All Blacks star Beauden Barrett will make his Blues debut from fullback in their Super Rugby Aotearoa opener against the Hurricanes at Eden Park on Sunday afternoon
With Barrett slotting in at fullback, coach Leon MacDonald has opted to stick with Otere Black at first-five - he led the Blues to five wins before the coronavirus-induced shutdown in March.
The match will be Barrett's first outing since the All Blacks' World Cup bronze-medal playoff against Wales in November.
"Beauden has fitted into our team seamlessly, and has come in great shape and with real enthusiasm," says MacDonald.
"This week, we felt he can best help us at 15, being his first game for the Blues, with a mindset of graduating into the 10 role.
"Otere Black was one of our best players earlier in the season and guided us well around the field."
Also in the backline, Mark Telea and Caleb Clarke will play on the wings, with TJ Faiane and Rieko Ioane manning the midfield. Sam Nock will start at halfback, with former Hurricanes Finlay Christie in line for his debut off the bench.
MacDonald describes this as one of the hardest team selections he's had to make since taking over the role last year.
He highlighted the loose forwards as particularly challenging, naming Tom Robinson, Blake Gibson and Hoskins Sotutu to start, with All Black Dalton Papalii coming off the bench and Akira Ioane missing out.
Upfront, prop Alex Hodgman and Northland lock Josh Goodhue are both fully fit, and return to the starting pack that includes All Blacks Ofa Tuungafasi and captain Patrick Tuipulotu, with James Parsons at hooker.
"It has been the hardest team to select in my time here," MacDonald adds. "There are some disappointed players not in the 23 this week, but they will get their chance when we need them.
"The team is naturally excited. This is a special occasion for us all - and something none of us expected, to be playing so soon and in front of our fans.
"Our good form from earlier this year is a bit irrelevant now. That said, the team know if they put in the quality hard work during the week, then they can take some confidence into gameday."
Meanwhile, Ardie Savea will make his return to Super Rugby off a Hurricanes bench that features a 6-2 split on the bench between forwards and backs.
Like Barrett, Savea hasn't played since the World Cup, after undergoing knee surgery at the end of 2019.
"Ardie has progressed well and it's awesome to see him excited about getting back out there," says Hurricanes coach Jason Holland.
As expected, Jordie Barrett won't face his brother, after suffering a shoulder injury, and versatile Chase Tiatia replaces him at fullback.
Jackson Garden-Bachop will take over playmaking duties from Fletcher Smith, who misses out on the matchday squad altogether, with TJ Perenara and Dane Coles named as co-captains.
Last time the two teams met, the Blues claimed a 24-15 win in Wellington in March.
More than 35,000 tickets have been sold for the match.
Blues: 1-Alex Hodgeman, 2-James Parsons, 3-Ofa Tuungafasi , 4-Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 5-Josh Goodhue, 6-Tom Robinson, 7-Blake Gibson, 8-Hoskins Sotutu, 9-Sam Nock, 10-Otere Black, 11-Caleb Clarke, 12-TJ Faiane, 13-Rieko Ioane, 14-Mark Telea, 15-Beauden Barrett
Reserves: 16-Kurt Eklund, 17-Ezekiel Lindenmuth, 18-Marcel Renata, 19-Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 20-Dalton Papalii, 21-Finlay Christie, 22-Harry Plummer, 23-Matt Duffie
Hurricanes: 1-Fraser Armstrong, 2-Dane Coles (cc), 3-Tyrel Lomax, 4-James Blackwell, 5-Scott Scrafton, 6-Reed Prinsep, 7-Du'Plessis Kirifi, 8-Gareth Evans, 9-TJ Perenara (cc), 10-Jackson Garden-Bachop, 11-Ben Lam, 12-Ngani Laumape, 13-Vince Aso, 14-Wes Goosen, 15-Chase Tiatia
Reserves: 16-Asafo Aumua, 17-Tevita Mafileo, 18-Alex Fidow, 19-Isaia Walker-Leawere, 20-Vaea Fifita, 21-Ardie Savea, 22-Jamie Booth, 23-Billy Proctor.
Join us at 3pm Sunday for live updates of the Blues v Hurricanes Super Rugby Aotearoa clash.
