventual champions.

2017 season

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2017 again saw the Blues finish bottom of the New Zealand conference, with an even 7 wins and 7 losses to their credit. The up and down nature of their season was reflected in the margins of both their biggest win – 56–18 in Round 1 over the Rebels – and their heaviest defeat – 48–21 to the Sunwolves in the final round in Tokyo. During the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour, the Blues pulled off a shock win over the British and Irish Lions 22–26 at Eden Park. Rookie Blues winger Reiko Ioane distinguished himself during the match, scoring a try and notably outpacing Lions and England winger Elliot Daly. Blues reserve first-five Ihaia West and All Black centre Sonny Bill Williams also impressed during the match, both scoring tries and West adding a penalty and conversion to a remarkable result against the tourists.

2018 season

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2018 would see the Blues again finish last in their conference, with a poor record of only four wins vs 12 losses in a miserable season. Crushing losses to the Hurricanes (42–24) and Crusaders (54–17) in the last two rounds illustrated how far the team´s performances had collapsed from coach Tana Umaga´s first, relatively respectable season in charge, and emphasized the need for structural reform at the club. A reshuffle resulted in Umaga being demoted to an assistant coaching role, and the appointment of former All Black, Crusaders assistant and Tasman Mako head coach Leon MacDonald as new Blues coach the following season.

2019 season

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MacDonald´s first year in charge saw little in the way of definite improvements to the Blues win–loss record, with only 5 wins from 17 games giving them their sixth consecutive last-place finish in the New Zealand conference. All Black prop Karl Tu'inukuafe and former All Black Ma'a Nonu were recruited from the Chiefs and Toulon, respectively. While their overall standards had improved, their margins of both victory and defeat remaining consistently low, the Blues were unable to mount much of a challenge that season.

2020 season

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Due to the COVID 19 Global Pandemic there was no international Super Rugby competition held in 2020 – with the competition instead delivered via 3 local conferences ie. Australia, NZ and South Africa. In the NZ Conference, Super Rugby Aotearoa, the Blues had a significantly improved season, winning five of their seven games and claiming fourth position at the end of the season.

2021 season

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the tournament was wholly regionalised, with the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season and the 2021 Super Rugby AU season replacing the previous 15 side format used from 2018 till 2020. Super Rugby Trans-Tasman followed these tournaments, a crossover competition that featured the five Australian sides playing the five New Zealand sides.

The Blues won 4 of their 8 games, finishing the 2021 season in 3rd place, in the 6 team NZ based competition.

2022 Season

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The Blues participated in the first Super Rugby Pacific season in 2022, and finished first in the 12 team round robin. In round 9 they scored their first win in Christchurch over the Crusaders since 2004, winning 27–24 at Orangetheory Stadium. In round 15 they beat the Warratahs 20–17, by a Zarn Sullivan drop goal after the 80 minute mark. This marked the franchise's 13th straight win, the longest in franchise history. In the quarter-finals, they played the Highlanders, who they beat 35–6, to reach their first semi-final in 11 years. In the semi-finals, they beat the Brumbies 20–19 in a thrilling encounter. Brumbies first-five Noah Lolesio had a match winning drop goal attempt, but this was charged down by Blues prop Ofa Tu'ungafasi, in turn sending the Blues to their first final since 2003, where they were defeated by the Crusaders 21–7 in front of a packed out Eden Park.

Rivalries

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Overall the Blues have dated rivalries with all other New Zealand-based Super Rugby teams (Chiefs, Hurricanes, Crusaders and Highlanders), however a notable trophy is contested between the Blues and Highlanders. The Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy is contested between the Blues and Highlanders as a part of regular season fixtures between the two sides. The trophy is awarded in memory of Gordon Hunter, who had been head coach of both teams prior to his passing away in 2002.

Stadium

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The team's primary home ground is Eden Park, located in the central Auckland suburb of Kingsland. The stadium has a capacity of 50,000. In addition to hosting Blues home matches, the ground is the home of the Auckland Rugby Football Union and Auckland Cricket, and is a frequent host of All Blacks matches, and hosted the 2011 Rugby World Cup semi-finals, third-place playoff, and final.[22]

In addition to Eden Park, Blues home matches are occasionally held at North Harbour Stadium, home of the North Harbour Rugby Union, and Okara Park, home of the Northland Rugby Union.

Auckland Albany Whangārei
Eden Park QBE Stadium Northland Events Centre
Capacity: 50,000 Capacity: 30,000 Capacity: 18,500

Franchise area and ownership

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The Blues represent the Auckland, North Harbour, and Northland rugby unions. As of 2021 60% of the club is owned (divided 65%, 29% and 6%) by the three unions, through Rugby Holdings Ltd., and 40% by private consortium Better Blues Company Limited.[23] The previous Blues (and Auckland Rugby Football Union) CEO was Michael Redman, who was formerly CEO of the New Zealand Breakers basketball team. The current board is made up of six members. Don Mackinnon, also a former New Zealand Netball and High Performance Sport NZ director, took over in 2019 as Blues Chairman from Tony Carter who chaired the board since it became a stand-alone organisation in 2013. The current board includes John Hart, Sam Lotu-liga, Richard Dellabarca, Kate Daly, Grant Graham and Brian Wilsher.

Andrew Hore took up the top job as CEO of the Blues in October 2019. Hore beat off serious competition from 70 applicants to become Blues CEO and believes glory days can return to the team's home ground of Eden Park. Hore was previously CEO at the Ospreys in Wales before going on to turn around the New South Wales Waratahs and NSW Rugby before deciding it was time to return to New Zealand to the Blues' challenge.

Development team

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The Blues have fielded a development team in competitions such as the Pacific Rugby Cup and in matches against other representative teams for several seasons. Known as the Blues Development XV, the squad is selected from the best emerging rugby talent in the Blues catchment area and is composed of Blues contracted players, wider training group members, under 20s, and selected club players.[24][25]

Current squad

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For player movements before and during the 2024 season, see List of 2023–24 Super Rugby transfers (New Zealand) § Blues.

The squad for the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season is:[26][a][b]

Blues Super Rugby squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Loose forwards

Halfbacks (scrum-halves)

First five-eighths (fly-halves)

Midfielders (centres)

Outside backs

  • (c) denotes team captain.
  • Bold denotes internationally capped.
  • DEV denotes a development squad player.
  • ST denotes a short-term signing.
  • denotes a player ruled out for the season with injury.
  1. ^ a b Lay was named in the original Blues squad, but was ruled out for the season with injury in May 2024.[27]
  2. ^ a b Tupaea wasn't named in the original Blues squad, but was announced in the side for Round 13.[28]

2024 coaching staff

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Captains

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Coaches

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Blues coaches by date, matches and win percentage*
Coach Period G W D L %
Sir Graham Henry 1996–1998 39 32 1 6 082.1
Jed Rowlands 1999 11 4 1 6 036.4
Gordon Hunter 2000 11 6 0 5 054.5
Frank Oliver 2001 11 4 0 7 036.4
Peter Sloane 2002–2005 46 30 1 15 065.2
David Nucifora 2006–2008 40 23 0 17 057.5
Pat Lam 2009–2012 60 27 1 32 045.0
Sir John Kirwan 2013–2015 48 16 0 32 033.3
Tana Umaga 2016–2018 46 19 2 25 041.3
Leon MacDonald 2019–2023 69 45 1 23 065.2
New Zealand Vern Cotter 2024-present 18 16 0 2 088.9
Totals (1996–present)* 381 206 7 168 054.1
Updated to: 24 April 2023

Notes:

^* Official Super Rugby competition matches only, including finals.

Honours

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Super Rugby (1996–present)

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  • Champions (4)

1996, 1997, 2003, 2024

  • Runners-up (2)

1998, 2022

  • Super Rugby Trans-Tasman Champions (1)

2021

  • Playoff appearances (8)

1996, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

World Club 10s

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  • Champions (1)

2014

Brisbane Global Tens

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  • Champions (1)

2018

Records and achievements

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Season standings

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A season-by-season summary of Blues regular season results is shown below:

Super 12 Super 14 Super Rugby Super Rugby Aotearoa Super Rugby Trans Tasman Super Rugby Pacific
Season Pos Pld W D L F A +/− BP Pts Notes
1996 1st 11 8 0 3 408 354 +54 9 41 Defeated Sharks in final
1997 1st 11 10 1 0 435 283 +152 8 50 Defeated Brumbies in final
1998 2nd 11 9 0 2 388 298 +90 7 43 Lost to Crusaders in final
1999 9th 11 4 1 6 202 201 +1 5 23
2000 6th 11 6 0 5 300 262 +38 6 30
2001 11th 11 4 0 7 243 298 −55 4 20
2002 6th 11 6 0 5 318 249 +69 5 29
2003 1st 11 10 0 1 393 185 +208 9 49 Defeated Crusaders in final
2004 5th 11 6 1 4 337 309 +28 6 32
2005 7th 11 6 0 5 243 216 +27 3 27
2006 8th 13 6 0 7 290 348 –58 5 29
2007 4th 13 9 0 4 355 235 +120 6 42 Lost to Sharks in semi-final
2008 6th 13 8 0 5 354 267 +87 8 40
2009 9th 13 5 0 8 339 369 −30 12 32
2010 7th 13 7 0 6 376 333 +43 9 37
2011 4th 16 10 1 5 405 335 +70 10 60* Lost to Reds in semi-final1
2012 12th 16 4 0 12 359 430 −71 8 32* 1
2013 10th 16 6 0 10 347 364 −17 12 44* 1
2014 10th 16 7 0 9 419 395 +24 9 37
2015 14th 16 3 0 13 282 428 –146 8 20
2016 11th 15 8 1 6 374 380 –6 5 39
2017 9th 15 7 1 7 425 391 +34 7 37
2018 14th 16 4 0 12 378 509 –131 6 22
2019 13th 16 5 1 10 347 369 −22 8 30
2020 4th 7 5 0 2 192 134 +58 2 22 Season cancelled due to Covid-192
2020 2nd 8 5 1* 2 176 149 +27 2 24 No playoffs, round robin only3
2021 3rd 8 4 0 4 210 191 +19 4 20 4
2021 1st 5 5 0 0 198 79 +119 3 23 Defeated Highlanders in final5
2022 2nd 14 13 0 1 472 284 +188 6 58 Lost to Crusaders in final
2023 5th 8 5 0 3 285 173 +112 6 26 Lost to Crusaders in semi-final
2024 1st 18 16 0 2 599 268 +331 7 55 Defeated Chiefs in final

Notes

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^1 Teams were awarded four points for a bye during the Super Rugby seasons from 2011 to 2013. Each team took two bye rounds each season. These additional 8 points are included in their season points tally.
^2 All matches after Round 7 were cancelled. the season remained incomplete and no champion was awarded.[29]
^3 Super Rugby Aotearoa was announced as a stand-in replacement competition for Super Rugby, between New Zealand Super Rugby sides. It was played as a round robin competition, with no finals. All teams played the other four teams twice, with the title awarded to the highest ranked team at the conclusion of the round robin fixtures. The final round match between the Crusaders and Blues was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions, with each team receiving 2 competition points.[30][31][32]
^4 Super Rugby Aotearoa adopted the same format in 2021 as the inaugural tournament in 2020, with the addition of a final between the top two ranked teams at the conclusion of the round robin stage.[33]
^5 Super Rugby Trans Tasman was a crossover competition between the teams involved in Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU. Each team from Super Rugby AU played each team from Super Rugby Aotearoa once, and vice versa. A final was played between the top two seeded teams at the conclusion of the round robin matches.[34][35]

Results per opposition

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Blues Super Rugby results vs different opponents [1]

Super Rugby
Opposition Span Played Won Drawn Lost Win%
New Zealand Chiefs 1996–2023 40 16 1 23 40.0%
New Zealand Crusaders 1996–2023 41 12 0 29 29.3%
New Zealand Highlanders 1996–2023 42 25 0 17 55.6%
New Zealand Hurricanes 1996–2023 39 19 1 19 48.7%
Australia Brumbies 1996–2023 28 17 0 11 60.7%
Australia Force 2006–2023 14 12 1 1 85.7%
Australia Rebels 2011–2023 10 7 0 3 70.0%
Australia Reds 1996–2022 26 13 2 11 50.0%
Australia Waratahs 1996–2022 28 20 0 8 71.4%
South Africa Bulls 1996–2020 23 14 2 7 60.9%
South Africa Cheetahs 1997–2017 11 8 0 3 72.7%
South Africa Lions 1996–2020 22 15 0 7 68.2%
South Africa Sharks 1996–2019 25 9 0 16 36.0%
South Africa Southern Kings 2016 1 1 0 0 100.0%
South Africa Stormers 1996–2020 22 12 0 10 54.5%
Argentina Jaguares 2016–2019 3 1 0 2 33.3%
Japan Sunwolves 2017–2019 3 2 0 1 66.7%
Fiji Fijian Drua 2022 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Samoa Tonga Moana Pasifika 2022 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Overall 1996–2023 381 206 7 168 54.1%
Updated to: 24 April 2023

Individual records

[edit]
See also: List of Blues (Super Rugby) players

Most appearances

[edit]
# Player Apps. Span
1 Keven Mealamu 164 2000–2001; 2003–2015
2 Ofa Tu'ungafasi 149 2013−present
3 Jerome Kaino 139 2004−2012; 2014−2018
4 Tony Woodcock 137 2002–2012; 2014–2015
5 Akira Ioane 119 2015–2024
6 James Parsons 115 2012–2021
7 Rieko Ioane 112 2016–present
8 Patrick Tuipulotu 109 2013-2020; 2022–present
9 Ali Williams 102 2002−2013
10 John Afoa 101 2004–2011

Most points

[edit]
# Player Pts. Span
1 Adrian Cashmore 552 1996–2000
2 Carlos Spencer 475 1996–2005
3 Luke McAlister 383 2004–2007; 2010–2011
4 Stephen Perofeta 351 2017–present
5 Ihaia West 347 2014−2017
6 Otere Black 299 2018−2021
7 Doug Howlett 275 1999−2007
8 Rieko Ioane 250 2016−present
9 Harry Plummer 226 2019–present
10 Joeli Vidiri 215 1996−2001

Most tries

[edit]
# Player Tries Span
1 Doug Howlett 58 1999–2007
2 Rieko Ioane 50 2016–Present
3 Joeli Vidiri 43 1996–2001
4 Joe Rokocoko 39 2003–2011
5 Mark Tele'a 35 2020–present
6 Caleb Clarke 32 2018–present
7 Akira Ioane 29 2015–2024
8 Rene Ranger 28 2009–2013, 2016–2017
9 Hoskins Sotutu 27 2019–present
10 Carlos Spencer 25 1996–2005

Most points in a match

[edit]
# Player Pts. Opposition Year
1 Gareth Anscombe 29 Bulls 2012
2 Adrian Cashmore 27 Highlanders 1998
3 Stephen Brett 26 Lions 2010
4 Beauden Barrett 25 Highlanders 2023
5 Adrian Cashmore 24 Bulls 1998
6 Carlos Spencer 23 Western Province 1996
Nick Evans 23 Highlanders 2008

Most tries in a match

[edit]
Tries Player Opposition Year
4 Joeli Vidiri Bulls 2000
Doug Howlett Hurricanes 2002
Mils Muliaina Bulls 2002
Rieko Ioane Sunwolves 2019
Mark Tele'a Hurricanes 2023
3 Joeli Vidiri Waratahs 1996
Mark Carter Stormers 1998
Rupeni Caucaunibuca Crusaders 2004
Rua Tipoki Western Force 2006
Joe Rokocoko Cheetahs 2008
Joe Rokocoko Western Force 2010
Frank Halai Melbourne Rebels 2013
Rieko Ioane Melbourne Rebels 2017
Mark Tele'a Waratahs 2020
Bryce Heem Waratahs 2021
Hoskins Sotutu Highlanders 2024
Caleb Clarke Chiefs 2024

Most points in a season

[edit]
# Player Pts. Year
1 Adrian Cashmore 180 1998
2 Nick Evans 150 2008
3 Carlos Spencer 143 2003
4 Adrian Cashmore 142 1997
5 Stephen Brett 141 2010
6 Luke McAlister 137 2011
7 Otere Black 133 2021
8 Ihaia West 130 2016
9 Stephen Perofeta 129 2022
10 Simon Hickey 124 2014

Most tries in a season

[edit]
Tries Player Year
12 Doug Howlett 2003
Mark Tele'a 2023
Hoskins Sotutu 2024
11 Rieko Ioane 2017
10 Joeli Vidiri 1996
Joeli Vidiri 1997
Joeli Vidiri 1998
Doug Howlett 2002
Frank Halai 2013
Caleb Clarke 2024

Team records

[edit]
  • Highest regular season placing: 1st (1996, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2022)
  • Most wins in a season: 16 (2024)
  • Most points in a season: 599 (2024)
  • Most tries in a season: 87 (2024)
  • Fewest wins in a season: 3 (2015)
  • Fewest points in a season: 202 (1999)
  • Fewest tries in a season: 15 (1999)
  • Biggest win: 60–7 (53 point win in 2002 vs. Hurricanes, Wellington)
  • Biggest loss: 12–59 (47 point loss in 2012 vs. Crusaders, Christchurch)
  • Most points ever scored in a game: 74 (74–28 win in 1998 vs. Stormers, Auckland)
  • Fewest points ever scored in a game: 3 (3–20 loss in 2004 vs. Reds, Brisbane), (3–23 loss in 2013 vs. Crusaders, Christchurch)

[6]

All-time record

[edit]
  • Games played: 290
  • Games won: 154
  • Games lost: 131
  • Games drawn: 5
  • Winning percentage: 53.10%
  • Points for: 7750
  • Points against: 6983
  • Tries for: 922
  • Tries conceded: 767

Record updated as of Round 9 v Brumbies, 2017

Players that have represented the All Blacks

[edit]

87 officially recognised Blues players have gone on to represent the All Blacks as of the 2017 season. There have been a total of 268 players to have played for the Blues which means that 30% of all Blues over two decades have either represented the All Blacks or have gone on to represent them.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Kahurangi - te Aka Māori Dictionary".
  2. ^ "What a thriller! Blues survive huge scare to reach dream Super Rugby final". NZ Herald. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  3. ^ Gray, Wynne (29 October 2005). "The standoff that sent Toeava south". New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  4. ^ Gray, Wynne (28 April 2011). "Rugby: Haiu on leave after tests confirm bone tumour". New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  5. ^ "Rugby: Haiu to take leave due to bone tumour". New Zealand Herald. 27 April 2011. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
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  7. ^ Gray, Wynne (11 April 2012). "Rugby: Pat Lam breaks down over racist taunts". New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  8. ^ a b Dickinson, Michael; McKendry, Patrick (13 April 2012). "Blues brothers rally round beleaguered Lam". New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 12 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  9. ^ "Kirwan 'thrilled' to be new coach of Blues". New Zealand Herald. 17 July 2012. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  10. ^ "Henry joins Blues coaching team". New Zealand Herald. 22 August 2012. Archived from the original on 23 August 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  11. ^ "All Blacks: Nonu picks Highlanders – Sport – NZ Herald News". The New Zealand Herald. 16 October 2012.
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  15. ^ "Ali Williams set for 100th game". espnscrum.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Blues v Chiefs - Round 20 - Sat 13 Jul 2013 | Match Report". www.theblues.co.nz. Archived from the original on 4 August 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  17. ^ "Blues name squad for 2014 Super Rugby - Official SANZAR Site". Archived from the original on 29 May 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  18. ^ "2014 Super Rugby - Official SANZAR Site". Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  19. ^ "2015 season preview: Blues - Sanzar". sanzarrugby.com.
  20. ^ "Blues must avoid their worst Super Rugby record in franchise history". Stuff. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
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  22. ^ "Eden Park". ESPN Scrum. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  23. ^ "NZ RUGBY SELLS SHARES IN BLUES TO LOCAL BUSINESS CONSORTIUM". 24 December 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  24. ^ Burnes, Campbell (23 May 2014). "Rugby: Blues side offer an ideal stern challenge for Juniors". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014.
  25. ^ "Blues XV v Chiefs Development". Getty Images. 13 March 2007. Archived from the original on 1 May 2015.
  26. ^ "Blues inject youth into experienced core for 2024". Blues (Press release). 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  27. ^ "Top of table showdown". Blues (Press release). 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Renata reaches 50 milestone". Blues (Press release). 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  29. ^ Decent, Tom (14 March 2020). "All Super Rugby matches to be cancelled after Sunday's fixtures". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  30. ^ "Super Rugby Aotearoa draw and 'experimental' rules". Otago Daily Times. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  31. ^ "Covid 19 coronavirus: New Zealand Rugby confirm details for 'Super Rugby Aotearoa' at alert level 2". NZ Herald. 7 May 2020. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  32. ^ "Super Rugby: Blues and Crusaders humdinger won't be rescheduledSuper Rugby: Blues and Crusaders humdinger won't be rescheduled". Stuff. 15 August 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  33. ^ "20 NZ derbies, one final! Super Rugby Aotearoa draw announced for 2021". www.rugby.com.au. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  34. ^ "2021 set for thrilling Trans-Tasman crossover". www.rugby.com.au. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  35. ^ "Super Rugby Trans-Tasman kick off times and locations confirmed for 2021". www.rugby.com.au. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
[edit]
Preceded by
Inaugural champions
2002 – Crusaders
 Super 12 Champions
1996 (first title) – 1997 (second title)
2003 (third title) 		Succeeded by
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