The mighty Blues will play the Highlanders in round 04 and 11 of Super Rugby Pacific. This game is at home, Eden Park, and kick-off is at 7:05pm. Bring your friends and family along to support the boys in blue. Come and show your passion and support, and make sure you get your tickets!
Round 04 – Blues vs Highlanders
Blues vs Highlanders Rugby Schedule
| Date | Team | Venue |
| 11 March 2022 | Highlanders v Blues | Semenoff Stadium, Whangarei |
| 27 March 2022 | Blues v Highlanders | Eden Park, Auckland |
Kiaora Uncle 👋
We missed ya in Queenstown 🙏💙 pic.twitter.com/CoIKrYywvi
— The Blues (@BluesRugbyTeam) March 7, 2022
After a year without some of his most promising prospects, Highlanders head coach Tony Brown is excited to have a host of returning stars back in action this weekend.
While it is by no means his strongest possible lineup, Brown has welcomed back numerous players who have barely played for the Highlanders in recent times for the franchise’s Farmlands Cup pre-season clash with the Crusaders in Oamaru on Friday.
Chief among the list of names who have been bereft of game time but will feature in today’s fixture include halfback Folau Fakatava, midfielders Thomas Umaga-Jensen and Fetuli Paea, and ex-Wallabies prop Jermaine Ainsley.
All four players had limited or zero involvement in last year’s Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman campaigns due to long-term injuries.
Both Paea, a two-test Tongan international, and Ainsley were heralded as significant signings leading into last year, but were ruled out for the entire Super Rugby season after sustaining high ankle sprains during pre-season.
Fakatava, meanwhile, only featured in a handful of matches before rupturing his ACL in the Highlanders’ famous away win over the Crusaders in April.
That robbed him of a likely call-up to the All Blacks, while Umaga-Jensen’s horror injury run extended into last year as he played just twice, bringing his appearance tally for the Highlanders to just 10 matches in four seasons.