INVESTEC SUPER RUGBY OFFICIAL MATCH PROGRAMME | SATURDAY 25 MARCH 2017
BLUES VS BULLS
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BLUES VS BULLS | 25 MARCH 20 17 3
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Blues VS BULLS SUPER RUGBY PREVIEW
History could well be in our favour when we take on the rampaging Bulls at QBE Stadium on Saturday night. Visiting teams have traditionally struggled in this fixture, and only the Blues in 2003 and 2012, and the
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Bulls in 2013, have won away from home. The 1997 match was notable for being the highest-scoring draw (40-40) in Super 12, a record which stood until 2014; it was also the only match the Blues failed to win
during that championship-winning season. The Bulls’ Adriaan Richter became the first player to score a hat-trick against the Blues in that match, but the legendary Joeli Vidiri did one better in 2000, becoming the first New Zealander to score four tries in a Super 12 match when he managed the impressive feat against them in 2000. Since then, the competition has evolved to feature new teams and a new conference-based format, meaning that we haven’t faced the Bulls since 2015, when we beat them 23-18 at Eden Park. The Bulls didn’t start well this season, losing their first two matches to South African opposition, before having a bye in round three and facing the struggling Sunwolves in round four, which was a match they were always expected to do well in. Meanwhile, our side will also be searching for its second win of the season, following an opening-round win against the Rebels, and tough losses against the much-fancied Chiefs, Highlanders, and Crusaders. Which side will get that crucial second victory at QBE Stadium on Saturday? We can’t wait to find out. Continues page 7 »
BLUES VS BULLS | 25 MARCH 20 17 5
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Continued from page 5
Previous matches 1996: Blues beat Northern Transvaal 30-26 at Auckland
Blues beat Northern Transvaal 48-11 at Auckland (semi-final)
1997: Drawn 40-40 at Pretoria 1998: Blues 34-24 at Pukekohe 1999: Bulls 21-19 at Witbank 2000: Blues 54-11 at Auckland 2001: Bulls 28-25 at Pretoria 2002: Blues 65-24 at Auckland 2003: Blues 56-28 at Pretoria 2004: Blues 56-19 at Albany 2005: Bulls 38-24 at Pretoria 2006: Blues 30-17 at Auckland 2007: Bulls 40-19 at Pretoria 2008: Blues 23-21 at Auckland 2009: Bulls 59-26 at Pretoria 2010: Blues 32-17 at Auckland 2012: Blues 29-23 at Pretoria 2013: Bulls 28-21 at Auckland 2014: Bulls 38-22 at Pretoria 2015: Blues 23-18 at Auckland
Wins Blues 12 Bulls/Northern Transvaal 7, drawn 1
Highest scores Blues 65 at Auckland 2002; Bulls 59 at Pretoria 2009.
Biggest winning margins Blues 43 (54-11) at Auckland 2000; Bulls 33 (59-26) at Pretoria in 2009.
BLUES VS BULLS | 25 MARCH 20 17 7
Q&A Versatile first five-eighth/inside centre Piers Francis is looking to kick on from a sensational debut season last year that saw him crowned Blues’ Rookie of the Year. We asked him the hard questions ahead of our clash against the Bulls at QBE Stadium, a venue that holds fond memories for him… What’s your favourite meal? I enjoy a good steak! What has been your career highlight to date? My Super Rugby debut for the Blues against the Jaguares at QBE Stadium in March last year. We won the match 24-16. Proudest moment with the Blues? That’d have to be receiving the 2016 Rookie of the Year award. What’s your earliest rugby memory? Playing Sunday morning rugby with my sister, Dad coaching us, and Mum helping in the kitchens at Old Gravesendians Rugby Football Club, back home in the United Kingdom.
PIERS FRANCIS FIRST FIVE-EIGHTH 1.82M | 92KG | 26YR
Who was your sporting idol when you were a kid? Jonny Wilkinson. What’s your favourite place in Auckland? I’m a big fan of Waiheke Island. I had a very memorable Christmas there this year. Do you have any match day superstitions? I don’t have any real superstitions, but I do make sure I always have my Trusox (performance socks that I wear under my regular playing socks). Who on the team will always make you laugh? Hame is pretty funny. I love how he always likes to try and hit the high notes on songs! Finally, what’s your rugby priority in 2017? I definitely want to push on from last year and cement my starting spot in the team with positive contributions on a consistent basis.
BLUES VS BULLS | 25 MARCH 20 17 9
LEADING FROM THE FRONT
JIMMY TUPOU
FIRST FIVE-EIGHTH 1.96M | 109KG | 24YR
When new recruit Jimmy Tupou lead the Blues onto the field in his first ever game for the club – our round one clash against the Rebels in Melbourne – he joined Zinzan Brooke as the only other player to captain the team on debut. “That was only because James and Jerome were unavailable for that first match,” says Jimmy with characteristic modesty, “but honestly I was very honoured that Tana asked me.” Jimmy, who grew up on a farm in Pukekawa and attended Pukekohe High School, played under Blues coach Tana Umaga when he was the coach of provincial side Counties Manukau, a team that the 24-year-old has captained for the past two seasons. “One of the highlights of my rugby career so far was helping the boys win the Ranfurly Shield back in 2013,” he says proudly. “Probably the other highlight was representing New Zealand in the under-20s team that won the Junior World Championship in South Africa.” Around the same time, Jimmy moved away from home for the first time, trading rural south Auckland for the comparative bright lights of Christchurch to take up a Super Rugby contract with the Crusaders. “That was tough,” says Jimmy. “I was pretty young, so there were a lot of challenges, just being away from my family and learning how to be independent for the first time.” » Continues on page 19
BLUES VS BULLS | 25 MARCH 20 17 1 1
hirabhana.co.nz
PLAYER STATS Pauliasi Manu James Parsons
184 M | 115 KG | 29 YR | 9 CAPS
1.85 M | 106 KG | 31 YR | 67 (66 SR) CAPS
Charlie Faumuina
Gerard Cowley-Tuioti
1.85 M | 125 KG | 30 YR | 89 CAPS
1.96 M | 110 KG | 24 YR | 5 CAPS
Patrick Tuipulotu
Jimmy Tupou
1.98 M | 120 KG | 24 YR | 37 CAPS
196 M | 109 KG | 24 YR | 4 CAPS
Blake Gibson
Jerome Kaino
1.86 M | 102 KG | 21 YR | 17 CAPS
1.96 M | 109 KG | 33 YR | 121 CAPS
Augustine Pulu
Piers Francis
189 M | 90 KG | 27 YR | 4 CAPS
1.82 M | 92 KG | 26 YR | 15 CAPS
Melani Nanai
George Moala
1.94 M | 90 KG | 23 YR | 28 CAPS
1.88 M | 99 KG | 26 YR | 57 (56 SR) CAPS
Rieko Ioane
Matt Duffie
1.88 M | 103 KG | 19 YR | 9 CAPS
1.92 M | 92 KG | 26 YR | 11 CAPS
Michael Collins
Matt Moulds
187 M | 94 KG | 23 YR | 4 CAPS
1.88 M | 107 KG | 25 YR | 8 CAPS
Ofa Tu'ungafasi
Sione Mafileo
1.95 M | 129 KG | 24 YR | 46 (45 SR) CAPS
1.78 M | 128 KG | 23 YR | 13 CAPS
Akira Ioane
Murphy Taramai
1.94 M | 113 KG | 22 YR | 21 CAPS
1.87 M | 98 KG | 25 YR | 3 CAPS
Billy Guyton
Ihaia West
1.86 M | 90 KG | 33 YR | 19 CAPS
1.75 M | 84 KG | 25 YR | 40 CAPS
TJ Faiane 1.84 M | 92 KG | 21 YR | 1 CAP
BLUES VS HIGHL ANDERS | 11 MARCH 20 17 1 3
COACH
BLUES V
ASSISTANT COACHES
Tana Umaga
Alistair Rogers Steve Jackson Dave Ellis
MANAGER Richard Fry
15
7.35pm SATURDAY QBE STA
Michael Collins
14
Matt Duffie
13
Rieko Ioane
12
George Moala
11
Melani Nanai
10
Piers Francis
9
Augustine Pulu
8
Jerome Kaino
7
Blake Gibson
6 RESERVES 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Matt Moulds Ofa Tu'ungafasi Sione Mafileo Akira Ioane Murphy Taramai Sam Nock Ihaia West TJ Faiane
Jimmy Tupou
5
Patrick Tuipolotu
4
Gerard Cowley-Tuioti
3
Charlie Faumuina
2
James Parsons
1
Pauliasi Manu
REFE
Nic B
ASSISTANT
Will Ho Nick B
TM
Ben S
VS BULLS
ASSISTANT COACHES David Manual Anton Leonard Gary Botha Pine Pienaar
Y 25 MARCH 2017 TADIUM
EREE
Berry
T REFEREES
ouston Briant
MO
Skeen
COACH Nollis Marais MANAGER Tim Dlulane
15
Warrick Gelant
14
Travis Ismaiel
13
Jesse Kriel
12
Jan Serfontein
11
Jamba Ulengo
10
Handre Pollard
9
Piet van Zyl
8
Hanro Liebenberg
7
Nick de Jager
6
Ruan Steenkamp
5
Lood de Jager
4
Jason Jenkins
3
Trevor Nyakane
2
Adriaan Strauss Lizo Gqoboko
1
RESERVES
Jaco Visagie Pierre Schoeman RG Snyman Jannes Kirsten Rudy Paige Tian Schoeman Burger Odendaal John-Roy Jenkinson
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
PLAYER STATS Lizo Gqoboko 1.83 M | 115 KG | 27 YR | 14 CAPS
Adriaan Strauss
Trevor Nyakane
1.84 M | 113 KG | 32 YR | 133 CAPS
1.78M | 121 KG | 28 YR | 73 CAPS
Jason Jenkins
Lood de Jager
2.01 M | 121 KG | 21 YR | 16 CAPS
2.05 M | 120 KG | 25 YR | 42 CAPS
Ruan Steenkamp
Nick de Jager
1.83 M | 100 KG | 24 YR | 3 CAPS
1.93 M | 111 KG | 27 YR | 7 CAPS
Hanro Liebenberg
Piet van Zyl
1.97 M | 110 KG | 22 YR | 11 CAPS
1.74 M | 85 KG | 28 YR | 71 CAPS
Handre Pollard
Jamba Ulengo
1.89 M | 97 KG | 23 YR | 28 CAPS
1.87 M | 100 KG | 27 YR | 13 CAPS
Jan Serfontein
Jesse Kriel
1.87 M | 96 KG | 24 YR | 49 CAPS
1.86 M | 96 KG | 23 YR | 34 CAPS
Travis Ismaiel
Warrick Gelant
1.83 M | 88 KG | 25 YR | 20 CAPS
1.80 M | 89 KG | 22 YR | 7 CAPS
Jaco Visagie
Pierre Schoeman
1.89 M | 107 KG | 25 YR | 10 CAPS
1.84 M | 120 KG | 23 YR | 12 CAPS
RG Snyman
Jannes Kirsten
2.06 M | 117 KG | 22 YR | 15 CAPS
1.97 M | 111 KG | 24 YR | 16 CAPS
Rudy Paige
Tian Schoeman
1.69 M | 82 KG | 28 YR | 36 CAP
1.82 M | 94 KG | 26 YR | 25 CAPS
Burger Odendaal
John-Roy Jenkinson
1.87 M | 94 KG | 24 YR | 21 CAPS
1.77 M | 127 KG | 26 YR | 0 CAPS
1 6 BLUES VS BULLS | 25 MARCH 20 17
Continued from page 11 He persevered and, in time, Jimmy found his rhythm – both on and off the field. Over the course of four seasons, he represented the red-and-blacks in 37 matches, gaining valuable experience training and playing alongside All Blacks Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano, and Kieran Read. But he’s pleased to be back home now, representing the Blues. “It’s good to be back in Auckland – and not just because of my mum’s home cooking. I’m ready to give everything I can to the team this year.” Standing at 1.96m and weighing 109kg, Jimmy is a gifted athlete and highly effective ball-runner who can play at either lock or loose forward. He’s dynamic and extremely physical, adding some extra strength and durability to our tight five. Unsurprisingly, he cites Kiwi rugby league legend Ruben Wiki as one of his biggest inspirations during his formative years as a young player because he “never took a step backwards”. “That’s how I aim to play – always moving forward, leading from the front, and never giving an inch.”
BLUES VS BULLS | 25 MARCH 20 17 1 9
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PLAY ON
W I N E S
FUTURE BLUES
BLUES CLUBHOUSES
2017 STANDINGS NZ CONFERENCE
P
W
D
L
F
A
DIF
BP
PTS
CHIEFS CRUSADERS HURRICANES BLUES HIGHLANDERS
4 4 4 4 4
4 4 3 1 1
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 3 3
118 102 213 118 73
73 84 64 108 107
45 18 149 10 -34
3 0 3 2 1
19 16 15 6 5
AUS CONFERENCE
P
W
D
L
F
A
DIF
BP
PTS
BRUMBIES REDS FORCE WARATAHS REBELS
4 4 3 4 3
2 1 1 1 0
0 0 0 0 0
2 3 2 3 3
88 81 56 81 38
73 118 63 133 154
15 -37 -7 -52 -116
2 2 1 0 0
10 6 5 4 0
SA CONFERENCE 1
P
W
D
L
F
A
DIF
BP
PTS
STORMERS CHEETAHS BULLS SUNWOLVES
3 4 3 4
3 2 1 0
0 0 0 0
0 2 2 4
110 111 86 92
59 128 92 192
51 -17 -6 -100
1 1 1 0
13 9 5 1
SA CONFERENCE 2
P
W
D
L
F
A
DIF
BP
PTS
JAGUARES LIONS SHARKS KINGS
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 1
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 3
141 151 109 90
96 111 81 122
45 40 28 -32
2 2 1 1
14 14 13 5
OVERALL
CHIEFS (NZ LEADER) JAGUARES (SA2 LEADER) STORMERS (SA1 LEADER) BRUMBIES (AUS LEADER) CRUSADERS HURRICANES LIONS SHARKS CHEETAHS BLUES REDS BULLS FORCE HIGHLANDERS SOUTHERN KINGS WARATAHS SUNWOLVES REBELS ©PHOTOSPORT
2 2 BLUES VS BULLS | 25 MARCH 20 17
PTS
19 14 13 10 16 15 14 13 9 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 1 0
2017 FIXTURES MATCH RESULT
ROUND 5 MATCHES
1
REBELS VS BLUES
18-56
CRUSADERS V FORCE
2
CHIEFS VS BLUES
41-26
REBELS V WARATAHS
3
BLUES VS HIGHLANDERS
L
12-16
BLUES V BULLS
4
CRUSADERS VS BLUES
33-24
BRUMBIES V HIGHLANDERS
5
BLUES VS BULLS
-
6
BLUES VS FORCE
-
7
HIGHLANDERS VS BLUES
-
8
BLUES VS HURRICANES
-
10
BRUMBIES VS BLUES
-
11
WARATAHS VS BLUES
-
12
BLUES VS CHEETAHS
-
13
STORMERS VS BLUES
-
14
BLUES VS CHIEFS
-
15
BLUES VS REDS
-
17
SUNWOLVES VS BLUES
-
ROUND
Thu 23 Feb | AAMI Park | 9:45PM Fri 3 Mar | FMG Stadium | 7:35PM Sat 11 Mar | Eden Park | 7:35PM
Fri 17 Mar | AMI Stadium | 7:35PM Sat 25 Mar | QBE Stadium | 7:35PM Sat 1 Apr | Eden Park | 5:15PM Sat 8 Apr | Forsyth Barr | 7:35PM Sat 15 Apr | Eden Park | 7:35PM Sun 30 Apr | GIO Stadium | 6:05PM Sat 6 May | Allianz Stadium | 9:45PM Fri 12 May | Eden Park | 7:35PM Fri 19 May | Newlands, Cape Town | 5:00AM Fri 26 May | Eden Park | 7:35PM Fri 2 Jun | Apia Park, Samoa | 7:35PM Sat 15 Jul | Chichibunomiya Stadium | 3:05PM
W
L
L
24 Mar | Christchurch | 7:35PM
24 Mar | Melbourne | 9:45PM
25 Mar | Albany | 7:35PM
25 Mar | Canberra | 9:45PM
SUNWOLVES V STORMERS 25 Mar | Singapore | 11.55PM
KINGS V LIONS
26 Mar | Port Elizabeth | 2.05AM
CHEETAHS V SHARKS
26 Mar | Bloemfontein | 4.15AM
JAGUARES V REDS
26 Mar | Buenos Aires | 10:40AM
©PHOTOSPORT
BLUES VS BRUMBIES | 8 JULY 2016 23
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