Rieko Ioane will follow in the footsteps of All Blacks teammate Jordie Barrett and play for Leinster next season.
The Blues continued their salvage mission against Moana Pasifika while the Australian sides took four of the top six spots on the ladder after the Chiefs were knocked off in Sydney.
Not only are the Blues one win from four games to start the season, their trip down to Hamilton to face the Chiefs next week might have got slightly harder with injuries to star playmaker Beauden Barrett and hooker Ricci Riccitelli.
The Blues are in Wellington this week to take on the Hurricanes and there are some stark themes the 2024 champions will be desperate to reverse.
Vern Cotter and his side ultimately haven't strung together an 80 minute performance, sitting at the bottom of the Super Rugby Pacific ladder after two rounds with zero points.
A final rematch was the highlight of Super Rugby Pacific's much-anticipated return, and it was again a bustling Eden Park that played host to the festivities.
A giant vacancy exists in the Blues' starting XV in 2025 after the departure of club centurion Akira Ioane.
The new year brings with it the potential of new chapters and fresh starts for many of international rugby's discarded or forgotten talents.
In 2024, Super Rugby fans were treated to many breakthrough players from the New Zealand franchises. We saw Chiefs loose forward Wallace Sititi go from unknown, to World Rugby Breakthrough 15’s Men’s Player of the Year. Hurricanes props Xavier Numia and Pasilo Tosi burst onto the scene, putting themselves in All Blacks contention.
Blues backrower Hoskins Sotutu has reportedly pulled out of the All Blacks XV duty and declined the chance to play for the All Blacks.