Blues loose forward Dalton Papali’i scores the opening try in the Super Rugby Pacific - Blues v Crusaders at Eden Park. Photo: Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz
Blues vs Crusaders
7pm Friday April 18
Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch
Live blog updates on RNZ
Christchurch has historically been a burial ground for the Blues, but having already dug themselves out of one hole this season, Vern Cotter's men head south confident they can conquer the Crusaders.
It was an inauspicious start to the season for the defending champions, with just one win from their first six, but impressive victories over the Hurricanes and Moana Pasifika has them sitting just four points outside the top six.
Blues coach Vern Cotter said with the table as tight as it is, if standards dropped for a moment, teams would be punished.
"On the day you've got to be on, and if you're not, if you're complacent or not as well prepared, you're going to get done and this is what's happened. The scores don't make sense sometimes, there's 40 here and 40 there, that's the competition as it is this year. We've seen it all season."
Last week's 36-17 win over their cross-city brothers has reinstalled belief in the Blues.
"I think with two victories there's a little bit more confidence and there's a little bit more spring in the step if you like. But you can't go to Christchurch and underestimate how tough the task will be."
After their horror 2024, the Crusaders have managed a significant resurgence this season, and now lead Super Rugby Pacific after eight rounds.
"They have found a way to play that they're getting results from, and you've just got to try and pick that apart a little bit if you want to have a crack at them.
"They've traditionally always been strong upfront and I think that's still the case. It'll be a bit of chess to be played out there, but also a good physical battle. It'll be tough as it always is.
"They love playing the blues and we know that's probably one of our biggest challenges in Christchurch, playing against the Crusaders."
Cotter said the task in Christchurch was simple.
"We just need points. We're going down there for points if it's Crusaders or anybody else and then we're preparing for them, but we've got to get points in every game so we need to be improving and at the same time be at the top of our game."
Despite winning just twice in the garden city since 2004, Cotter said they had not paid attention to recent history.
"It's a game, it's 80 minutes to decide it and as a game always is, it's unpredictable, it's uncertain, a lot of things happen."
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