QF Blues v Highlanders

[Stargazer]

@Duluth Not on their social media, yet.

[Dice]

I was worried the weather might be poor for this one, but it's looking good.

[Tim]

https://www.facebook.com/theblues/posts/pfbid03xkAKg7CVdaE8M1f7f7CzQCkn67a3RxB196NY5oFhSPonJbHCbuHNcFTNfAHWi9ol

4 minutes ago on Facebook:

The Blues can confirm that captain Dalton Papalii will not play in tonight’s Super Rugby Quarterfinals.
After developing symptoms, he had an operation to remove his appendix on Friday. The procedure was uncomplicated and he is recovering well although it is too early to forecast when he will return to play.
Adrian Choat comes into the starting side with Josh Goodhue on the bench.
Beauden Barrett will captain the boys.

[Kirwan]

@Dice said in QF Blues v Highlanders:

I was worried the weather might be poor for this one, but it's looking good.

Weather is beautiful today, great conditions.

[Grooter]

@Tim Landers might as well make Marty Banks captain as Nug, Lentjes & coltman look on from the stands

[Duluth]

@Tim said in QF Blues v Highlanders:

https://www.facebook.com/theblues/posts/pfbid03xkAKg7CVdaE8M1f7f7CzQCkn67a3RxB196NY5oFhSPonJbHCbuHNcFTNfAHWi9ol

4 minutes ago on Facebook:

The Blues can confirm that captain Dalton Papalii will not play in tonight’s Super Rugby Quarterfinals.
After developing symptoms, he had an operation to remove his appendix on Friday. The procedure was uncomplicated and he is recovering well although it is too early to forecast when he will return to play.
Adrian Choat comes into the starting side with Josh Goodhue on the bench.
Beauden Barrett will captain the boys.

Choat is a good replacement. I would've preferred Plumtree to Goodhue on the bench as now we don't have specialist 7 cover

Throughout Sotutu's NPC & SR career he's been almost exclusively been used at 8. Akira has been the guy that has been asked to cover 7 in the past

Hopefully Choat gets through most of the 80mins

---

Updated 23:

Alex Hodgman, Kurt Eklund, Ofa Tuungafasi, James Tucker, Tom Robinson, Akira Ioane, Adrian Choat, Hoskins Sotutu, Finlay Christie, Beauden Barrett (c), Mark Telea, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Rieko Ioane, Bryce Heem, Stephen Perofeta

Reserves: Soane Vikena, Karl Tu'inukuafe, Nepo Laulala, Luke Romano, Josh Goodhue, Sam Nock, AJ Lam, Zarn Sullivan

[Machpants]

@Duluth he's not a patch on paps though, m this is a huge loss for blues. It really centres their chances going forward, paps one of the best players in SR at the moment

[Kirwan]

@Machpants said in QF Blues v Highlanders:

@Duluth he's not a patch on paps though, m this is a huge loss for blues. It really centres their chances going forward, paps one of the best players in SR at the moment

We’ve used our full squad all year, including Dalton being out. Obviously would prefer he is there but we are not a one man team.

[Mattasaurus]

Any localised extreme weather events floating around Auckland to give us Landers fans some hope?

[Stargazer]

Looking at the Highlanders instagram, Fakatava and Hammington will be playing; not Smith.

[Stargazer]

Now just confirmed by Brown on tv.

[Kirwan]

Good to see Dalton at the ground.

[Duluth]

@Stargazer

..and Harmon is captain

Ethan de Groot, Andrew Makalio, Jermaine Ainsley, Bryn Evans, Josh Dickson, Hugh Renton, Billy Harmon (c), Marino Mikaele Tu'u, Folau Fakatava, Marty Banks, Mosese Dawai, Scott Gregory, Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Fetuli Paea, Connor Garden Bachop

Reserves: Leni Apisai, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Saula Mau, Max Hicks, Shannon Frizell, Kayne Hammington, Liam Coombes-Fabling, Denny Solomona

[Machpants]

Both of these late changes so how shit NZs teams are at actually keeping the fans informed. A real part of why rugby popularity is going away, rugby can't keep up with modern trends and needs for communication. Fans area an afterthought, not the centre of what is now an entertainment industry

[Kirwan]

@Machpants said in QF Blues v Highlanders:

Both of these late changes so how shit NZs teams are at actually keeping the fans informed. A real part of why rugby popularity is going away, rugby can't keep up with modern trends and needs for communication

That’s what the Fern is for

[Crazy Horse]

I am excited for this game. Probably because it's two NZ teams going at it

[Kirwan]

@Crazy-Horse said in QF Blues v Highlanders:

I am excited for this game. Probably because it's two NZ teams going at it

Should be a good game Clan won’t like being written off and all the talk about not deserving a finals place.

And we have to take our form into the finals.

[Stargazer]

@Crazy-Horse I would be more excited if there wasn't such a gap in strength between both teams.

[Machpants]

@Stargazer said in QF Blues v Highlanders:

@Crazy-Horse I would be more excited if there wasn't such a gap in strength between both teams.

Really, individually blues are better, in some are much better (like Barrett). But overall it's not like there are hundreds of ABs in blues. As a team the Landers have underperformed

[Damo]

The Blues will be reeling with the loss of Papali'i.

I don't write them off. I think they can still win for sure but they would have to be less confident than prior.