Blues boosted as Patrick Tuipulotu makes miraculous return for Super Rugby Pacific final
Blues captain and second-row Patrick Tuipulotu.
Patrick Tuipulotu has been ruled fit and included in the Blues’ starting line-up for the Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final against the Chiefs at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday.
The All Blacks second-row suffered a medial ligament injury in his right knee during the Blues’ quarter-final victory over the Fijian Drua two weeks ago but has made a miraculous recovery and was cleared to play after testing the knee at a training session on Tuesday.
The Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final is sold out and the Blues ticketing team revealed that they are hoping to release limited additional tickets later in the week.
Blues boss Vern Cotter said the decision to play Tuipulotu was not taken lightly and made after careful medical consideration.
‘Keen to play’
“Patty’s a Blues man through and through and came to us this week pretty keen to play in a Grand Final,” Cotter told the Blues’ official website.
“He tested the knee on Monday in the gym, then on the grass yesterday. He’s pulled up well and has the all-clear from our medical team – he’s a welcome addition to our pack, our talisman lock and leader,” he said.
Meanwhile, Blues team doctor James McGarvey revealed that Tuipulotu’s injury was a known quantity and he’s been guided by the player regarding his return.
“Patty felt good on Monday and with strapping found he was able do everything rugby related with minimal symptoms. Given it’s a final, he decided to try to work through the week and play,” said McGarvey.
Cotter has made minimal changes to his matchday squad after their victory over the Brumbies in last weeken’s semi-final victory over the Brumbies with Tuipulotu coming in for Josh Beehre in the run-on side while Bryce Heem has recovered from his calf injury to take a spot on the replacements bench.
That means Beehre drops down to the bench where he replaces James Thompson as the back-up lock while Heem takes over from Corey Evans as one of the backline reserves.
“There’s a deep desire in this group to go the whole way but to do that we need to be clear in our thinking, disciplined and not let the occasion get the better of us,” said Cotter.
“The Chiefs will be coming to spoil the party, we’ve got a sold out Eden Park that we hope will be awash in blue, this will be a great occasion and I can feel the excitement building in the group.”
Blues team for Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final
Blues: 15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Mark Tele’a, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 AJ Lam, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Harry Plummer, 9 Finlay Christie, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 3 Marcel Renata, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Replacements: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Joshua Fusitu’a, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Josh Beehre, 20 Adrian Choat, 21 Taufa Funaki, 22 Bryce Heem, 23 Cole Forbes
Date: Saturday, June 22
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Kick-off: 19:05 local (08:05 BST, 07:05 GMT)
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Jordan Way (Australia), Damon Murphy (Australia)
TMO: Brett Cronan (Australia)
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