Relive 1 NEWS NOW’s live coverage of tonight's Super Rugby clash between the Blues and Bulls at Eden Park in Auckland.
FULLTIME - BLUES 22 BULLS 22
MISS! Harry Plummer's attempt from out wide and 42m out is off target and the Bulls kick the ball into touch.
79 mins: BLUES 22 BULLS 22
MISS! Otere Black attempts a drop kick from 35m out and his drop kick is off target. The referee was playing advantage and Harry Plummer has a chance to win the game with a 42m penalty kick at goal.
75 mins: BLUES 22 BULLS 22
TRY! The Bulls have a penalty advantage after the Blues were ruled to have collapsed the ball, but the visitors don't need it as first-five Mannie Libbok spots a massive hole in the Blues' defensive line and punches through it. He dives over to score a crucial try.
He converts his own try and the scores are now level at 22-22.
74 mins: BLUES 22 BULLS 15
PENALTY! Ofa Tu'ungafasi is the man guilty of foul play. He is penalised for a high tackle on Bulls' fullback Warrick Gelant around halfway. The Bulls kick the ball into touch and have an attacking line-out 5m out from the Blues' goal-line.
71 mins: BLUES 22 BULLS 15
KNOCK-ON! The time is now the enemy for the visitors. In the space of two minutes the Bulls have knocked the ball on twice, handing possession back to the Blues. The home team have an attacking scrum around halfway.
62 mins: BLUES 22 BULLS 15
TRY! After being shut down earlier after a run off the back of the scrum Akira Ioane powers his way to the try-line. He brushes off the Bulls halfback's tackle attempt and dots the ball down over the white-line. A superb show of strength from the Blues' number eight.
Harry Plummer fires his conversion attempt straight between the uprights.
59 mins: BLUES 15 BULLS 15
SCRUM! Harry Plummer puts in a perfect grubber kick which sits up 5m short of the Bulls' goal line and Warrick Gelant is forced to play at it. Blues winger Rieko Ioane and his Blues teammates scramble to tackle him into touch. The Blues now have a 5m scrum down the left edge.
57 mins: BLUES 15 BULLS 15
KNOCK-ON! Akira Ioane regathers the ball at halfway after the ball hits the ground. He takes on the Bulls' defence and he manages to get away a clever offload to his skipper Blake Gibson. He juggles the ball and he can't hold onto it, a missed opportunity for the Blues. He had Rieko Ioane inside of him and had only one Bulls defender to beat.
53 mins: BLUES 15 BULLS 15
TRY! Bulls' right winger Cornal Hendricks spots a mismatch around halfway and he puts in a chip kick past Blues' blindside flanker Tom Robinson. Hendricks regathers the ball on the 5m line and he dives over to score. An excellent play by the Bulls winger!
Manni Libbok levels the scores as his conversion attempt from the sideline goes sailing between the uprights.
49 mins: BLUES 15 BULLS 8
PENALTY! Bulls' blindside flanker Marco van Staden shows excellent body position at the breakdown as Akira Ioane is tackled at halfway, he earns his side a much needed penalty after Ioane is penalised for not releasing the ball in the tackle.
45 mins: BLUES 15 BULLS 8
TRY! The Blues execute a perfect blind side play down the left edge off an attacking line out and James Parsons is tackled 5m short of the try-line. The Blues opt to keep it in the forwards and lock Scott Scrafton gets his mits on the ball and powers over to score the Blues' second try.
Harry Plummer's conversion attempt looks to be curving in but it hits the right goal posts and misses.
40 mins: BLUES 10 BULLS 8
And we are back underway! A great start from the Blues as TJ Faiane regathers the kick from the kick-off. The Blues build some steady phases and work their way up into the Bulls' 22.
HALFTIME - BLUES 10 BULLS 8
Bulls skipper and second-five Burger Odendaal tries a sneaky chip kick, which lands just inside the Blues' 40m. Rieko Ioane comes flying off his left wing to regather the ball but he knocks it on. Caleb Clarke regathers the and the referee blows his whistle to signal halftime.
A messy first half from both teams, the rain had a lot to do with that. Expect a more free flowing second spell as the rain has stopped here in Auckland.
38 mins: BLUES 10 BULLS 8
KICK! After a back and forth battle of force back, TJ Faiane comes up with a superb kick to get the Blues out of trouble with his clearance kick bouncing into touch just inside the Bulls' 22m line.
31 mins: BLUES 10 BULLS 8
DEFENCE! The Blues this time put the shunt on at scrum time and screw the Bulls' scrum. The ball squirts out the back and the Bulls' number eight Paul Schoeman is forced to play at it. Caleb Clarke and Jonathan Ruru rush in to make the tackle and managed to hold him up.
The ref blows his whistle and rules a Blues scrum after ruled it a maul before Schoeman was taken ground and couldn't recycle the ball back for his side.
25 mins: BLUES 10 BULLS 8
TRY! The Blues are awarded a short arm penalty after a scrum infringement by the Bulls and Akira Ioane goes for a quick tap and go. The forwards decide to hold onto the ball and Blues prop Ofa Tu'ungafasi goes in to score the home team's first try of the match.
Harry Plummer makes no mistake with his conversion attempt from in front of the goal posts.
23 mins: BLUES 3 BULLS 8
NO TRY! Harry Plummer splits the Bulls' defence with a charging run from 10m out, he is tackled centimetres short of the try-line. Blues halfback Jonathan Ruru picks the ball up from the back of the ruck and dives over. The TMO rules there is not enough evidence to give the try.
19 mins: BLUES 3 BULLS 8
TRY! The Bulls' patience pays off as their openside flanker Hanro Liebenberg powers over to score. After several forwards phases, Liebenberg manages to break out of one tackle down the left edge before dotting the ball down over the try line.
Mannie Libbok is unable to convert the try from out wide.
17 mins: BLUES 3 BULLS 3
THREE! Harry Plummer steps up and levels the scores as his penalty kick attempt from 30m+ out goes sailing through the uprights.
11 mins: BLUES 0 BULLS 3
KNOCK ON! The rain is really causing all sorts of trouble for the Blues. Just as the home team were building good phases and making metres up into the Bulls' 22. TJ Faiane can't hold onto it, as he fumbles the ball on the Bulls' 22m line.
10 mins: BLUES 0 BULLS 3
THREE! The Bulls strike first with first-five Manie Libbok nailing his first penalty kick at goal, on a slight angle just outside of the 22m line.
PENALTY! A big shunt goes in at scrum time for the visitors and the Blues are penalised for a scrum infringement after they are pushed back and collapse under the immense pressure from the Bulls.
5 mins: BLUES 0 BULLS 0
KNOCK-ON! A scrappy start from both teams. TJ Faiane tries to go quickly with a tap and go off a 22m restart, but he fumbles the ball. The Bulls have an attacking scrum right on the Blues' 22m line down the right flank.
BLUES 0 BULLS 0
KICK-OFF! And we are underway! Harry Plummer kicks off to the Bulls and the visitors regather the ball just outside of their own 22.
PRE-MATCH:
The Blues are coming off a narrow 19-11 loss to the defending champions Crusaders in Christchurch last week.
Rieko Ioane and Caleb Clarke are named on the wings for the Blues, while Melani Nanai holds onto the No.15 jersey.
Akira Ioane is set to make his 32nd straight start for the Blues, he partners up with Tom Robinson and Blake Gibson in the starting loose forwards.
The Bulls are without Springboks stars Handre Pollard or Duane Vermeulen, Pollard is sidlined due to a calf injury while Vermeulen is nursing a neck injury.
The Blues have history on their side having beaten the Bulls 11 out pf 12 times at home.
TEAMS:
Blues: 1 Alex Hodgman, 2 James Parsons, 3 Ofa Tuungafasi, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (co-captain), 5 Scott Scrafton, 6 Tom Robinson, 7 Blake Gibson (co-captain), 8 Akira Ioane; 9 Jonathan Ruru, 10 Harry Plummer, 11 Rieko Ioane, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 13 TJ Faiane, 14 Caleb Clarke, 15 Melani Nanai.
Reserves: 16 Leni Apisai, 17 Lua Li, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 20 Hoskins Sotutu, 21 Augustine Pulu, 22 Otere Black, 23 Tanielu Tele'a.
Bulls: 1 Lizo Gqoboka, 2 Schalk Brits, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 4 Jason Jenkins, 5 RG Snyman, 6 Marco van Staden, 7 Hanro Liebenberg, 8 Paul Schoeman, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 10 Manie Libbok, 11 Rosko Spekman, 12 Burger Odendaal (c), 13 Johnny Kotze, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 15 Warrick Gelant.
Reserves: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Wiehahn Herbst, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Ruan Steenkamp, 21 Andre Warner, 22 JT Jackson, 23 Divan Rossouw.
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