Departing Dalton Papali’i gives hopeful message to Blues ahead of semifinal against Hurricanes
Friday, 12 June 2026
The Blues are rank outsiders for Saturday night’s Super Rugby Pacific semifinal against the Hurricanes in Wellington.
Vern Cotter’s team have lost four matches on the bounce but can still make the final.
Departing All Black Dalton Papali’i, sidelined with a broken jaw, spoke to the team with a reassuring message.
The Blues are hoping one pertinent message from one of their stricken leaders will inspire some response for a semifinal where they appear to have little to no chance.
Departing All Black Dalton Papali’i, whose broken jaw has likely ended his Super Rugby career in cruel fashion, spoke to the squad at the start of the week after returning from surgery.
The Blues and outgoing coach Vern Cotter would dearly love the 28-year-old to be leading from the front in Saturday night’s semifinal with the red-hot Hurricanes in Wellington.
It wasn’t to be for the respected Blues centurion before his move to France, but another exiting servant, Hoskins Sotutu, said Papali’i shared “some good words” including an obvious but pointed aspect of any playoffs that does keep the Blues in the title fight.
“He said ‘you don’t need to be the best team in the comp to win the final. You’ve just got to be best side in the 80 minutes’,” Sotutu said.
Cotter said: “That's something that's channelled the boys' focus, going into this game and giving them real excitement about being good for 80, then you might get another week.”
That’s the peril Clark Laidlaw’s Hurricanes have to reckon with. Clearly the best team who clinched top spot with a week to spare, it would count for nothing if they were stunned by the Blues and denied their first final appearance since their only title in 2016.
Amazingly, Super Rugby Pacific’s last four champions have won the final from second place.
The Blues need to reach for something to snap out of their defensive lapses that have been the chief cause of their unique rut. Four consecutive defeats before a semifinal is unprecedented.
They finished fourth before the playoffs and lost 52-31 in last weekend’s qualifying to the Crusaders in Christchurch, but they were this year’s “lucky losers” and got a life to complete the first duet of all-Kiwi semifinals in Super Rugby’s 30-year history.
The Blues did little suggest they were a threat to the Hurricanes after imploding once Malachi Wrampling was shown a 20-minute red card. While one man down, the reigning champions punished them with four tries to one which killed the game.
“We bumbled our way through to a semifinal and get an opportunity to play the number one team, so there’s a bit of excitement around that challenge,” Cotter said.
“We’ll just keep bumbling along and see if we can put them in a bit of trouble this week.”
The Hurricanes’ attacking prowess — and the return of try-scoring sensation Fehi Fineanganofo — should worry the Blues after the tries were flowing in their annihilation of the Brumbies (66-12) despite Wellington’s wet weather last Friday.
Veteran skipper Patrick Tuipulotu said, depending on individuals in their side, that some would take notice of the Blues not being given a prayer.
“I probably do doomscroll a little bit. I understand and that's normal for some of us. We’ve got a chance. There are other teams that would love to be in the position we are,” he said.
They do have All Blacks playmaker Beauden Barrett, who starts at fullback, back from a quad injury aiming to revive his form ahead of the test season.
Sotutu is also in the starting line-up again and replaces the suspended Wrampling at No 8.
This weekend could be his 92nd and last Blues appearance before his move to England. Other established figures leaving from the team which ended their title drought in 2024 are AJ Lam and playmaker Stephen Perofeta.
Bowing out with a whimper despite the relative success of reaching a fifth consecutive semifinal would be an underwhelming finish for a clutch of players who have added so much value.
“We don’t want to let the Blues jersey down. It’s given us all a lot. We want to try and leave it in a better place than when we found it,” Sotutu said.
“For these last couple of weeks, we’ve been determined for that.”
He added: “Nobody expects us to make it. All we need to do is win the next two games and all is forgotten.”
Sotutu was right. Nobody expects the Blues to make it. Sport can still throw up strange results.
Hurricanes v Blues — Super Rugby Pacific semifinal
Hurricanes: Callum Harkin, Josh Moorby, Billy Proctor, Jordie Barrett (capt), Fehi Fineanganofo, Ruben Love, Cam Roigard, Peter Lakai, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Brad Shields, Warner Dearns, Caleb Delany, Pasilio Tosi, Asafo Aumua, Xavier Numia. Reserves: Raymond Tuputupu, Siale Lauaki, Tyrel Lomax, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Brayden Iose, Ere Enari, Jone Rova, Kini Naholo.
Blues: Beauden Barrett, Cole Forbes, AJ Lam, Xavi Taele, Caleb Clarke, Stephen Perofeta, Finlay Christie, Hoskins Sotutu, Anton Segner, Torian Barnes, Sam Darry, Patrick Tuipulotu (capt), Marcel Renata, Bradley Slater, Ofa Tu’ungafasi. Reserves: Eli Oudenryn, Mason Tupaea, Flyn Yates, Josh Beehre, Che Clark, Taufa Funaki, Pita Ahki, Payton Spencer.