Blues rediscover form with back-to-back wins in Super Rugby

Vern Cotter’s side returns to power-driven style as Auckland Blues climb Super Rugby standings.

Blues head coach Vern Cotter looks on during a Super Rugby training session at Blues HQ on February 27, 2025, in Auckland, New Zealand. Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

After a troubling start to their Super Rugby 2025 campaign, the defending champions are finally showing signs of their former selves. The Blues rediscover form under coach Vern Cotter with two gritty victories, marking a turning point in a season that began with more questions than answers.

The Auckland-based team dropped five of their first six games, looking a shadow of the powerhouse that lifted the title just last year. But with a renewed focus on physicality and forward dominance, Cotter's men clinched a 36-17 victory over Moana Pasifika, building on the narrow but confidence-boosting 19-18 win over the Hurricanes the week before.

“It was a performance where I could sort of recognise my team a little bit more,” Cotter said after the match at Eden Park. “We were connected, we had purpose, and we weren’t frantic. There was a calmness to how we played.”

That calmness translated into six tries, a return to the tried-and-true formula that brought them success in 2024. The Blues' bruising approach gave Moana Pasifika little to work with, forcing them to play most of the match without meaningful possession.

Cotter’s no-frills strategy pays off

While the early rounds were filled with misfires and miscommunication, Cotter’s shift back to basics has stabilized the squad. The Blues rediscover form not through flashy play or high-risk maneuvers, but by tightening their structures and leaning into what made them successful: strength up front, quick ruck ball, and ruthless pressure.

“I felt we played with more control today,” Cotter noted. “This is a step in the right direction. We don’t have to overcomplicate the game. We just need to execute what we know works.”

This re-emphasis on physical dominance and tactical simplicity has brought renewed belief into a Blues side that looked lost just weeks ago.

Dalton Papali’i: “We got too fancy”

Co-captain Dalton Papali’i echoed his coach’s sentiments, acknowledging the team’s earlier struggles stemmed from overreaching.

“I think we got a bit too fancy at the start of the season,” the All Blacks flanker said. “We came in thinking we had to innovate every play. But rugby’s not about reinventing the wheel—it’s about consistency, basics, and physicality. That’s what we went back to.”

The stripped-back approach was evident throughout the match. The forwards bullied Moana Pasifika at the breakdown, the set piece was rock solid, and the backs were efficient rather than extravagant. There were no highlight-reel offloads or risky cross-field kicks—just clean, composed rugby.

Blues’ standings and play-off hopes

Despite their shaky start, the Blues are far from out of the play-off picture. Sitting ninth in the current standings of the 11-team Super Rugby competition, they’re just four points adrift of the top six.

With a favorable run of fixtures coming up and confidence slowly building, Cotter believes his team is trending in the right direction.

“There’s still a lot of rugby to play,” he said. “We’ve put ourselves in a tough spot, but with performances like today, we’ve shown we can climb out of it.”

And if their forward pack continues to perform as they did on Saturday—winning collisions, protecting possession, and grinding down the opposition—the Blues may soon be back among the contenders.

Beauden Barrett climbs Super Rugby scoring ranks

Another key figure in the Blues’ resurgence is All Blacks playmaker Beauden Barrett, who added another chapter to his glittering career. Against Moana Pasifika, Barrett scored a try and slotted three conversions, lifting his career tally to 1,493 points in Super Rugby.

That moved him ahead of South African great Morne Steyn (1,488 points) into second place on the all-time scoring list. Only fellow All Black and Crusaders icon Dan Carter (1,708 points) remains ahead of him.

Barrett’s experience, vision, and calm presence were instrumental in steering the Blues to their second consecutive win. His leadership from fly-half was a steadying influence in a game that could have easily slipped into chaos.

“It’s always special to contribute to the team in that way,” Barrett said. “But the most important thing is that we’re building momentum. Everyone’s buying in.”

Identity restored for Blues under Cotter

If there was one word that encapsulated the mood inside the Blues' locker room after the win, it was “recognition.” Cotter and his coaching staff had spent weeks searching for the identity that brought them so much success in 2024. After back-to-back wins, it finally feels like they’ve found it.

“When I watched them play, I saw something familiar,” Cotter said. “I saw the intent, the grind, the focus. And most importantly, I saw belief.”

The Blues rediscover form by embracing the basics, trusting their systems, and refusing to panic in the face of adversity. For a team that looked like it might fall apart early in the season, the turnaround is both timely and vital.

Rebuilding confidence week by week

As the Blues prepare for their next fixture, the mission is clear: stay the course. There are still areas to improve—discipline, breakdown efficiency, and finishing opportunities among them—but the overall trajectory is now positive.

Cotter isn’t allowing himself or his players to get carried away. The coach understands that two wins don’t make a season. But they do lay a foundation.

“This is just the beginning,” Cotter said. “We’ve got a long way to go. But now we have a direction, and the players believe in it.”

And with Beauden Barrett firing, Dalton Papali’i setting the tone in defense, and the forwards grinding teams down, the Blues may yet turn 2025 into another year to remember.

For now, what matters most is that the Blues rediscover form, and in doing so, have given themselves a chance to defend their title.