Blues v Waratahs
Kick-off: 4:35pm Saturday 31 May
Eden Park, Auckland
Live blog updates on RNZ Sport
It's all on the line at Eden Park, as the Blues and Tahs play what is effectively an elimination match one week before the Super Rugby Pacific play-offs begin properly. Whoever wins this one will be glued to tonight's game between the Hurricanes and Moana Pasifika in Wellington, which will decide their fate. Whoever loses sees their season end.
The Blues are coming off a bye and a loss to Moana Pasifika a fortnight ago, while the Tahs had a miraculous extra time win over the Force last weekend.
READ: what every teams needs to do in the final round of Super Rugby Pacific
Team lists
Blues: 1. Joshua Fusitu'a, 2. Ricky Riccitelli, 3. Marcel Renata, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 5. Laghlan McWhannell, 6. Anton Segner, 7. Dalton Papali'i, 8. Hoskins Sotutu, 9. Finlay Christie, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. AJ Lam, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Mark Tele'a, 15. Corey Evans
Bench: 16. Kurt Eklund, 17. Jordan Lay, 18. Angus Ta'avao, 19. Josh Beehre, 20. Adrian Choat, 21. Sam Nock, 22. Harry Plummer, 23. Cole Forbes
Waratahs: 1. Angus Bell, 2. David Porecki, 3. Taniela Tupou, 4. Fergus Lee-Warner, 5. Miles Amatosero, 6. Hugh Sinclair, 7. Jamie Adamson, 8. Langi Gleeson, 9. Teddy Wilson, 10. Jack Bowen, 11. Triston Reilly, 12. Joey Walton, 13. Henry O'Donnell, 14. Andrew Kellaway, 15. Lawson Creighton
Bench: 16. Mahe Vailanu, 17. Tom Lambert, 18. Daniel Botha, 19. Ben Grant, 20. Leafi Talataina, 21. Jack Grant, 22. Tane Edmed, 23. Darby Lancaster
Blues selections
Blues halfback Finlay Christie gets a pass off to AJ Lam in the Super Rugby Pacific Final at Eden Park on 18 June 2022. Photo: Photosport
Only one major change for the Blues, with Finlay Christie starting at halfback in place of Taufa Funaki, Sam Nock comes onto the bench. Otherwise the only other thing of note is that if the Blues lose, it'll be the last time ever on the field for Ricky Riccitelli, Mark Tele'a, Adrian Choat and Harry Plummer, all are leaving in the off season.
Waratahs selections
Taniela Tupou joining the Waratahs camp for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season. Photo: WARATAHS Photo: Waratahs
The Tahs have stuck with the young inside back pairing of Teddy Wilson and Jack Bowen, who will be looking to free up exciting wingers Triston Reilly and Andrew Kellaway. Lawson Creighton stays at fullback, up front Tanielu Tupou returns back to the city where he made his name as a schoolboy sensation for Sacred Heart College.
Key stats
Beauden Barrett. Photo: Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz
The Blues have won their last 10 Super Rugby Pacific matches against the NSW Waratahs by an average margin of 13.4 points per game. An 11th straight win against them would make it their outright most wins against any single opponent in competition history.
The Waratahs won their most recent Super Rugby Pacific match outside New South Wales (def. Western Force 22-17) and are aiming for consecutive wins outside their home state for the first time since May 2022.
Beauden Barrett has made 117 kicks in play in the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season, the most of any player in the competition.
What they're saying
"We've looked at the way the play with the ball, how they put you under pressure. They're a good team, we're certainly not underestimating them…they know that they've got an opportunity, both teams will be up for it." - Blues coach Vern Cotter.
"Most teams are difficult to beat at home. But Eden Park, it's not like it is a tough place to play. It's a nice stadium and we play in plenty of those. And the Brumbies showed early in the year that it [winning] is possible." - Waratahs coach Dan McKellar.
The last time they met
Blues 12 - 10 Waratahs
These teams haven't actually played each other for ages, the last time being way back in round four last year. But on the evidence of this dirge-fest, that's probably a good thing - tries to Ofa Tu'ungafasi and Zarn Sullivan, along with a lot of kicking a scrums, were enough to get past a Waratahs team that was on their way to a well-deserved last placed finish.
What's going to happen
The Waratahs are coming in with a bit of momentum and have been provided with a blueprint from the Brumbies of how to beat the Blues at home. However, you get the feeling that if the Blues simply revert to type and have Beauden Barrett drill the ball downfield, they'll be able to grind out a workmanlike but important win.
