The Blues have received a shot in the arm after their captain, Dalton Papalii, was named in their starting line-up for Friday’s Super Rugby Pacific derby with the Highlanders at Eden Park.
The All Blacks loose forward was serving a three-match suspension but returns after two weeks after he completed a World Rugby Coaching Intervention Programme and will start at number eight for the Auckland-based outfit.
New-look back-row
Papalii starts in a new-look back-row alongside flankers Anton Segner and Tom Robinson.
That means Akira Ioane drops down to the replacements bench for this clash as part of a personalised All Blacks rest plan, while there is a potential Blues debut for another loose forward, Rob Rush, who is also on the bench.
Meanwhile, it will be a special occasion for star flyer Mark Telea, who is set to make his 50th appearance for the Blues. Telea is in red hot form as he leads the tournament in tries scored, clean breaks and defenders beaten.
The backline remains unchanged from the one that beat the Hurricanes last weekend with Harry Plummer continuing as the starting fly-half while Beauden Barrett is still on the sidelines.
Blues head coach Leon MacDonald hailed Telea’s upcoming milestone and is happy to have Papalii back in action.
“Mark’s been electric for us this year and continues to put in strong performances week in, week out,” he said. “Fifty games for the Blues is something to be proud of and as a backline we just need to keep putting him in good positions to let his talent flourish.
“It’s always pleasing to welcome back a player of Dalton’s calibre. He adds even more leadership and experience to the pack and I know he’s hungry to put in a performance for his team mates.”
MacDonald is keen for his team to build on the momentum of playing conseutive matches at Eden Park.
“This weekend is about what we can control; a win and we guarantee a home quarterfinal spot,” he said.
“The Highlanders have everything to play for and we’re planning for a real battle. We want to ensure we lock away the Gordy Hunter trophy for the season and know we’ll need to be at best in order to do so.”
Papalii looking forward to his return
Papalii is delighted to return to action and said he can’t wait to take on the Highlanders.
“I’m grateful to be able to return on Friday, the body might have enjoyed a bit of time off, but it’s fair to say I’m pretty keen to get back into it,” he said.
“Whenever you have a spell on the sidelines, you feel a bit helpless as the boys run out there and put their body on the line for the jersey.”
“We need to take care of business on Friday night. Our destiny is in our own hands, a good performance and we’ll be back at Eden Park, guaranteed – it’s up to us to make it happen.”
Blues: 15 Zarn Sullivan, 14 Mark Telea, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Bryce Heem, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Harry Plummer, 9 Finlay Christie 8 Dalton Papalii (c), 7 Anton Segner, 6 Tom Robinson, 5 James Tucker, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Ofa Tuungafasi
Replacements: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Jordan Lay, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Rob Rush, 20 Akira Ioane, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Stephen Perofeta, 23 AJ Lam
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Date: Friday, June 2
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Kick-off: 19:05 local (08:05 BST, 07:05 GMT)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Stu Curran (New Zealand), Jackson Henshaw (New Zealand)
TMO: TBC