| Home team | Crusaders |
| Away team | Blues |
| Venue | One NZ Stadium |
| Competition | Super Rugby Pacific |
| Kick off time | 8:05 am (UK) |
| Watch Live in the UK | Sky Sports+ |
Crusaders vs Blues clash at the One NZ Stadium in Christchurch for the first Crusaders home game at their new stadium outside of the Super Round.
The Crusaders currently sit fifth in the table, level on points with fourth, having played a game more. They are just two points ahead of the Brumbies in sixth, and therefore, a home win could be crucial in moving up the table.
The Blues currently sit second but have played a game more than the rest of the top four. They are just two points behind the Hurricanes at the top of the table and two points ahead of the Chiefs in third. A win would not only be crucial to maintain their place in the top two but also put them in a chance of going top.
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Crusaders vs Blues confirmed lineups and team news
| Crusaders | Blues | ||||
| Forwards | |||||
| Bower | 1 | Tu’ungafasi | |||
| Taylor | 2 | Slater | |||
| Newell | 3 | Matenga | |||
| Shalfoon | 4 | Tuipulotu | |||
| Hannah | 5 | Darry | |||
| Blackadder | 6 | Wrampling-Alec | |||
| Fainga’anuku | 7 | Papali’i | |||
| Lio-Willie | 8 | Sototu | |||
| Backs | |||||
| Hotham | 9 | Nock | |||
| Reinana | 10 | Perofeta | |||
| Springer | 11 | Clarke | |||
| Havili | 12 | Ahki | |||
| McLeod | 13 | Lam | |||
| Reece | 14 | Banks | |||
| McNicholl | 15 | Sullivan | |||
| Replacements | |||||
| Bell | 16 | Mullan | |||
| Sexton | 17 | Tupaea | |||
| Calder | 18 | Yates | |||
| Cahill | 19 | McWhannell | |||
| Gardiner | 20 | Segner | |||
| Preston | 21 | Christie | |||
| Grant | 22 | Barrett | |||
| McDonald | 23 | Taele | |||
Recent Form:
Crusaders (Home team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 1st May 2026 | Super Rugby | Hurricanes | 38-31 |
| Won | 24th April 2026 | Super Rugby | Waratahs | 35-20 |
| Loss | 18th April 2026 | Super Rugby | Western Force | 31-26 |
| Loss | 11th April 2026 | Super Rugby | Reds | 31-26 |
| Won | 3rd April 2026 | Super Rugby | Fijian Drua | 69-26 |
The Crusaders have won only one of their last four matches, and this came in the opening match in the One NZ Stadium in the Super Round. Their last three defeats have been by one score or less. In the last round, they faced the league-leader Hurricanes and lost 38-31, with a late try giving them a more respectable scoreline. They conceded five tries, with three coming in the first half, giving the home team a dramatic lead and the Canes a big advantage throughout the game.
Blues (Away team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Won | 2nd May 2026 | Super Rugby | Moana Pasifika | 19-45 |
| Won | 25th April 2026 | Super Rugby | Reds | 36-33 AET |
| Win | 17th April 2026 | Super Rugby | Highlanders | 47-40 |
| Loss | 11 April 2026 | Super Rugby | Hurricanes | 42-19 |
| Win | 28th March 2026 | Super Rugby | Fijian Drua | 40-15 |
The Blues have won seven of the last eight matches, only losing to the Hurricanes, the league leaders. They scored seven tries, conceding three, including one of the most adventurous tries scored by Moana Pasifika. The Blues only held a 14-12 lead at halftime and scored five second-half tries to bring a more convincing victory.
Crusaders vs Blues head-to-head record (last five matches):
| Date | Competition | Winner | Score |
| 7th March 2026 | Super Rugby | Blues | 29-13 |
| 13th June 2025 | Super Rugby Playoff | Crusaders | 21-14 |
| 18th April 2025 | Super Rugby | Crusaders | 25-22 |
| 22nd March 2025 | Super Rugby | Crusaders | 19-42 |
| 25th May 2024 | Super Rugby | Crusaders | 29-27 |
The Blues won the meeting between these two teams in March. The Blues took a 19-3 lead early in the first half, and they could maintain a lead for the remainder of the game. Taylor and Reihana scored before halftime , but the Blues scored again in the second half to boost their lead even more.
The Crusaders had won four games in a row against the Blues, including in the knockout rounds of last season’s Super Rugby. Three of those four games were won by the Crusaders by a score or less.
