Blues

Playing away from their Eden Park fortress, the hosts outscored the South African visitors six tries to two at Albany's North Harbour Stadium.

The Blues captain James Parsons told Sky Sport he was pleased by the large crowd in Albany despite his side's recent results.

"We're extremely grateful. We obviously didn't get the result last week so gave them plenty of reason not to turn up," said Parsons.

"For them to turn up in numbers like this we're absolutely wrapped and also shows that bringing a game to QBE (stadium) is worthwhile."

Tana Umaga's men meet their first South African opponents of the Super Rugby season in Albany on Saturday night when they host the Bulls.

At 1-3, with just six competition points in the red-hot New Zealand conference, it's a matchup the under-achieving Auckland outfits are desperate to win.

After starting with a big victory in Melbourne, the Blues have now dropped three straight, to the Chiefs (41-26), Highlanders (16-12) and Crusaders (33-24) to ease back near the foot of the Kiwi group.

All Black tighthead prop Charlie Faumuina is ready to make his first start of the season in the only change to Tana Umaga's run-on XV to face South Africa's Bulls at QBE Stadium, and it's fair to say they're figuring he will be needed.

"It's huge," said Blues skipper James Parsons before Thursday's training. "He's an All Black for a reason: he's one of the best players in the world, and the one game he did play off the bench (against the Chiefs) you saw how electrifying he can be with the ball in hand. We know what he can do at set piece, so it's exciting for us."

Williams is still recovering from surgery on his achilles that he snapped during his campaign with the New Zealand Sevens team at the Rio Olympics.

The 31-year-old was training with the squad today and wants to be back playing by week six of the competition but his coach is keeping his cards close to his chest.

"I think our medical staffs are really mindful of loading too much on him too early.

Test centre Malakai Fekitoa's 18th-minute effort on the right edge was the only try in the four-point triumph, as both sides struggled in the Auckland wet.

Balls were dropped left, right and centre by both teams, while the Highlanders conceded 18 turnovers and the Blues gave up 23.

But the injury-ravaged Highlanders eventually ground out the win, relying on the kicking game of playmakers Lima Sopoaga and Aaron Smith to guide them home.

"It's just an awesome effort from the boys," skipper Elliot Dixon said.

Turbulent doesn't do Tuipulotu's start to this season justice. The All Blacks lock has been put through the ringer; sent home from the All Blacks end of year tour following a positive doping test, only to be cleared two months later by his B sample.

Somewhere along the line a mistake appears to have been made, though no-one yet has accepted responsibility.

During his provisional suspension he was forced to train by himself, largely on the outer of the team, and made to wait from November 12 to March 3 for his on-field return to the Blues.

Having used a talent-stacked bench without fruition against the Chiefs last week after being reduced to 14 men for more than half the game, Coach Tana Umaga has given his stars a chance from the opening whistle in this key Kiwi derby.

Co-captains James Parsons and Jerome Kaino are named in the pack that also sees prop Charlie Faumuina and lock Patrick Tuipulotu in the starting eight.

There's a further change in the forwards with North Harbour newcomer Murphy Taramai to make his first Super Rugby start at No 8, meaning Akira Ioane drops to the bench.

Luatua hit Nanai-Williams with a late, swinging arm off the ball that earned him a red card just before halftime in the Super Rugby clash in Hamilton on Friday night.

A Sanzaar foul play review committee suspended him from all forms of the game up to and including Saturday, April 1.

Luatua had pleaded guilty to dangerous tackling of an opponent.

The committee, headed by Christchurch QC Nigel Hampton, said they had looked at all the available evidence , including all camera angles, and had heard evidence from Luatua and his lawyer before upholding the charge.

Loose forward Luatua was sent off for a high tackle on Chiefs' winger Tim Nanai-Williams, whose side then used the resulting penalty to set up an attacking lineout that allowed hooker Hika Elliot to crash over from a rolling maul.

Elliot's try extended the score to 22-9 at the break, though until that point the game had been in the balance with first-five Ihaia West slotting three penalties and missing two.

The Blues were their own worst enemies as the Chiefs beat them again with a resounding six-try victory in Hamilton.

Steven Luatua has nobody to blame but himself and he knows it, after his red card just before half-time reduced the Blues to 14 men in Friday night's Battle of the Bombays clash, which the Chiefs won 41-26.