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Live: Blues vs Highlanders | Super Rugby Aotearoa
By RugbyPass
Follow all the action on the RugbyPass live blog from the Super Rugby Aotearoa clash between the Blues and Highlanders at Eden Park in Auckland.
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Keep up to date with the latest score, stats and join the conversation from anywhere in the world in our Live Match Centre (click here).
Super Rugby Aotearoa returns to Eden Park – where the Blues attracted a mammoth 43,000 strong crowd in round one of the competition. Both the Blues and the visiting Highlanders are undefeated in the competition to date.
The Blues dealt to the Hurricanes two weeks ago then travelled down to Hamilton to record a first win in the Waikato in since 2011 and set a new franchise record for away wins in a row.
The Highlanders, meanwhile, beat the odds and scored a last-minute win over the Chiefs in Dunedin in round one, courtesy of a 35-metre drop goal from Bryn Gatland.
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Neither side has tinkered with their squads much since their last matches. The Highlanders have brought Scott Gregory in at fullback in place of Vilimonoi Koroi but there’s still no sign of All Blacks pivot Josh Ioane, meaning Mitch Hunt again gets the reins in the 10 jersey. The Blues have made no changes to the team that unravelled the Chiefs last week, instead opting to maintain continuity.
The last eight Super Rugby matches between the Blues and Highlanders at Eden Park have seen each team pick up four wins apiece, despite the Highlanders leading at half-time in six of the games in that span.
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All Blacks and Highlanders flanker Shannon Frizell has scored four tries over his last two encounters with the Blues in Auckland while Rieko Ioane managed two in the two sides’ previous encounter.
