Super Rugby Pacific wrap: Beleaguered Blues embrace underdog tag for daunting playoffs assignment

Monday, 1 June 2026

Blues stand-in captain Anton Segner and coach Vern Cotter pick apart what went wrong after their miserable loss to the Chiefs in Hamilton.

Battered and bruised, the beleaguered Blues have nothing to lose.

That is the mindset departing coach Vern Cotter insists his side, unrecognisable from that brutally-brilliant 2024 championship-winning one, must take into their daunting Super Rugby Pacific playoffs assignment.

After a humiliating 59-34 final-round Battle of the Bombays belting in Hamilton on Saturday night, the Auckland-based franchise blew a chance to earn hosting rights for this weekend’s qualifying final against the Crusaders, as a weakened Chiefs outfit, unable to move from No 2 on the ladder, made some sort of statement with their depth, as they recorded their eighth win from their past nine outings.

The Blues, on the other hand, now not only go into the finals on a three-game losing run, but on the back of leaking their equal-most tries (nine), and third-equal most points, in a game, one in which they led 10-0 after 25 minutes before imploding.

“I feel for the players, there was a lot of effort put out there,” Cotter said.

Caleb Clarke loses the ball at the line in the Blues’ big defeat at FMG Stadium Waikato.

“We looked at the stats straight after the game, and funnily enough we dominated just about all of them, except the scoreboard. It was a couple of soft moments, a couple of lost opportunities, that count heavily against a team like the Chiefs. Once they develop their game you’re in trouble.”

The veteran coach, who is off to the Reds next season, said his under-fire unit had to unquestionably get their set-piece right for this weekend, after a couple of big back-pedals at scrum time, and with a lineout that lost four of 11 throws, while also needing to be better at managing pressure.

Returns this week of Josh Fusitu’a (hamstring), Bradley Slater (concussion), Patrick Tuipulotu (neck) and Beauden Barrett (quad) should be a big help, but now the task gets that much more real (albeit potentially not sudden-death, if the Hurricanes and Chiefs win).

The Crusaders have already made their new One NZ Stadium a fortress, going 4-0 under the roofed venue, including a 36-20 win to kick off this Blues losing run.

Throw in the fact the Blues have triumphed in just one of their last 21 away games against the red and blacks, who also, of course, boast a stunning 32-0 record in home playoff fixtures.

“I guess a lot of people won’t be expecting us to do well down there, so no pressure on us,” said Cotter, whose team at this corresponding point last year famously pipped the Chiefs in Hamilton in the 1 v 6 matchup, before narrowly losing in Christchurch.

“There’s good spirit, and there’s a lot of disappointment in that result [against the Chiefs], and I think we’ll just build from that. We’re back to zero, it’s a one-off game, anything can happen.

Stand-in Chiefs captain Wallace Sititi and coach Jono Gibbes were very content with their side’s work going into the playoffs.

“We’re certainly not going down there as favourites, we’re going down there as underdogs, so why not have a crack?

“We’ve just got to be on, and got to stay focused in every moment, and if we can win those moments, we give ourselves a chance. We’re a good team.”

The 0-21 Aussie hoodoo

With the other two qualifying finals to be trans-Tasman affairs in New Zealand ‒ the Hurricanes hosting the Brumbies on Friday night and the Chiefs entertaining the Reds on Saturday night ‒ the huge Aussie finals hoodoo looms large.

No side from that side of the ditch has ever won a playoff game on this side of the ditch in Super Rugby, in what is now a massive 21-game streak, dating back to the second year of the competition, in 1997.

There’s a familiar look to these week-one finals matchups, too. The Chiefs also hosted the Reds in 2023 and 2024 quarterfinals, winning in rather contrasting fashion ‒ a hard-fought 29-20 result, followed the next year by a 43-21 victory where they had been 28-0 up inside 25 minutes.

The teams met just three weeks back in Brisbane, where the Chiefs were made to work hard to grind out a 31-21 win.

Meanwhile, the Brumbies have remarkably only played in Wellington once in their last 14 clashes against the Hurricanes, dating back to 2016, but the ACT outfit have been a source of much Hurricanes hurt at this time of year, knocking them out in the first week of the playoffs in 2022, 2023 and 2025.

Patrick Pellegrini put on a masterclass to see Moana Pasifika sign off their season, and possibly existence, in style, with a victory in Canberra. (File photo)

This time, as top seeds, the Canes are at least guaranteed to progress to the semifinals, as the highest-ranked ‘lucky loser’ at the very worst.

While Stephen Larkham’s side managed to go 4-0 against the other Kiwi sides this year, the Hurricanes emphatically stopped the sweep with their 45-12 demolition in Super Round in Christchurch on Anzac Day.

However, the Brumbies’ chief tormentor from that day, four-try Fehi Fineanganofo, won’t be in action against them this time, as he sits out another week with a hamstring injury.

Finishing with a flourish

If that indeed was Moana Pasifika’s last game, then what a way to go out.

After last week being pipped at the post by the Reds in their final home fixture, Fa’alogo Tana Umaga’s side, which had not registered a win since their opening-round surprise in Fiji, rounded out their campaign, and possibly their existence, with a 21-19 upset of the Brumbies in Canberra.

Even down to 14 men for the final quarter of an hour, thanks to Faletoi Peni’s second yellow card, Moana weren’t to be denied, with a masterclass from first-five Patrick Pellegrini seeing them come from behind to seal a famous victory.

And there was a similarly strong finale from the Force, with their 31-25 win over the Waratahs in Perth seeing them end up seventh on the ladder, with a 7-7 ledger for the season, marking the first year they hadn’t finished with a losing record since 2014.

Super Rugby Pacific, Rd 16

At One NZ Stadium, Christchurch: Crusaders 47 (Sevu Reece 2, Noah Hotham, Johnny McNicholl, Christian Lio-Willie, Manumaua Letiu, Kyle Preston tries; Taha Kemara 5 con, Reece con) Hurricanes 14 (Brad Shields, Pouri Rakete-Stones tries; Callum Harkin 2 con). HT: 26-7.

At Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane: Reds 45 (Matt Faessler 2, Filipo Daugunu, Josh Flook, Seru Uru, Richie Asiata, Harry Wilson; Carter Gordon 5 con) Fijian Drua 24 (Manasa Mataele 3, Meli Tuni tries; Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula con, Kemu Valetini con). HT: 21-12.

At GIO Stadium, Canberra: Moana Pasifika 21 (Patrick Pellegrini 2, Melani Matavao tries; Pellegrini 3 con) Brumbies 19 (Rory Scott, Tom Wright, Luke Reimer; Ryan Lonergan 2 con). HT: 14-14.

At FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton: Chiefs 59 (Daniel Sinkinson 2, Kyren Taumoefolau, Tyrone Thompson, Wallace Sititi, Liam Coombes-Fabling, Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Reon Paul, Samipeni Finau tries; Josh Jacomb 6 con, Tepaea Cook-Savage con) Blues 34 (Torian Barnes, AJ Lam, Eli Oudenryn, Caleb Clarke, Xavi Taele tries; Zarn Sullivan 3 con, pen). HT: 19-15.

At HBF Park, Perth: Force 31 (Carlo Tizzano 2, Dylan Pietsch 2, Misinale Epenisa tries; Ben Donaldson 2 con, Kurtley Beale con) Waratahs 25 (Ioane Moananu, Harry Potter, Apolosi Ranawai tries; Jack Bowen con, 2 pen, Jack Debreczeni con). HT: 12-20.

Points: Hurricanes 55, Chiefs 51, Crusaders 41, Blues 38, Reds 37, Brumbies 34, Force 30, Waratahs 28, Highlanders 24, Fijian Drua 21, Moana Pasifika 9.

Qualifying finals draw

Friday, 7.05pm: Hurricanes (1) v Brumbies (6), Hnry Stadium, Wellington

Saturday, 4.35pm: Crusaders (3) v Blues (4), One NZ Stadium, Christchurch

Saturday, 7.05pm: Chiefs (2) v Reds (5), FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton

Three winners and highest-ranked loser advance to semifinals (highest-ranked loser this year drops to the bottom seed)