WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A tough blow hit the Blues as they lost pivotal All Blacks flyhalf Beauden Barrett due to a significant injury during their narrow 21-20 defeat to the Brumbies on Friday. This defeat compounded a difficult start for the reigning Super Rugby Pacific champions in the 2025 season.
The Auckland-based team finds itself in ninth position, having managed only one win out of four matches in the 11-team competition, which now features a more competitive six-team playoff format.
The Blues’ unexpected defeat in Auckland against the Brumbies marks their first loss to the team on home soil in over a decade. The round saw several surprising outcomes, with underdogs Fijian Drua toppling the first-place Chiefs 28-24, marking their seventh-consecutive victory, and Moana Pasifika securing a 40-31 win over the Hurricanes, only their second triumph against a New Zealand team.
There is uncertainty surrounding Barrett’s return timeline, raising concerns for both the Blues and the All Blacks. “The injury is under continuous assessment to determine treatment options and recovery time,” according to a statement from the Blues. Before Barrett’s early departure at halftime, the team was already grappling with an injury list that sidelined 13 other players.
Coach Vern Cotter acknowledged the challenging period the team faces, stating, “We’re in tough times, but we must keep pushing forward.” The nature of Friday’s loss stood out during a season characterized by high-scoring encounters.
In the first three rounds, the tournament witnessed a scoring frenzy, with 1011 points accumulated over 15 matches, averaging 67.4 points per game—an unprecedented figure for the southern hemisphere competition. The losing teams have averaged nearly 30 points per match, while winners score about 37 points on average, maintaining a slim six-point margin.
Remarkable scores, such as the Western Force’s thrilling 45-44 victory over Moana Pasifika in round one and a 45-42 triumph over the Brumbies in round two, are becoming more common. This season has already seen 171 tries, averaging 11 per match, compared to previous seasons where averages were lower with 7.3 in 2024 and 8 in 2023.
Defying this high-scoring trend, the Blues have been involved in two of the lowest-scoring games this season—a 25-14 loss to the Chiefs in round one and the recent narrow defeat to the Brumbies. Though Moana leads the try scoreboard with 22 tries, the Blues are in eighth place with 13 tries, while the Crusaders lag behind with eight.
After four rounds, it’s evident that the Blues, under Cotter’s leadership, and the Crusaders, guided by Rob Penney, are playing a more controlled game compared to others. The Blues have made the most tackles in the tournament, amassing 817.
As the season progresses, the trend of close, high-scoring games might persist, aided by the favorable conditions and hard grounds. Most matches meet or closely follow Super Rugby’s objectives for a faster game: maintaining ball play for 35 to 40 minutes per match, ensuring 70 percent of scrums are completed on first contact, and achieving ball availability within three seconds in 70 percent of tackles.
This season, ball-in-play time is hitting the upper end of projected game measures. Lineouts, too, are quicker with fast free-kicks for contested not straights, and defenses are narrower, more susceptible to counter-attacks, breakdown turnovers, and supportive line breaks. Without Barrett, the Blues face the challenge of adapting to these dynamics.
