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Sotutu returns as Blues make three changes in team to face Highlanders

Super Rugby Pacific 2024 MVP Hoskins Sotutu of the Blues. Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Blues head coach Vern Cotter has made three changes to the 23-man squad to take on the Highlanders in Dunedin this Saturday.

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The reigning Super Rugby Pacific champions lost 25-14 to the Chiefs on Saturday, as Cotter’s side was completely outplayed in the second half on their home turf to start the new campaign.

The Blues welcome back 2024 Super Rugby Player of the Year Hoskins Sotutu at No.8, as German-born loose forward Anton Segner misses out completely.

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Roles are reversed at halfback, as Finlay Christie will start the game this weekend with Taufa Funaki on the bench.

Canterbury hooker James Mullan will make his Blues Super Rugby debut off the bench, replacing Nathaniel Pole in the No.16 jersey.

Cotter has reshuffled his bench players, bringing in young lock Josh Beehre into the No.19 jersey after missing out last week.

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Cotter believes the team will bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing loss against last year’s beaten finalists, the Chiefs.

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“We did not get the outcome we wanted against a very good Chiefs team, but it was just the start of a long season, and we will be much better for it this week,” Cotter told the Blues website.

“We need a strong platform along with accuracy at the collision for us to prosper. When we did this well on Saturday, the team was dangerous but we need to achieve it for longer periods in the game.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins
1
Draws
0
Wins
4
Average Points scored
20
36
First try wins
60%
Home team wins
60%

“This competition is going to be extremely competitive between all New Zealand and Australian teams, as we all saw with the close results throughout all matches in the opening round.”

The Blues team is (Blues caps in brackets):

1. Ofa Tu’ungafasi (150)
2. Ricky Riccitelli (39)
3. Marcel Renata (54)
4. Patrick Tuipulotu (110) ©
5. Laghlan McWhannell (12)
6. Cameron Suafoa (25)
7. Dalton Papali’i (84)
8. Hoskins Sotutu (66)
9. Finlay Christie (55)
10. Harry Plummer (76)
11. Caleb Clarke (65)
12. AJ Lam (44)
13. Rieko Ioane (113)
14. Mark Tele’a (68)
15. Beauden Barrett (31)

Reserves: 16. James Mullan (Debut), 17. Joshua Fusitu’a (22), 18. Angus Ta’avao (67), 19. Josh Beehre (12), 20. Adrian Choat (46), 21. Taufa Funaki (27), 22. Corey Evans (15), 23. Cole Forbes (18).

Players not considered: Kurt Eklund (groin), Sam Darry (shoulder, season), PJ Sheck (shoulder), Zarn Sullivan (foot), Stephen Perofeta (calf), Ben Ake (shoulder).

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Comments

3 Comments
J
JW 33 days ago

Super seasons are a sprint Vern, you lose this and you’re pretty much guarantied of failing to get a home finals berth.


Funaki is really getting dropped? I must have missed something last week! I like Beehre, would have loved it Vern had included an extra loosy as well.

J
JD Kiwi 33 days ago

Not a sprint, a middle distance race! Article hopefully out next week.

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R
RedWarriors 4 hours ago
Antoine Dupont undergoes surgery on injured knee ahead of long absence

Rugby incident, happens scores of times in a game. Dupont wasn’t even hit with much force, Beirne just clears him and force is added from behind from Furlong.

We can’t have special treatment for France just because their star is the one who gets unlucky.

There is already a lack of clarity around actual Written decisions and how they differ from bans.

For example, Mauvaka the official written decision states Mauvaka to have made a ‘reckless’, ‘deliberate’, shot ‘to the head’ of a ‘player in a vulnerable position’ on the ground. That’s a high level entry ban of 10 weeks. However, the press release did not show ‘reckless’ or ‘vulnerable player’ ticked alloweing Mauvaka to enter at the 6 match mid range.

Similarly Ntamack’s written report showed that it was a ‘reckless’, ‘head shot’ with ‘injury’. The injury was a fully displaced nose bone and Ntamack apologizes for the injury in the written report. This should give Ntamack an entry level of 6 weeks but in the Press Release ‘Injured’ is unticked meaning Ntamack gets away with a 4 week entry ban. This is not counting the fact that the world knows he deliberately injured Thomas.

No. France have been abusing the system for years, recently spreading disinformation about the Ringrose ban in order to undermine confidence in the process.

Giving France even more special treatment is not the answer.

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