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Chiefs 12 Blues 24
Blues 24 (Sotutu & Telea tries; Black conversion & 2 penalties, Barrett drop goal & penalty) Chiefs 12 (McKenzie 4 penalties)
Second half
40th minute: Blues steal another tighead at scrum time and clear. Chiefs are trying to counterattack, but time is up.
Barrett chips ahead for Clarke to chase, but eventually the Chiefs put the ball over the sideline. Game over.
38th minute: Chiefs back on attack, but their forwards are penalised for entering the breakdown from the side - it's Adam Thomson.
37th minute: Eventually, the Blues forwards are penalised, the Chiefs take the tap, but lose the ball and Sotutu hacks it downfield.
36th minute: Tupaea finds some space down the right and puts the Chiefs on attack. Their forwards are pounding the goal-line, but the Blues defence is good so far.
30th minute: TRY to Mark Telea
Clarke makes a break down the left and finds Tuipulotu in support. The Blues go right, left and then right again, where Telea dives over in the corner. Barrett misses the conversion.
28th minute: Chiefs are penalised for pulling the jumper down at the lineout and O'Keeffe warns Cruden - now captain - that a yellow card is near. Barrett slots his first attempt for the Blues and the lead is now seven, Blues 19-12.
26th minute: Halfbacks Weber and Nock are both replaced by Milo-Harris and Christie. Chiefs are penalised again - that count is balancing out now - and Barrett kicks to the corner for an attacking lineout.
24th minute: After a period of play where the Blues make good progress towards the line, Barrett pots an opportunistic drop kick to extend their lead back out to four points, Blues 16-12.
21st minute: Cowley-Tuioti replaces Goodhue at lock for the Blues. Boshier is penalised at the breakdown and Barrett clears.
Adam Thomson enters the game, along with Rueben O'Neill.
14th minute: McKenzie kicks across to Stephenson, but playing under another advantage. Chiefs have a chance to close within a point again and McKenzie converts his fourth penalty, Blues 13-12.
12th minute: Telea leads a raid into Chiefs territory and the forwards win phase after phase, eventually winning a penalty at the breakdown. Black slots the kick to extend the lead, Blues 13-9.
Ninth minute: Barrett slides a kick into touch in the corner. Goodhue steals the ball at the front of the lineout, but knocks the ball on with the line in sight.
Seventh minute: Wainui fields a kick from Barrett, but sends a shocking pass infield that eludes his target. Chiefs eventually tidy up and clear.
Fifth minute: Lot of kicking goin on and eventually McKenzie kicks crossfield for Leinert-Brown, but the ball skids into touch.
Third minute: Everyone having trouble holding onto the slippery ball. Weber puts a clever kick through and Telea manages to tidy up, with Knock eventually clearing.
First minute: Blues will begin the half down a man, with Papalii still cooling his heels on the sideline. Reiko Ioane takes Cruden's kickoff, but is clocked high by Stevenson, who is penalised.
*****
First half
Blues 10 (Sotutu try; Black conversion & penalty) Chiefs 9 (McKenzie 3 penalties)
40th minute: Another Blues penalty in the shadown of their posts and Papalii is shown the yellow card. They were warned.
Halftime siren sounds and McKenzie slots the goal to close within a point at the break, Blues 10-9.
39th minute: Leinert-Brown makes a clutch tackle on Reiko Ioane, who threatened to bust the defensive line, and Blues turn the ball over at the breakdown.
36th minute: Black puts a crossfield kick towards Clarke, who is outjumped by Stevenson, but O'Keeffe brings them back for a penalty in front of the posts.
Black slots the kick to extend the lead, 10-6.
34th minute: In damp conditions, the Chiefs spill the ball in their own 22, presenting the Blues an ideal attacking scrum.
32nd minute: Black puts a crafty kick into Chiefs territory and Akira Ioane recovers it, flicking it back infield, but TJ Faiane knocks on.
Official crowd announced at 23,000, a couple of thousand below capacity.
30th minute: Vaa'i is penalised for impeding a Blues defender in his attempt to charge down a clearing kick. Black lines up a shot at goal from the 10m mark, straight in front, but slices it right.
28th minute: Chiefs still enjoying posession advantage, but turnovers are hurting them. They lose a scrum in centrefield, but Boshier achieves good body position to win the ball back.
McKenzie lines up a long-range penalty attempt from his own half, but swings it to the left.
23rd minute: From the lineout, Chiefs forwards maul towards the line and draw another penalty advantage. Double blast from O'Keeffe, who warns Tuipulotu that a yellow card is near.
Chiefs go for another lineout at close range, but Sotutu steals the throw.
22nd minute: Blues penalised again and Cruden's kick finds the corner for an attacking lineout.
20th minute: Discipline letting the Blues down, as they concede another penalty at the breakdown, with Tuungafasi entering from the side. McKenzie slots the goal from 34 metres out, straight in front. Blues 7-6.
18th minute: Laulala knocks on in midfield, gifting the Blues an attacking scrum on the 10m mark. Tuipulotu charges upfield, but his teammates are penalised for leaving their feet in the ruck.
14th minute: TRY to Hoskins Sotutu
Blues win the lineout and their forwards lay seige on the goal-line. Eventually, the Chiefs defensive line bends and Sotutu burrows underneath, with Tuungafasi on his back.
Black converts - Blues 7-3.
13th minute: Blues finally have the ball and Barrett kicks deep, but under advantage. O'Keeffe brings them back for a penalty at the breakdown and Barrett banana-kicks to the corner.
11th minute: Blues are again penalised for not releasing in the tackle. McKenzie will line up a shot at goal from midfield. McKenzie successful, gives Chiefs the early lead at 3-0.
Ninth minute: Blues win the lineout against the throw and Parsons hoofs the ball upfield.
Eighth minute: Chiefs still enjoying possession and territory advantage, continue to mount an attack and finally rewarded with a kickable penalty in the breakdown. Cruden kicks for the corner.
Fifth minute: Wainui makes a big break up midfield to put the Chiefs hot on attack again, but the ball is knocked forward and the Blues have an opportunity to clear.
Fourth minute: Cruden puts a crafty kick to the corner and Chiefs forwards steal the ball for an attacking advantage.
First minute: Beauden Barrett kicks off and Damian McKenzie's clearing kick is charged down. Blues penalised.
No late changes to either team as they were named on Thursday. Rain is now falling on FMG Stadium.
Referee Ben O'Keeffe will preside over his 50th Super Rugby game.
*****
Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the Super Rugby Aotearoa clash between the Chiefs and Blues in Hamilton.
The near neighbours have fought out plenty of tight contests over the years and this promises to be another, with the Blues enjoying one of their best seasons for a long time and the Chiefs reeling from their last-minute drop-goal loss to the Highlanders last week.
When the rivals met in their season-opener - before the coronavirus shutdown - the Chiefs prevailed 37-29 at Auckland's Eden Park.
The Blues haven't won in Hamilton since 2011 and have only beaten the Chiefs once since then - last year at Eden Park - but will chase their fifth straigh road win tonight.
There's a sense that coach Leon MacDonald has finally turned their fortunes around and the addition of All Blacks star Beauden Barrett to the playing roster may be the missing piece that takes them all the way in the revamped NZ-based format.
He will make his second start for the Blues at fullback tonight, with incumbent Otere Black retaining the No.10 jersey, after his starring role in last week's victory over the Hurricanes.
Meanwhile, across the park, former All Blacks first-five Aaron Cruden returns to the starting line-up, after coming off the bench in Dunedin seven days ago.
Joe Rokocoko admits seeing Dan Carter in Blues jersey was bizarre
Former All Blacks wing Joe Rokocoko was amused at former teammate Dan Carter looking "uncomfortable", after putting on a Blues jersey for the first time.
Earlier this month, the Blues announced Carter had signed for the Super Rugby Aotearoa season as injury cover for Stephen Perofeta, who will miss the entire campaign with a broken foot.
The signing sent shockwaves throughout the rugby world, considering Carter was a proud Cantabrian and played 141 games for the Crusaders, where he won three Super Rugby titles, before continuing his career abroad.
After COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the Japanese rugby season, Carter decided to sign with the Auckland franchise as a favour to former Crusaders and All Blacks teammate - now Blues head coach - Leon MacDonald.
Speaking to South African website Sport24, Rokocoko says he had to make sure it wasn't April Fools Day, when he initially heard rumours of Carter's signing.
"When the news was confirmed, I felt happy and weird at the same time. If you are a real die-hard Blues or Crusaders fan, or former player, his move to Auckland was just a no-no.
"I saw him putting on his Blues training kit for the first time and I was laughing to myself, because he looked so uncomfortable.
"He used to dominate in that red jumper, so it looked wrong for him to be in blue.
"But it just shows the person that he is. He has put all that aside and sees the bigger picture at the Blues by developing and mentoring the younger players.
"I was lucky enough to have played alongside and against him. There is no doubt he is world-class and will go down as one of our greats."
Rokocoko played 96 games for the Blues, before moving to France, where he played until last year before hanging up the boots.
He remains based in Paris and has been getting up early to watch the opening Super Rugby Aotearoa games.
"It's been a while since I have been so excited to watch live games," Rokocoko has told Sport24.
"Pre-lockdown, I used to hold off and wait for the highlights, because there was too much rugby, but now Aotearoa is exciting.
"It's a short window with local derbies, because of COVID-19. It doesn't get more intense than 10 weeks of New Zealand derbies.
"In terms of who I will support in the competition, it will always be the Blues, but it's so hard to put a finger on who is going to win the domestic tournament, because all five franchises are good teams."
Rokocoko believes the Aotearoa competition will be even more fierce.
"It's hard enough playing against each other in a normal season of Super Rugby, but Aotearoa will be even more intense," he says.
