The Blues face off against the Brumbies in Auckland on Saturday in the second Super Rugby Pacific semi-final.
Australia’s last hope, the Brumbies, make a daunting trip to Auckland this weekend to take on tournament pacesetters, the Blues. The hosts come into this one as heavy favourites but will need to be cautious of a Brumbies side that has a very handy set piece.
Blues v Brumbies
Saturday 11 June
Eden Park
09:05
To Win (80 Mins)
Blues 1/6 | Draw 33/1 | Brumbies 4/1
Handicap
Blues (-12.5) 9/10 | Brumbies (+12.5) 9/10
I have to say, I was mightily impressed by Auckland’s finest last weekend. Their quarter-final fixture against the Highlanders was a potential banana peel. It looked like the Blues might have slipped up having not put a point on the board a man up and half an hour into the game 30 minutes into the game.
A strong carry from Scot Barrett and then some good interplay between the Ioane brothers would quell fears of an upset, however, with Akira’s try on 31 minutes opening the floodgates for the Blues who would go on to win the game 35-6.
The Brumbies had a tougher day at the office and had to overturn a 15-22 half-time deficit against the Hurricanes in order to book a spot in the semi-finals. The men from Canberra would do just this with tries from Tom Banks and Tom Wright enough to seal a 33-28 win.
The visitors will be without centre Len Ikitau who copped a three-week ban for a reckless shot high shot that saw him red-carded against the Hurricanes.
There is some positive news for Dan Mckellar’s side as Wallaby Rob Valentini is set to return from injury. On the Blues side of the coin, Dalton Papalii is a major doubt as he is struggling with a medical issue.
Verdict: Brumbies (+12.5) 9/10
The Blues should win this one but I reckon it will be pretty tight just like the round-robin fixture between the sides which was decided by a late Beuaden Barrett drop goal.
