INVESTEC SUPER RUGBY OFFICIAL MATCH PROGRAMME
SATURDAY 2 MAY 2015
Investec – Official sponsor of Super Rugby in New Zealand
Specialists in the field With skill and expertise to boot. At Investec we recognise that it takes a winning spirit to create out of the ordinary performance. Our international teams are well positioned to deliver a distinctive range of specialist banking and investment products and services in private banking, wealth & investment and asset management. Keeping you ahead of the game. www.investec.co.za/rugby
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A MESSAGE FROM
OUR SPONSORS Welcome to Investec Super Rugby 2015. What an exciting World Cup year it promises to be. This is Investec’s fifth year as title sponsor of the Investec Super Rugby tournament in New Zealand. Once again we expect a thrilling five months of top quality rugby as the 15 best teams this side of the equator face off for the right to be crowned club rugby champions of the southern hemisphere. The competition is closely followed by Investec’s clients around the world. With the quality of rugby being as it has been over recent years, it
Welcome to the 2015 season of Investec Super Rugby. On behalf of our 5500-strong team at the Bank of New Zealand, we extend a warm welcome to you – our fellow rugby fans from right around the country. It’s set to be a sensational year for the nation’s game as we look forward to the 2015 Rugby World Cup in the UK. But in the meantime, there are more than 120 games to be played across New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. In the months ahead, there are untold tries to be scored and dozens of new sporting heroes to be crowned – but just one coveted Super Rugby championship title to be awarded. And we can’t wait!
remains a perfect association for the Investec brand. Investec is proud to be involved in a number of other high profile rugby-related sponsorships. These include The Rugby Championship in New Zealand and the Investec International Rugby Academy in South Africa. All of our rugby sponsorships uphold the values of a winning spirit. We wish all teams and all supporters the best of luck for the games ahead. Enjoy the rugby! JANET LARSEN Head of Marketing Investec South Africa
BNZ – like the game of rugby – is steeped in the history, culture and very fabric of this country. We’re proud to have a track record of more than 150 years of enabling a high achieving New Zealand by supporting Kiwis in pursuing their goals and achieving their dreams, which is why we’re delighted to be backing all five New Zealand Super Rugby franchises for the sixth year running. BNZers around the country are also passionate about being bold and brave, and working together as one team – things we know the world’s best sports teams continually strive to achieve, and just another reason why supporting our
ABOUT INVESTEC Investec is an international specialist bank and asset manager that provides a diverse range of financial products and services to a niche client base in two principal markets, the United Kingdom and South Africa as well as certain other countries. The group was established in 1974 and currently has approximately 8,200 employees. Investec focuses on delivering distinctive profitable solutions for its clients in three core areas of activity, namely Asset Management, Wealth & Investment and Specialist Banking. In July 2002 the Investec group implemented a dual listed company structure with listings on the London and Johannesburg Stock Exchanges. The combined group’s current market capitalisation is approximately £4.6 billion.
country’s national game makes so much sense. As we witness the determination of our Super Rugby teams this season and admire their peak physical fitness, it could be a good time to think about your own goals and financial fitness. Our teams across the country are here to help you be good with money, so please pop into your local BNZ store or Partners Centre or give us a call. We’d love to have a chat. Enjoy the game! ANTHONY HEALY Chief Executive Officer Bank of New Zealand
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MAYDAY! COASTGUARD HEROES APPEAL FOR HELP It’s with the support of people like you that Coastguard Volunteers can bring people like Steve, Terry and Colin home safely to their families. It was a calm summer afternoon when the three friends went fishing in the Firth of Thames. But the weather changed without warning. The waves got bigger and their propeller snagged suddenly. As Steve leant over the side and tried to free it, an ugly wave capsized the boat throwing the trio and all their gear overboard into the rough sea. Treading water to stay afloat, Steve grabbed some rope he found floating next to him and told Terry and Colin they’d be best to tie themselves to the boat and stay together. “We had no way of letting our families know that we were still alive. The thought of them wondering if we were alive or dead was unbearable.” The three men were lost at sea. Their only hope was that someone would come searching
for them. The Coastguard Thames volunteer crew did just that. Allan Benson has been a Coastguard Volunteer for 22 years. It was past midnight when his pager woke him following a partner of one of the missing men raising the alarm. Minutes later, he and his crew had launched their rescue vessel into the Firth of Thames.
the country stand-by ready to assist those in need on the water, they are ordinary kiwis doing an extraordinary thing dedicating over 300,000 hours each year to bringing 7,000 kiwis home to safety. They need your help to ensure our Coastguard heroes continue to be there when Kiwis need them the most. So please help our
“We had no way of letting our families know that we were still alive. The thought of them wondering if we were alive or dead was unbearable.” At 12.30am – after an exhausting eight hours filled with hope, elation and despair – Allan and the Coastguard volunteer crew located the missing men pulling them from the scene to the safety of the Rescue Vessel, wrapping them in a thermal recovery blanket. They were exhausted and freezing but alive and relieved. Coastguard is a charity whose 2,500 volunteers around
Coastguard heroes by donating to the MayDay Appeal at coastguard.org.nz We’re delighted to be partnering with Coastguard, there’s no doubt that there is strength in numbers and we’re backing them all the way this season as they head out on the water! Visit www.coastguard.org.nz to make a difference today as a little goes such a long way!
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MUMS: BRINGING RUGBY TO KIWI KIDS SINCE AGES AGO Celebrating New Zealand’s beloved sport, The Blues, in collaboration with New Zealand Rugby, are bringing you ‘We Love Rugby’ – a way to celebrate Kiwis’ favourite game. We wanted to take a moment to honour the mums of our players who have supported their sons’ passion for the game. Our accurate first five, Ihaia West, was practically born holding a ball according to his mum Patty West. The Hastings Girls’ High School teacher has been offering advice and grounded reasoning to Ihaia’s sport, including when he had to choose between cricket and rugby. “I was quietly relieved when he chose rugby because it’s much shorter than cricket.” Perhaps a sentiment more than one mum has felt. “I also love the unpredict-
ability of the game and the pressure it puts on the first five,” said Pip. “I like watching how our son responds to pressure.” Another mum who’s thrown herself wholeheartedly in to the rugby world is Kay Tito, Patrick
Tuipulotu’s mum. “I’m a big fan of the game, probably a fanatic about it,” said Kay. “When Patrick started playing, I really got into it. I read the sports pages before the rest of the news.”
Patrick with his mum, Kay Tito, and his sister, Betty
Bringing you the KFC Curtain Raisers KFC is proud to give the best up-and-coming secondary school teams from Auckland and North Harbour the chance of a lifetime.
Good luck Mt Albert Grammar & Sacred Heart. These are the stars of the future.
Ihaia with his niece Ruby
She’s fallen for the rugby culture, the coaches and parents you meet, and the life it has given Patrick. “The environment has taught him so much confidence to trust his abilities and to be whatever he wants to be.”
When Patrick was a teenager, he received a medal with the Auckland Under-16 team and was able to walk on to the field at Eden Park at half-time during a Blues match. “Even with Patrick making the All Blacks, it was
Joe with his mum Shelley
that moment I still remember so clearly sitting up in the stands and thinking how proud of him I am.” Shelley Edwards, Joe Edwards’ mum, did not grow up following the sport but now describes herself as “a convert to rugby.” “I love the battle, the contest and the chance of winning,” she said. “It’s a generational sport, handed down by his grandparents to his father, and now Joe is pursuing it himself.” And Joe has been pursuing rugby since he was eight, spending one year in league but coming away from that year with the firm commitment to rugby. “You’ll never take rugby away from me,” Joe said to his mum. This commitment to the sport has become a narrative throughout the team and helps explain why we just love rugby.
VoTe For your Blues ‘sKyCITy Player oF The Day’
R18 to vote and enter SKYCITY’s Player of the Day prize draws. See www.skycityauckland.co.nz/blues for full terms and conditions
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SKYCITY is giving you the chance to have your say throughout the Blues 2015 Super Rugby season. Visit www.skycityauckland.co.nz/blues for details on how to vote and prizes up for grabs from SKYCITY.
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Nothing beats playing at home.
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速
2015 BLUES PLAYER STATS
JOSH BEKHUIS
DAN BOWDEN
LUKE BRAID
LOCK 2.00M | 115KG | 29YR
1ST FIVE-EIGHT 1.76M | 89KG | 29YR
LOOSE FORWARD 1.85M | 101KG | 26YR
JIMMY COWAN
CHARLIE FAUMUINA
JAMISON GIBSON-PARK
HALFBACK 1.86M | 92KG | 33YR
TIGHTHEAD PROP 1.85M | 128KG | 28YR
HALFBACK 1.77M | 84KG | 23YR
AKIRA IOANE
JEROME KAINO
STEVEN LUATUA
LOOSE FORWARD 1.94M | 111KG | 19YR
NUMBER EIGHT 1.96M | 110KG | 32YR
LOOSE FORWARD 1.96M | 115KG | 23YR
KEVEN MEALAMU
GEORGE MOALA
MELANI NANAI
HOOKER 1.81M | 108KG | 36YR
INSIDE CENTRE 1.88M | 99KG | 24YR
LEFT WING 1.94M | 90KG | 21YR
HAMISH NORTHCOTT
BRENDON O’CONNOR
JAMES PARSONS
2ND FIVE EIGHT 1.83M | 93KG | 22YR
LOOSE FORWARD 1.86M | 100KG | 25YR
HOOKER 1.85M | 110KG | 28YR
CHARLES PIUTAU
FRANCIS SAILI
ANGUS TA’AVAO
FULLBACK 1.86M | 95KG | 23YR
INSIDE CENTRE 1.80M | 97KG | 24YR
TIGHTHEAD PROP 1.94M | 125KG | 25YR
HAYDEN TRIGGS
OFA TU’UNGAFASI
LOLAGI VISINIA
LOCK 2.01M | 114KG | 33YR
LOOSEHEAD PROP 1.95M | 120KG | 23YR
RIGHT WING 1.92M | 103KG | 22YR
IHAIA WEST
TONY WOODCOCK
1ST FIVE-EIGHT 1.75M | 84KG | 23YR
LOOSEHEAD PROP 1.84M | 119KG | 34YR
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BLUES VS
5.30 PM SATURDAY 2 MAY 20 REFEREE: Ben O’Keefe
ASSISTANT REFEREES
BLUES STARTING LINE-UP 15 Charles Piutau 14 Lolagi Visinia 13 Francis Saili 12 George Moala 11 Melani Nanai 10 Dan Bowden 9 Jimmy Cowan 8 Jerome Kaino (C) 7 Brendon O’Connor 6 Akira Ioane 5 Hayden Triggs 4 Josh Bekhuis 3 Charlie Faumuina 2 Keven Mealamu 1 Tony Woodcock 190cm
COACH Sir John Kirwan ASSISTANT COACHES Grant Doorey Glenn Moore Nick White David Hill MANAGER Richard Fry RESERVES 16 James Parsons 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi 18 Angus Ta’avao 19 Steven Luatua 20 Luke Braid 21 Jamison Gibson-Park 22 Ihaia West 23 Hamish Northcott
S
FORCE
015 – EDEN PARK AUCKLAND : Nick Briant & Paul Williams
TMO: Ben Skeen
FORCE STARTING LINE-UP 15 Dane Haylett-Petty 14 Luke Morahan 13 Kyle Godwin 12 Luke Burton 11 Nick Cummins 10 Sias Ebersohn 9 Ryan Louwrens 8 Ben McCalman
COACH Michael Foley ASSISTANT COACHES David Wessels Kevin Foote MANAGER Mark Calverley
7 Matt Hodgson (C) 6 Angus Cottrell 5 Adam Coleman 4 Steve Mafi 3 Tetera Faulkner 2 Nathan Charles 1 Pekahou Cowan
RESERVES 16 Heath Tessmann 17 Chris Heiberg 18 Guy Millar 19 Wilhelm Steenkamp 20 Kane Koteka 21 Justin Turner 22 Marcel Brache 23 Junior Rasolea
2015 FORCE PLAYER STATS
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DANE HAYLETT-PETTY
LUKE MORAHAN
KYLE GODWIN
FULLBACK/WING 1.90M | 100KG | 25YR
WING/CENTRE 1.89M | 95KG | 25YR
FLYHALF 1.87M | 93KG | 22YR
LUKE BURTON
NICK CUMMINS
SIAS EBERSOHN
FLYHALF/CENTRE 1.80M | 92KG | 21YR
WING 2.89M | 99KG | 27YR
FLYHALF 1.76M | 83KG | 26YR
RYAN LOUWRENS
BEN MCCALMAN
MATT HODGSON
HALFBACK 1.79M | 93KG | 24YR
BACK ROW 1.92M | 106KG | 27YR
BACK ROW 1.85M | 103KG | 33YR
ANGUS COTTRELL
ADAM COLEMAN
STEVE MAFI
BACK ROW 1.91M | 105KG | 25YR
LOCK 2.04M | 122KG | 23YR
LOCK/FLANKER 1.98M | 112KG | 25YR
TETERA FAULKNER
NATHAN CHARLES
PEKAHOU COWAN
PROP 1.78M | 117KG | 26YR
HOOKER 1.83M | 104KG | 26YR
PROP 1.85M | 116KG | 28YR
JUNIOR RASOLEA
MARCEL BRACHE
JUSTIN TURNER
WING/CENTRE 1.84M | 102KG | 24YR
WING/CENTRE 1.90M | 92KG | 27YR
SCRUMHALF 1.80M | 87KG | 25YR
KANE KOTEKA
WILHELM STEENKAMP
GUY MILLAR
FLANKER 1.82M | 94KG | 21YR
LOCK 2.00M | 110KG | 30YR
PROP 1.87M |117KG | 23YR
CHRIS HEIBERG
HEATH TESSMANN
PROP 1.83M | 115KG | 29YR
HOOKER 1.82M | 105KG | 31YR
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BLUES MAJOR PARTNERS
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MAGS BOY DIVES INTO THE BLUES Mount Albert Grammar School, or MAGS as it is affectionately known, played Sacred Heart in the KFC Curtain Raiser for tonight’s Blues v Force match-up. MAGS is a firmly established 1st Division A school, meaning if you want a career in rugby, MAGS is a good place to start. One of the school’s old boys, Steven Luatua, is here to talk about the impact MAGS had on his career. When asked about the impact MAGS had on this young flanker, Steven points out the well-rounded nature of the high school. “We were taught that it’s not all about rugby,” he said. “The confidence that you got from an Excellence in class would translate on to the field. The same goes with spending quality time with your family. It was all important” Not only that, there was a strict no-detention policy for each of the First teams. If any of the players had an outstanding
detention or truancy from the week, they couldn’t play. It meant that students would be arriving early on a Friday morning to fulfil a punishment from the week. Steven’s high school coach, Charlie McAllister, the father of Kayla and Luke, and a widely respected coach in Auckland, enforced a lot of this. “Charlie was big on making the man as well, not just the rugby player,” said Steven. “Some coaches just focus on rugby, but he pushed us to tick the boxes in the classroom as well.” The year after graduating from MAGS, Steven joined the Auckland Rugby Academy, a programme designed to bridge the gap between high school and professionalism. Training would be from 6-8am at Unitec, teaching the developing players what it would take to succeed at the Super level and beyond. “It definitely helped having the 6am starts, helped me be a lot more disciplined,” said Steven.
And that discipline helped lead to Steven’s first cameo for the All Blacks on 22 June, 2013 against France in New Plymouth. His first for the Blues was in 2012 against the Lions. “Growing up in Auckland, you always want to be a Blues player and an All Black,” he said. “Even after 10 mins, to say that I was an All Black was a pretty proud moment for me and my family.” And a proud moment for MAGS.
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ON OR OFF THE PITCH, WHEREVER YOU ARE, WHATEVER YOU DO, SHARE YOUR #BESTONBESTOFF MOMENT FOR A CHANCE TO WIN.
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2015 STANDINGS NZ CONFERENCE
P
W
D
L
BYE
F
A
DIF
BP
PTS
HURRICANES
9
8
0
1
0
251
150
101
6
38
CHIEFS
10
8
0
2
0
259
181
78
5
37
HIGHLANDERS
9
6
0
3
0
211
191
20
4
28
CRUSADERS
10
5
0
5
0
272
207
65
5
25
BLUES
10
1
0
9
0
173
237
-64
7
11
P
W
D
L
BYE
F
A
DIF
BP
PTS
AUS CONFERENCE
BRUMBIES
10
6
0
4
0
226
130
96
7
31
WARATAHS
9
6
0
3
0
209
180
29
3
27
REBELS
9
4
0
5
0
164
182
-18
4
20
REDS
10
2
0
8
0
130
261
-131
3
11
FORCE
10
1
0
9
0
157
233
-76
6
10
SA CONFERENCE
P
W
D
L
BYE
F
A
DIF
BP
PTS
STORMERS
10
7
0
3
0
227
194
33
2
30
BULLS
10
6
0
4
0
259
213
46
5
29
LIONS
10
6
0
4
0
175
218
-43
2
26
SHARKS
10
4
0
6
0
201
241
-40
5
21
CHEETAHS
10
3
0
7
0
204
300
-96
4
16
OVERALL
PTS
HURRICANES
38
CHIEFS
37
BRUMBIES
31
STORMERS
30
BULLS
29
HIGHLANDERS
28
WARATAHS
27
LIONS
26
CRUSADERS
25
SHARKS
21
REBELS
20
CHEETAHS
16
REDS
11
BLUES FORCE
11 10
©PHOTOSPORT B LU E S
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2015 FIXTURES ROUND
MATCH
RESULT
ROUND 12 MATCHES
1 BLUES VS CHIEFS
L
18–23
HIGHLANDERS VS SHARKS
2 STORMERS VS BLUES
L
27–16
BRUMBIES VS WARATAHS
3 CHEETAHS VS BLUES
L
25–24
BLUES VS FORCE
4 BLUES VS LIONS
L
10–13
HURRICANES VS CRUSADERS
Sat 14 Feb / QBE Stadium / 7:35PM Sun 22 Feb / Newlands Stadium / 4:05AM Sat 28 Feb / Free State Stadium / 6:10AM Sat 7 Mar / QBE Stadium / 7:35PM
01 May / Dunedin / 7:35PM 01 May / Canberra / 9:40PM 02 May / Eden Park / 5:30PM
02 May / Wellington / 7:35PM
5 HURRICANES VS BLUES
L
30–23
7 WARATAHS VS BLUES
L
23–11
7:35PM Fri 13 Mar / TBC / 7:35PM
REBELS VS CHIEFS 02 May / Melbourne / 9:40PM
Sat 28 Mar / Allianz Stadium / 9:40PM
CHEETAHS VS STORMERS 03 May / Bloemfontein / 3:05AM
8 CHIEFS VS BLUES
L
23–16
9 BLUES VS BRUMBIES
W
16–14
10 HIGHLANDERS VS BLUES
L
30–24
11 CRUSADERS VS BLUES
L
29–15
Sat 4 Apr / Waikato Stadium / 7:35PM
BULLS VS LIONS 03 May / Pretoria / 5:10AM
Fri 10 Apr / Eden Park / 7:35PM Sat 18 Apr / Forsyth Barr Stadium / 7:35PM Sat 25 Apr / AMI Stadium / 7:35PM
12 BLUES VS FORCE
–
13 REBELS VS BLUES
–
14 BLUES VS BULLS
–
15 BLUES VS HURRICANES
–
17 BLUES VS CRUSADERS
–
18 BLUES VS HIGHLANDERS
–
Sat 2 May / Eden Park / 5:30PM Fri 8 May / AAMI Park / 9:40PM Fri 15 May / Eden Park / 7:35PM Sat 23 May / Eden Park / 7:35PM Sat 6 Jun / Eden Park / 7:35PM Fri 12 Jun / Eden Park / 7:35PM
©PHOTOSPORT
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©PHOTOSPORT
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