Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will make his long-awaited Super Rugby debut this weekend when he lines up at second-five-eighth for the Blues in their season opener against the Hurricanes.
The former Warriors skipper forms an exciting midfield pairing with Rieko Ioane, and coach Leon MacDonald was looking forward to seeing them in action.
"Roger has settled in extremely well and fitted into rugby like the professional he is. If we can get some good front-foot ball it will be interesting to see the backline in action," MacDonald said.
The Blues will welcome eight All Blacks, past or present, into their line-up for the first appearance in the Super Rugby Pacific.
Prop Nepo Laulala, loose forward Hoskins Sotutu, halfback Fin Christie and centre Rieko Ioane will start with prop Ofa Tuungafasi coming off the bench from the All Blacks who went on the northern tour, while Alex Hodgman, Luke Romano and Caleb Clarke have all worn black.
Romano will also make his Blues debut, after earning 137 caps for the Crusaders over a 10-year period.
The Blues missed the opening clash with Moana Pasifika unable to play, although MacDonald said that will not be an excuse for his side.
“It is something we need to overcome. All teams have come in with a short pre-season and with the obvious challenges in these bubbles,” MacDonald said.
“For us it is about pride in our jersey and our Blues region, overcoming any perceived adversity, and having the confidence to play our game to the standards we have achieved on the training fields.
“The attitude and aptitude have been excellent and it is a matter of taking that form from the training pitch into the game situation."
Key players missing with injuries include All Blacks Beauden Barrett and captain Dalton Papalii, both recovering from head knocks, and Akira Ioane.
The Blues play the Hurricanes at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday night.
SHARE ME