After five weeks of entertaining rugby, we are down to the top two sides – the Blues and Highlanders who clash in the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final tonight.
The Blues have gone 18 years without a Super Rugby title while the Highlanders last won in 2015.
The Highlanders will be aiming for back-to-back wins over the Blues in Super Rugby for the first time since 2017-2018.
This will be the second meeting between the Blues and Highlanders in a Super Rugby finals fixture.
The Blues defeated the Highlanders 37-31 in the 1998 semi-final.
As if the Highlanders needed anymore motivation, their inspirational captain Ash Dixon will play his 100th game tonight.
The 32-year-old Māori All Blacks skipper moved to the Highlanders from the Hurricanes in 2015 and last year played his 100th Super Rugby match.
These two sides have met 37 times and the Blues have won 20 of those matches.
The Blues will host the Highlanders at Auckland's Eden Park at 7.05 tonight.
Blues: 1. Alex Hodgman 2. Kurt Eklund 3. Nepo Laulala 4. Gerard Cowley-Tuioti 5. Patrick Tuipulotu © 6. Akira Ioane 7. Dalton Papalii 8. Hoskins Sotutu 9. Finlay Christie 10. Otere Black 11. Mark Telea 12. TJ Faiane 13. Rieko Ioane 14. Bryce Heem 15. Zarn Sullivan
Reserves:16. Ray Niuia 17. Karl Tu’inukuafe 18. Marcel Renata 19. Josh Goodhue 20. Blake Gibson 21. Jonathan Ruru 22. Harry Plummer 23. AJ Lam
Highlanders:1. Ethan De Groot 2. Ash Dixon (cc) 3. Siate Tokolahi 4. Pari Pari Parkinson 5. Bryn Evans 6. Hugh Renton 7. Billy Harmon 8. Kazuki Himeno 9. Aaron Smith (cc) 10. Mitch Hunt 11. Jona Nareki 12. Scott Gregory 13. Michael Collins 14. Patelesio Tomkinson 15. Josh Ioane.
Reserves:16. Liam Coltman 17. Ayden Johnstone 18. Josh Hohneck 19. Josh Dickson 20. James Lentjes 21. Kayne Hammington 22. Sam Gilbert 23. Teariki Ben-Nicholas.
[Source: superrugby.co.nz]
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