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The Chiefs are looking to notch their fifth consecutive victory when they take on the rival Blues in Hamilton on Saturday.
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A win will see the Hamilton side continue their unbeaten run against the Blues – a run that dates back 13 meetings and seven years.
Despite the team’s form and history against the Blues, Colin Cooper still sees this as a very important match and is wary of the Auckland franchise.
“There is a great rivalry between the Chiefs and the Blues, and this time it is in our Whare [house]. The Blues are going to bring everything – they’ll be coming with a lot of passion this weekend.”
Cooper has made three changes to his starting side that beat the Highlanders last weekend.
Lachlan Boshier starts at blindside flanker and Pita Gus Sowakula grabs the No. 8 jersey after a strong debut off the bench last week.
In the backline, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi gets a start at halfback and Jonathan Taumateine comes in as cover for the injured Brad Weber (wrist).
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“We’ve shown a lot of heart which is great, but we just need to make sure that we play a bit smarter,” said Cooper.
“The Blues will be dangerous. We need to make sure that we have our structures right, our attitude right, and play the game we know we can play. They are great ball carriers so we need to make sure that we tackle well and that our defence systems work.”
The last time the two teams met was in week three, where the Chiefs pulled off a 27-21 victory at Eden Park.
Here's YOUR team to take on the Blues this Saturday at FMG Stadium Waikato. Make sure you get your tickets to be part of an awesome live match experience! TICKETS: https://t.co/nsRqE25vWa #CHIvBLU #ChiefsMana pic.twitter.com/ReOLCMmC0O
— Gallagher Chiefs (@ChiefsRugby) April 5, 2018
CHIEFS
1. Aidan Ross, 2. Nathan Harris, 3. Angus Ta’avao, 4. Brodie Retallick, 5. Tyler Ardron, 6. Lachlan Boshier, 7. Sam Cane (CC), 8. Pita Gus Sowakula, 9. Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Sean Wainui, 12. Johnny Fa’auli, 13. Anton Lienert-Brown, 14. Toni Pulu, 15. Solomon Alaimalo.
Reserves: 16. Liam Polwart, 17. Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18. Jeff Thwaites, 19. Luke Jacobson, 20. Liam Messam, 21. Jonathan Taumateine, 22. Charlie Ngatai (CC), 23. Marty McKenzie.
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