The Blues are a professional rugby union side from New Zealand that are located in Auckland and compete in the Super Rugby league. From 1996 to 1999, they were known as the Auckland Blues. The NZRU founded the Blues, along with the other four Super Rugby clubs in New Zealand, in 1996.
One of the most successful teams in Super Rugby history, the Blues finished as finals in 1998 and 2022 and semi-finalists in 2007, 2011, and 2023. They also won the championship in its first two seasons, 1996 and 1997, and again in 2003. In addition, the squad competed in a Trans Tasman competition in 2021.
The Australian professional rugby union side, the ACT Brumbies, was founded in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and was simply known as the Brumbies from 2005 to 2022. The team plays Super Rugby and gets its name from the wild horses that live in the outskirts of the capital. Together with the Far South Coast and Southern Inland areas of New South Wales (NSW), the team represents the ACT.
The NZRU founded the Blues, along with the other Super Rugby clubs in New Zealand, to compete in the recently formed Super 12 league, which also included teams from South Africa and Australia. The five teams in New Zealand each represented a number of provincial unions: the Waikato Chiefs, who were neighbours, represented the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, King Country, Northland, and North Harbour unions, while the Blues represented the Auckland, Counties Manukau, and Thames Valley unions.
The Blues and Chiefs received half of the international delegates in the Auckland region since it was deemed unfair to have so many. The bulk of the Blues’ home games during this time were round-robin affairs held at Eden Park. News for The Daily Rugby
In order to create a third Australian franchise for the recently established Super 12 (now Super Rugby) tournament, the Brumbies were founded in 1996. The Brumbies, who were supposed to be made up of “rejects”—players who weren’t selected by the other two teams—were expected to play badly.
Since then, they have made seven final appearances and won three, enjoying greater success than all other Australian teams combined. Strong tactical kicking, set piece play, ball retention, and applying pressure to opponents in their own half are some of the Brumbies’ most well-known attributes. There are just two Super Rugby clubs with 200 victories, and that is the Brumbies.