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Blues welcome back All Blacks for Sharks clash

Blues star Sonny Bill Williams. Photo / Getty Images

After coming off the bench in the season opener, the Blues welcome three All Blacks into its starting line-up to take on the Sharks in Durban on Sunday (NZ time).

Props Ofa Tuungafasi and Karl Tu’inukuafe join Sonny Bill Williams in the run-on side for the second round of Super Rugby, following their 24-22 loss to defending champions, the Crusaders at home last weekend.

There’s a double celebration with Melani Nanai, starting a fullback, and No 8 Akira Ioane playing in their 50th Super Rugby game for the Blues. Ioane, who also played for the Blues against the Lions, celebrated his 50 games for the club last week.

Tu’inukuafe and Tu’ungafasi make their first start together for the Blues, but both have previously paired up for the All Blacks.

The remainder of the pack is the same that started against the Crusaders, including All Blacks Dalton Papalii and captain Patrick Tuipulotu.

Williams starts in his customary second five position with the in-form TJ Faiane at centre, while Ma’a Nonu is spelled after his first game back in Super Rugby after four years last week.

New Zealand Under-20s winger Caleb Clarke moves to the right wing after a superb pre-season with star All Black Rieko Ioane on the left wing, while the free-running Nanai, impressive against the Crusaders, moves to fullback.

Another New Zealand under-20s player Tanielu Tele’a, a versatile outside back who also impressed in pre-season, is positioned for his debut off the bench.

Coach Leon Macdonald said he is looking for improvements against the Sharks, a dangerous and open-running team. While he was not involved last year, he said many of the team remembers the loss to the South African side at Eden Park last year.

BLUES

15. Melani Nanai, 14. Caleb Clarke, 13. TJ Faiane, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 11. Rieko Ioane, 10. Otere Black, 9. Jonathan Ruru; 8. Akira Ioane, 7. Dalton Papalii, 6. Tom Robinson, 5. Josh Goodhue, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu ©, 3. Ofa Tuungafasi, 2. James Parsons, 1. Karl Tu’inukuafe. Reserves: 16. Matt Moulds, 17. Alex Hodgman, 18. Sione Mafileo, 19. Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 20. Matt Matich, 21. Augustine Pulu, 22. Harry Plummer, 23. Tanielu Tele’a.

Rugby World Cup City Guides – Oita:

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fl 37 minutes ago
Gloucester respond to complaints over Russian flag

I don't listen to Nigel Farage. Really not sure where you'd be getting that from. Maybe you should stick to responding to what I've actually said, rather than speculating about my sources.


I'm not sure what you think Putin is going to do. He'll probably conquer Ukraine, but its taken him a long time, and cost him a lot of soldiers. Hitler overran France in a matter of weeks and then started bombing Britain. At this rate Putin might make it to Paris by 2080? I think he'll give up long before then!


I don't see what Stalinist language policy has to do with any of what we're talking about. De-Ukrainization took place in the 1930s, but the genocide of Palestine is taking place in 2025. If your argument is that the invasion of Ukraine is part of a longer history of Russian suppression of Ukraine then you might have a point, but that really just underlines the key difference between Hitler and Putin; Hitler wanted to dominate as much area as possible and so posed a threat to all of Europe, whereas Putin wants to force the assimilation of those who have historically been within the Russian sphere of influence, so only poses a threat to eastern europe and central asia.


"Read and think for yourself."

What would you recommend I read? On the genocide of Palestine I've found Patrick Wolfe's "Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native" and Sai Englert's "Settlers, Workers, and the Logic of Accumulation by Dispossession" especially useful - they might disabuse you of the notion that what we are witnessing is an "authoritarian criminal syndicate" fighting a nation! - rather Zionist genocide is a largely democratic process, arising from a structure of settler colonialism which has no analogue in Ukraine.

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F
Flankly 1 hour ago
Six players Rassie Erasmus must hand Springbok debuts to in 2025

Sloppy piece by Josh. It should be Stormers, obviously.


Also:

David Kriel, who, like Hooker, is comfortable in both the midfield and the back-tree

Being comfortable in trees is kind of a quirky qualification for the Boks Office lads to emphasize.

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