FULLTIME: BLUES 16 - 34 HIGHLANDERS: Shannon Frizell take a bow! What a peformance from the Tasman Mako! The Highlanders were just far too good. They started with a hiss and roar, and controlled the game for the majority to record a comfortable win over the Blues.
80mins: Perofeta looks to chip but it goes straight into touch on the full for a Highlanders lineout near the Blues 10m. Smith is in space, offloads to Walden in the tackle and he then tries the chip but the Blues do well to get back and clear. Blues win the penalty and Nock taps. They cough it up and Dixon puts it into touch. Game over.
78mins: Hemopo is straight over the top of the ball and wins the penalty. Sopoaga finds touch around halfway for the lineout.
76mins: Blues win the penalty and they want the scrum. In the meantime, Akira Ioane looks to be in quite a bit of pain. Blues building slowly through their forwards. Just a metre out. Gatland tries the kick through but Naholo cleans up and Aaron Smith clears.
74mins: Duffie spots a gab, offloads to Ioane who puts Nock into a lot space down the right wing. He's being closed in on and he's bundled into touch around the 22m by Smith.
72mins: BLUES TRY - MANU: They shift right through Ioane, there's a huge overlap, Gatland sees that, finds Perofeta and he throws a long pass to Manu who's on the wing all by himself and he's in to score the try.
70mins: Perofeta finds Duffie with a great ball and he's in open space! He sees Taramai on his outside and puts the grubber kick through. Sopoaga does well to tidy up but his pass to Smith is forward and it's a Blues scrum just five metres out.
68mins: Highlanders win the lineout on the Blues 22m but cough it up almost immediately and the Blues look to counter.
66mins: Ioane trying to inspire something, beating one before Aaron Smith JUST manages to hold on in the tackle. Highlanders turn it over and Naholo kicks with nobody home! Duffie just manages to get across to put the ball into touch.
63mins: Duffie is on the field and immediately makes an impact, sitting Faddes down on his backside with a huge bump-off. Blues going backwards however and Perofeta is forced to clear.
61mins: Blues look to launch from the maul but the Highlanders are well up to it on defence. They're up to the 22m but again, the visitors are doing well to keep them at bay and they force the error.
58mins: HIGHLANDS TRY - FRIZELL: Highlanders look to build and the Blues are offside. Smith takes the quick, passes to Ben, he finds Frizell and the big man bumps one to reach over for his hat-trick! Fins up!
56mins: Faiane in acres of space and takes it up towards halfway. Highlanders counter-ruck and win it back! Pryor does brilliantly to rush and intercept the ball and the Blues have it. An attempted offload over the top can only find the hands of Thompson and he's up to the 22m. They knock-on only seven metres out from the tryline to end a fascinating passage of play.
54mins: Akira Ioane finds space on the left, he's tackled, but leaves it before picking it up again to earn a few more metres. They're looking good on attack here but one offload too many and they lose it before conceding the penalty.
52mins: Hyland makes a great tackle on Smith to keep the Highlanders from breaking out. Sopoaga puts up the bomb and Naholo smokes Gatland but the Blues do well to retain it.
50mins: They've butchered it! Ioane looks to find his wide man with a long ball but it goes straight into touch. To make matters worse, Blues are pinged at the lineout and the Highlanders will clear.
47mins: Blues playing the game of patience, taking it up throught their forwards. They're just 10 metres out, but they want to take it slow. Blues win the penalty right in front and they want the scrum. Great chance.
45mins: HIGHLANDERS TRY - HAMMINGTON: Li beats two Blues players to take it up over halfway. Frizell gets it, runs it around his man, and OH MY, somehow, SOMEHOW offloads it back in field with one hand to find Li, who finds contact, offloads to Hammington and he reaches over to score the try. Incredible from Frizell.
43mins: Parsons spins out of one tackle and the Blues are up to the 22m. Highlanders show great defence and Smith clears with nobody home for the Blues. Perofeta eventually gets back and kicks before Li returns the favour for a lineout around the Blues 22m.
41mins: Gatland gets underway! Sopoaga clears it and Gatland puts up the bomb and the Blues win it back thanks to Perofeta turnover.
HALFTIME: BLUES 11 - 20 HIGHLANDERS: Very, very funny first half of footy. Highlanders were hot out of the gates, but the Blues clawed their way back, only for the visitors to once again take firm control and the lead into the break.
40mins: Blues have one last shot before halftime with a lineout on halfway. They win it and work it up towards the Highlanders 10m. It's a double knock-on from both sides and the visitors have the put-in as the hooter sounds. There's space out the left, Li beats Faiane, steps inside another, SOMEHOW finds Hunt with the pass but he can't hold on! He had an easy run in to the try line.
37mins: HIGHLANDERS PENALTY: Thompson sees space, gives it to Hunt and he takes it up towards halfway. There's space out on the right, but Sopoaga's pass is behind them all and Li has to tidy up. Pryor are offside and Sopoaga will have a shot at goal. And he hits it home to extend the lead.
35mins: HIGHLANDERS TRY - FRIZELL: Thompson throws a HUGE dummy and burns a Blues prop before being tackled around the 22m. They go left, Whitelock sees Frizell in acres of space, gives it and the loosie just canters in to score the try in the corner.
33mins: It's a good move and the Blues are up to the 22m. Pryor gets a great offload and he's in space, finds Rieko on his inside, he bumps off Li and they're just a metre out! No, they cough it up and Sopoaga clears.
31mins: Whitelock knocks on from the offload and the Blues are in great field position with a scrum near the visitors' 10m.
29mins: Blues pack go straight down from the put-in and the Highlanders will have a shot at goal around halfway. Sopoaga hits it but it was always going right and the Blues clear through the dropout.
27mins: Blues show great defence to force the Highlanders back almost 30 metres but they knocked on in the tackle and it's a scrum on halfway.
25mins: Walden gets it from the scrum, he looks for the long pass but it smacks Thompson in the head, it flies almost 20 metres, takes a wicked bounce and Walden gets it and dots down! They're checking upstairs. No try! It was a forward pass. Tough call.
23mins: Perofeta makes a horrible mistake, dropping it cold inside his own 22m with nobody around and that will be a Highlanders scrum. Great attacking platform.
21mins: BLUES PENALTY: Gatland dummiwes and is hit hard but they Blues are up over the 22m. Dixon pinged for not rolling away and that will be an easy three points for Gatland. Bang in front and he makes no mistake.
19mins: Perofeta beats one off the scrum win but he loses it and the Highlanders have it. Nevermind, they've now lost it. Gatland puts the grubber through and it rolls into touch near the Highlanders 5m.
17mins: Ioane gets a poor ball, but somehow spins out of a couple of tackles to take the Blues over halfway. The ball is unplayable and it'll be a Blues scrum.
15mins: Highlanders drive from a lineout win around halfway and send the Blues pack marching backwards. Hammington tries the little dink over the top but it's a poor kick and the Blues have it back.
13mins: BLUES PENALTY: Ioane gets the ball on the far left and steps inside Naholo before eventually being tackled near the Highlanders 22m. The pressure is too much and the Highlanders are penalised at the breakdown. Gatland will have a shot at goal. It's on a fair angle but he nails it.
11mins: Ben Smith does brilliantly to tap the ball back from a Highlanders kick but they can't hang on to it and the Blues clear through Gatland.
8mins: BLUES TRY - RURU: The Blues are near the try line and Faiane makes a couple of strong runs before Ruru picks it up and he could be over! They're going to have a look upstairs. It's given! He reached out, the Highlanders did well to stop him, but he persisted and eventually found the line on a second reach to score the try. Great effort that.
5mins: HIGHLANDERS TRY - FRIZELL: Frizell takes it hard up the guts from the lineout win. They rumble it up through their big forwards a couple more times before Frizell picks it up at the base and just manages to touch the white line for the try.
3mins: Highlanders put the kick over the top, Naholo gets the bounce, passes to Thompson and Ioane makes the tackle around the 22m, but it's a penalty to the visitors. They want the lineout.
1mins: HIGHLANDERS TRY - HUNT: Sopoaga kicks-off and Frizell knocks on trying to catch it. Blues get it back and Gatland looks to clear, but it's charged down by Hunt and all he has to do is dive on the ball and they've scored the game's opening try. Horror start for the Blues.
7:35pm: Just about ready for kick-off. A nice presensation before to honour our ANZAC men and women.
7:28pm: Players set to make their way out of the sheds shortly. The conditions are practically perfect with very little wind about.
7:21pm: So, the Blues have been ravaged by injures. Both Gatland and Perofeta play tonight. Should be very interesting. Also, watching in the stands is All Blacks coach Steven Hansen.
7:12pm: Thank you for joining us! News is Ofa Tu'ungafasi has failed his medical and won't play tonight. Instead, Mike Tamoaieta slots in.
Kia Ora and welcome to Eden Park as the Blues clash with the Highlanders in round 10 of Super Rugby.
We bring you live streaming written commentary, (BE SURE TO REFRESH YOUR BROWSER), and all the action. Video will be available as soon as the final whistle goes.
Commentary will start around 7:15pm (NZT)
Lineups
Blues
15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Jordan Hyland, 13 Orbyn Leger, 12 TJ Faiane, 11 Akira Ioane, 10 Bryn Gatland, 9 Jonathan Ruru, 8 Akira Ioane, 7 Kara Pryor, 6 Dalton Papalii, 5 Jimmy Tupou, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Mike Tamoaieta, 2 James Parsons, 1 Pauliasi Manu.
Replacements: 16 Matt Moulds/Leni Apisai, 17 Ross Wright, 18 Mike Tamoaieta/Sione Mafileo, 19 Ben Neenee, 20 Murphy Taramai, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Tumua Manu, 23 Matt Duffie.
Highlanders
15 Ben Smith (c), 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Rob Thompson, 12 Teihorangi Walden, 11 Tevita Li, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Kayne Hammington, 8 Luke Whitelock, 7 Dillon Hunt, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Tom Franklin, 4 Jackson Hemopo, 3 Siate Tokolani, 2 Ash Dixon, 1 Daniel Lienert-Brown.
Replacements: 16 Liam Coltman, 17 Aki Seiuli, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Alex Ainley, 20 Elliot Dixon, 21 Aaron Smith, 22 Fletcher Smith, 23 Matt Faddes.
Match officials
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant Ref 1: Angus Mabey
Assistant Ref 2: Mike Lash
TMO: Ben Skeen
Previous meetings
23 Feb 2018 Blues v Highlanders 34-41 Dunedin
Sat, 08 Apr 2017 Blues v Highlanders 20-26 Dunedin
Sat, 11 Mar 2017 Blues v Highlanders 12-16 Auckland
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 Blues v Highlanders 33-31 Auckland
Fri, 12 Jun 2015 Blues v Highlanders 7-44 Auckland
Pre-match banter: Blues look to Stephen Perofeta to provide impact from the back
The Blues’ two talented pivots both get their chance to start in Friday’s Super Rugby clash against the Highlanders.
Bryn Gatland returns for his fifth start at first-five, with in-form Stephen Perofeta, who has started in the last three games at No 10, moving to fullback.
The position is not foreign to him, having played much of his time at Taranaki in that position, which offers him more room for his elusive running.
The squad's other custodians - Melani Nanai, Jordan Trainor and Michael Collins - are among the 18 walking wounded not considered for selection.
The tight five remains mostly intact with the versatile Jimmy Tupou moving into the second row – a role he has played often – alongside the in-form Patrick Tuipulotu, who will be honoured after the game for achieving his 50th cap for the Blues in Japan last week.
Last year’s New Zealand Under-20s player Dalton Papalii, impressive off the bench in Tokyo, gets his first start after injury earlier in the season, taking Tupou’s spot on the flank.
In the backs, Rieko Ioane moves back to his accustomed left wing, where his battle with All Blacks teammate Waisaki Naholo should be a show-stopper, with TJ Faiane and Orbyn Leger paired in the midfield.
A storming debut with two tries for big Northland wing Jordan Hyland earns him a second start, leaving All Black Matt Duffie to cover the back three spots off the bench.
The game starts a run of six games from seven at Eden Park, with head coach Tana Umaga wanting the team to take full toll of the home advantage.
“We have been mostly on the road, with a tough two-game trip to South Africa and now a trip to Japan with a short turn around,” said Umaga.
“But we are home at Eden Park in front of our fans and our families for the next few games. We want to make this our fortress in the coming weeks, starting on Friday.
“All of the clubs have injuries and we are no different, but it gives opportunities for other players to stand up and bring some real enthusiasm to our team.
“We have improved over the last two weeks and once again we have to step up again to another level in every facet of our game. Our record against other New Zealand teams is well documented, so we want to make to make our homecoming a special one.”
There is a special curtainraiser, with the Blues A team taking on the visiting Japan A team that has several of their international squad playing. This begins at 5:05pm.
There will also be a special tribute to the ANZAC pre-match. Both teams will walk on to the field, along with New Zealand Defence Force personnel for the tribute.
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