INVESTEC SUPER RUGBY OFFICIAL MATCH PROGRAMME
FRIDAY 12 JUNE 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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2015/02/06 4:11 PM
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!
ABOUT INVESTEC
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!
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.
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
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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15 YEARS, 175 CAPS, AND A
LIFETIME LEGACY There are few things harder than saying goodbye to an old friend, especially one who has been dubbed the family Chief. It’s our privilege to honour the positive impact Keven Mealamu has made on the Blues rugby team since his start in 2000. The 36-year-old hooker is not retiring from the sport – there’s still a particularly important World Cup to win – but tonight is his last game for the Blues. This will mark 15 years since his first start in blue, earning 164 caps for our northern club over the years. He helped the Blues’ to their third Super Rugby title in 2003 and to finish in the top 6 of the Super Rugby competition in 2007, 2008, and 2011. In 2006, Keven was selected to captain the team. This was the beginning of a strong leadership role on the team, one that has continued until today - almost 10 years later. In 2014, he made his 150th appearance for the Blues and in 2015 Kevvie set the world record for the most Super Rugby caps from any player, with 163. He’ll finish his Super Rugby career tonight with 175, a good 17 in front of the Hurricanes’ Ma’a Nonu. These records are impressive, but none speak of the influence Kevvie has had on this team. We’re proud to call him a Blues man and bid him good luck for the upcoming World Cup!
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 Westlake & Orewa. These are the stars of the future.
TALKING ABOUT
KEVVIE JEROME KAINO: ‘He’s so humble and really grounded. That’s what strikes you straight away about Kevvie. He has his priorities and has very high standards with everything he does, and is genuine with people as well. It rubs off on to the players around him.’ HAYDEN TRIGGS: ‘It wasn’t until I got here (the Blues) that I understood why he’s so special. When I first got here, both him and Woody were the first people to come up and say welcome to the club, we appreciate you being here, we can’t wait to get in touch with you. That just made me feel so welcome and I think that’s what he does for this club.’ CHARLIE FAUMUINA: ‘Kevvie knows how to make you feel comfortable and he’s the real chief of the team, he’s the guy everybody tries to please. He keeps going and doesn’t stop; his age doesn’t matter to him. He’ll be pushing some of the younger guys in the gym and on the field too, his relentlessness is what comes to mind.‘ JAMES PARSONS: ‘The biggest thing Kevvie taught me as a young fella is if we help each other out, we’ll both get better. I think that’s the biggest thing to learn as a young player. You are a team and you’ve got to be more selfless and that’s something Kevvie shows in spades. If I can be half the leader and half the mentor he’s been to anybody else, I’d be extremely proud.’ SAM PRATTLEY: ‘Just a real, genuine, good bugger. You couldn’t get a nicer guy. His general work ethic – everything he does is on point. He’s always friendly and that’s a big thing for me. Every morning he shakes everyone’s hand and when he shakes your hand, he always makes eye contact so he’s always engaging with you.
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WOODY HAYDEN TRIGGS: ‘Woody’s a tough competitor, unreal at what he does. He reminds me of an old school player, but the best in the world at what he does today. He’ll seem quite reserved and shy to most people who don’t know him, but he’s a funny bloke. And he’s not all about rugby, he’s got a life outside of footy which I find really refreshing.’ CHARLIE FAUMUINA: ‘He’s a good dude, always keen to help me out with the scrumming. We’re obviously both on the front row, so we learnt a lot from each other. He knows how to turn it on and off - when it’s game time, he’s ready to go. And when he’s off the field, he’s just one of the boys.’ JAMES PARSONS: ‘Woody is a quietly spoken guy, but he gets his points across. When he speaks, the boys listen and that’s the power of his play – he performs on the field and he does a lot of his talking by his performance. He’ll leave a hole, but the help he’s given young fellas like Sam Prattley and Nic Mayhew means that they’re really gonna come in to their own over the next few years as loosehead props. He’ll forever be remembered around here as a club legend.’ SAM PRATTLEY: ‘At scrum time he’ll give you little tips and tricks just to help you out, I value those things a lot because they really help. He’s been to the top, he’s one of the best looseheads in the world and watching him on the field, how he runs around and how he plays the game, I always look up to him.’
He’s one of the world’s most famous rugby players, a loosehead prop who’s maintained 13 seasons of the Super Rugby competition and earned 149 caps along the way, 137 of them for our Blues team. In 2011, he scored New Zealand’s only try in the 2011 World Cup final. But it’s hard to find Tony Woodcock standing on a pedestal. It’s more likely that he’ll be standing with his feet firmly on the paddock – both of the rugby and farming kind. Woody comes from a four-generation family farm out in the small town of Kaukapakapa northwest of Auckland. He started playing rugby when he was seven, working on his game and the farm throughout childhood and his teenage years. By his 6th form year at Kaipara College, Woody had been noticed by former North Harbour coach Allan Pollock and was soon pulled in to NZ Under-16 and Under-19 teams. In 2002, after two years of NPC level rugby with North Harbour, Woody was called in to the Blues – the same year he made the All Blacks squad for the first time. During those 13 years, Woody has become known for his hard work on and off the field. Fellow loosie Sam Prattley has been learning off Woody over the past two years and likens the senior player as “a tough old billy goat.”
“He’s a real hard bugger, he works hard on the farm and then comes here and works hard as well,” said Sam. “He shows those values both sides which is bloody good to see, you always notice it.” Woody may be one of the quieter members of the Blues family, but his voice travels according to James Parsons. “He gets his points across, when he speaks the boys listen and that’s the power of his play,” said James. “He performs on
the field and he does a lot of his talking by his performance.” Across the team, Woody is known as a hard-working, blue collar, old-school player. He harkens back to the pre-professional era when the players would clock out of their full time jobs at the end of the day and don the rugby boots for the evening’s footy. Woody is certainly known as a true Blues man, and, in the words of James, “he’ll forever be remembered around here as a club legend.”
TONY WOODCOCK:
THE ORIGINAL HARD MAN
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END OF BRAID AND BLUES ERA Luke Braid, our 2014 captain and member of the Blues leadership group, is heading to France to play for the BordeauxBegles at the end of this season. Luke will be joining his brother and 81-cap Blues man, Daniel Braid, in the Northern Hemisphere. The elder of the two brothers is now playing for the Sale Sharks in the English Premiership and soon Luke will be just a short flight away when he’s living and playing in the southwest town of Bordeaux. Its 300,000 population will be a sizeable downscale for this Tauranga native turned Auckland local. But that doesn’t faze Luke. Instead he’s looking forward to the challenge of being immersed in a new culture and language, as well as the experience of playing for a European rugby team for
the next 2 years. Plus, the town’s close proximity to Biarritz in the Bay of Biscay, a world-renowned surfing spot, will help with the transition for this surfer and fisherman. “When I was speaking to Raphaël Ibañez, the BordeauxBegles head coach, we pretty much talked about surfing for the majority of the time before we even got on to talking about rugby,” Luke said. “So that was a bit of an incentive.” His new team has also been described as similar to a New Zealand team, “throwing the ball around a bit” in the words of Luke. It will be a sad loss for the Blues, saying goodbye to our 2014 captain and 70-cap senior player. But Luke is confident the team is in good hands. “I would’ve liked to have
left on a better note with a few more wins for the season, but at the end of the day we’ve still got great players on the team,” said Luke. “We’ve got legends of the game in this team – Keven, Jerome, Joe Rockocoko – they’ve made me the player that I am. I’m really fortunate to have played as many games as I have for such a great club.”
2015 BLUES PLAYER STATS
JOSH BEKHUIS
JIMMY COWAN
JOE EDWARDS
LOCK 2.00M | 115KG | 29YR
HALFBACK 1.86M | 92KG | 33YR
LOOSE FORWARD 1.94M | 113KG | 21YR
JAMISON GIBSON-PARK
BEN LAM
WILL LLOYD
HALFBACK 1.77M | 84KG | 23YR
RIGHT WING 1.94M | 105KG | 23YR
LOCK 2.03M | 110KG | 25YR
SIONE MAFILEO
NIC MAYHEW
MATT McGAHAN
PROP 1.76M | 123KG | 22YR
PROP 1.80M | 112KG | 26YR
1ST FIVE-EIGHT 1.85M | 93KG | 22YR
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
OUTSIDE CENTRE 1.83M | 93KG | 22YR
LOOSE FORWARD 1.86M | 100KG | 25YR
HOOKER 1.85M | 110KG | 28YR
SAM PRATTLEY
JACK RAM
ANGUS TA’AVAO
PROP 1.96M | 116KG | 25YR
LOOSE FORWARD 1.83M | 100KG | 28YR
TIGHTHEAD PROP 1.94M | 125KG | 24YR
HAYDEN TRIGGS
MATT VAEGA
LOLAGI VISINIA
LOCK 2.01M | 114KG | 32YR
UTILITY BACK 1.78M | 89KG | 20YR
FULLBACK 1.92M | 103KG | 22YR
CHRIS VUI
IHAIA WEST
LOCK 1.97M | 116KG | 22YR
1ST FIVE-EIGHT 1.75M | 84KG | 23YR
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BLUES VS HIGH
7.35 PM FRIDAY 12 JUNE 201
REFEREE: Angus Gardiner
ASSISTANT REFEREES: S
BLUES STARTING LINE-UP 15 Lolagi Visinia 14 Ben Lam 13 Hamish Northcott 12 George Moala 11 Melani Nanai 10 Ihaia West 9 Jamison Gibson-Park 8 Joe Edwards 7 Brendon O’Connor 6 Chris Vui 5 Josh Bekhuis 4 Hayden Triggs 3 Angus Ta’avao 2 Keven Mealamu (C) 1 Sam Prattley
COACH Sir John Kirwan ASSISTANT COACHES Grant Doorey Glenn Moore Nick White David Hill MANAGER Richard Fry RESERVES 16 James Parsons 17 Nic Mayhew 18 Sione Mafileo 19 Will lloyd 20 Jack Ram 21 Jimmy Cowan 22 Matt McGahan 23 Matt Vaega
HLANDERS
15 – EDEN PARK AUCKLAND
Shane McDermott & Angus Mabey
TMO: Ben Skeen
HIGHLANDERS STARTING LINE-UP 15 Ben Smith (C) 14 Waisake Naholo 13 Richard Buckman 12 Shaun Treeby 11 Patrick Osborne 10 Lima Sopoaga 9 Aaron Smith 8 Dan Pryor 7 John Hardie 6 Elliot Dixon 5 Joe Latta 4 Alex Ainley 3 Josh Hohneck 2 Liam Coltman 1 Daniel Lienert-Brown
COACH Jamie Joseph ASSISTANT COACHES Tony Brown Scott McLeod MANAGER Paul McLaughlan RESERVES 16 Ash Dixon 17 Brendon Edmonds 18 Ross Geldenhuys 19 Jackson Hemopo 20 Gareth Evans 21 Fumiaki Tanaka 22 Marty Banks 23 Kurt Baker
2015 HIGHLANDERS PLAYER STATS
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ALEX AINLEY
KURT BAKER
MARTY BANKS
LOCK 1.97M | 109KG | 33YR
WING/FULLBACK 1.83M | 94KG | 26YR
1ST FIVE-EIGHTH 1.92M | 91KG | 25YR
RICHARD BUCKMAN
LIAM COLTMAN
ASH DIXON
WING 1.84M | 98KG | 26YR
HOOKER 1.85M | 109KG | 25YR
HOOKER 1.82M | 102KG | 26YR
ELLIOT DIXON
BRENDON EDMONDS
GARETH EVANS
NUMBER 8 1.95M | 110KG | 25YR
PROP 1.83M | 119KG | 24YR
BLINDSIDE FLANKER 1.90M | 105KG | 23YR
ROSS GELDENHUYS
JOHN HARDIE
JACKSON HEMOPO
PROP 1.88M | 120KG | 32YR
LOOSE FORWARD 1.83M | 103KG | 26YR
LOCK 1.93M | 108KG | 21YR
JOSH HOHNECK
JOE LATTA
DANIEL LIENERT-BROWN
PROP 1.90M | 118KG | 29YR
LOCK 1.97M | 114KG | 23YR
PROP 1.85M | 110KG | 22YR
WAISAKE NAHOLO
PATRICK OSBORNE
DAN PRYOR
OUTSIDE BACK 1.86M | 96KG | 24YR
WING 1.89M | 105KG | 27YR
LOOSE FORWARD 1.90M | 103KG | 27YR
AARON SMITH
BEN SMITH
LIMA SOPOAGA
HALFBACK 1.71M | 83KG | 26YR
WING/FULLBACK 1.86M | 85KG | 29YR
1ST FIVE-EIGHTH 1.75M | 91KG | 24YR
FUMIAKI TANAKA
SHAUN TREEBY
HALFBACK 1.66M | 75KG | 30YR
CENTRE 1.75M | 85KG | 26YR
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BIG/BAR505/HP
Nothing beats playing at home.
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JAMES PARSONS HOOKER | 1.85M | 110KG | 28YR | James Parsons has been working away in the centre of the Blues scrum since 2012, learning from mentor Keven Mealamu and developing his leadership skills both on and off the field. At the end of 2014, that hard work paid off with a call-up to the All Blacks as an injury replacement during the Northern Tour and he’s now stepped up to captain the Blues for two of our final three games. James Parsons answers questions in this week’s Q&A.. Tell us something not many people know about you I am a big fan of chocolate milk – it’s great for recovery and tastes delicious. What has been your career highlight to date? Representing the All Blacks last year was obviously the highlight for me so far. It was a dream come true, and something I’ll never forget. What’s your earliest rugby memory? Playing for the mighty Takapuna when I was 4 or 5. Having bare feet on a frosted field early on a Saturday down at Onewa Domain. Who’s your biggest role model and why? My mum, dad and wife. They have always led by example with their attitude to life, seeing every day as a chance to better themselves in any way, shape or form. I’ve always admired
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that and it’s something I strive to do as well. What’s your favourite place in Auckland? Probably Takapuna. It’s just a great spot to relax and enjoy some good times with friends and family. Do you have any match day superstitions? I clean my boots before every game. It’s something my dad made me do when I was a young fella, and I’ve continued to do it. Who on the team will always make you laugh and how is he funny? Culum Retallick without a doubt. I find him pretty funny, but you would probably have to meet him to understand. If you get the chance to chat to him, you should take it. He’s always good for a yarn.
ON OR OFF THE PITCH, WHEREVER YOU ARE, WHATEVER YOU DO, SHARE YOUR #BESTONBESTOFF MOMENT FOR A CHANCE TO WIN.
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MID STRENGTH BREW FULL STRENGTH FLAVOUR | 2.5% ABV
2015 STANDINGS NZ CONFERENCE
P
W
D
L
F
A
DIF
BP
HURRICANES
15
13
0
2
437
275
162
10
62
CHIEFS
15
10
0
5
359
278
81
8
48
HIGHLANDERS
15
10
0
5
406
326
80
8
48
CRUSADERS
15
8
0
7
444
314
130
9
41
BLUES
15
3
0
12
275
384
-109
8
20
P
W
D
L
F
A
DIF
BP
PTS
WARATAHS
15
10
0
5
378
308
70
7
47
BRUMBIES
15
9
0
6
345
224
121
11
47
REBELS
15
7
0
8
308
341
-33
7
35
REDS
15
4
0
11
242
403
-161
6
22
FORCE
15
2
0
13
232
373
-141
7
15
AUS CONFERENCE
SA CONFERENCE
PTS
P
W
D
L
F
A
DIF
BP
PTS
STORMERS
15
10
1
4
361
289
72
3
45
LIONS
16
9
1
6
342
364
-22
4
42
BULLS
15
7
0
8
368
346
22
9
37
SHARKS
15
6
0
9
304
389
-85
5
29
CHEETAHS
15
4
0
11
315
502
-187
5
21
OVERALL
PTS
HURRICANES (NZ LEADER)
62
WARATAHS (AUS LEADER)
47
STORMERS (SA LEADER)
45
CHIEFS
48
HIGHLANDERS
48
BRUMBIES
47
LIONS
42
CRUSADERS
41
BULLS
37
REBELS
35
SHARKS
29
REDS
22
CHEETAHS
21
BLUES
20
FORCE
15
©PHOTOSPORT B LU E S
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2015 FIXTURES ROUND
MATCH
RESULT
ROUND 18 MATCHES
1 BLUES VS CHIEFS
L
18–23
BLUES VS HIGHLANDERS
2 STORMERS VS BLUES
L
27–16
REBELS VS FORCE
3 CHEETAHS VS BLUES
L
25–24
BRUMBIES VS CRUSADERS
4 BLUES VS LIONS
L
10–13
CHIEFS VS HURRICANES
5 HURRICANES VS BLUES
L
30–23
WARATAHS VS REDS
7 WARATAHS VS BLUES
L
23–11
BULLS VS CHEETAHS
8 CHIEFS VS BLUES
L
23–16
SHARKS VS STORMERS
9 BLUES VS BRUMBIES
W
16–14
10 HIGHLANDERS VS BLUES
L
30–24
11 CRUSADERS VS BLUES
L
29–15
12 BLUES VS FORCE
W
13 REBELS VS BLUES
L
14 BLUES VS BULLS
W
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 7:35PM Fri 13 Mar / TBC / 7:35PM Sat 28 Mar / Allianz Stadium / 9:40PM Sat 4 Apr / Waikato Stadium / 7:35PM Fri 10 Apr / Eden Park / 7:35PM Sat 18 Apr / Forsyth Barr Stadium / 7:35PM Sat 25 Apr / AMI Stadium / 7:35PM Sat 2 May / Eden Park / 5:30PM Fri 8 May / AAMI Park / 9:40PM Fri 15 May / Eden Park / 7:35PM
41–24
42–22 23–18
15 BLUES VS HURRICANES
L
17 BLUES VS CRUSADERS
L
Sat 23 May / Eden Park / 7:35PM Sat 6 Jun / Eden Park / 7:35PM
18 BLUES VS HIGHLANDERS
Fri 12 Jun / Eden Park / 7:35PM
5–29
11–34 –
©PHOTOSPORT
2 2 B LU E S
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12 June / Eden Park / 7:35PM 12 June / Melbourne / 9:40PM 13 June / Canberra / 5:30PM 13 June / New Plymouth / 7:35PM 13 June / Sydney / 9:40PM 14 June / Pretoria / 3:05AM 14 June / Durban / 5:10AM
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