Blues vs Hurricanes

Out of the last five Super Rugby matches between the Blues and the Hurricanes the Blues have won three and the Hurricanes two.
The Blues and the Hurricanes have already played each other once this year and in the meeting in February the Blues won 34-20.
The Blues and the Hurricanes have played each other 20 times since 1996 and the Blues have won 12 times or 60% of their matches.
On average when the Blues play the Hurricanes across all venues the score is Blues 29 Hurricanes 24.
This weekend is a home match for the Blues so it will be played in Auckland where the teams have met 10 times and in those 10 matches they have won 6 times or 60% of their matches.
The average score from the ten matches played between the teams in Auckland is Blues 29 Hurricanes 24.
The Hurricanes last visit to Auckland was last year in March and they won the match 25-26.
The Blues have made two changes for this match with Rene Ranger moving out to the wing in place of George Moala who is suspended. The other change is Tom McCartney replacing Tim Perry in the front row.
The Hurricanes on the other hand have given Tusi Pisi his first start for the season and moved Beauden Barrett to fullback with Andre Taylor dropping to the bench.
The Hurricanes have been flying under the radar lately and have managed to win their last four matches. Three of these have been at home in Wellington though.
An exceptional performance last week from Julian Savea will have made a few teams sit up and notice the Hurricanes and they won't be underestimated.
The Blues on the other hand started so well but lost their mojo after the Bulls match and lost the next three matches.
Last week the Blues beat the Highlanders and coach Kirwan has largely been consistent in his selections. With home advantage and most of their stars playing they have little excuse not to win this week.
Teams
Blues
15. Charles Piutau,14. Frank Halai,13. Francis Saili,12. Jackson Willison,11. Rene Ranger,10. Chris Noakes,9. Piri Weepu,8. Peter Saili,7. Luke Braid,6. Steven Luatua,5. Ali Williams (C),4. Culum Retallick,3. Angus Ta'avao,2. James Parsons,1. Tom McCartney,
Replacements : 16. Keven Mealamu,17. Ofa Tu'ungafasi,18. Anthony Boric,19. Brendon O'Connor,20. Jamison Gibson-Park,21. Baden Kerr,22. Albert Nikoro
Hurricanes
1. Ben Franks / Reggie Goodes,2. Motu Matu'u ,3. Ben May,4. Mark Reddish,5. Jason Eaton,6. Brad Shields,7. Ardie Savea,8. Faifili Levave,9. TJ Perenara ,10. Tusi Pisi,11. Julian Savea,12. Tim Bateman,13. Conrad Smith (c) ,14. Alapati Leiua ,15. Beauden Barrett
Replacements : Dane Coles / Ash Dixon ,17. Jeffery Toomaga-Allen,18. James Broadhurst,19. Jack Lam,20. Chris Smylie ,21. Reynold Lee-Lo,22. Andre Taylor