• Mid 80s - 1995
  • 1997
  • 1999
  • 2001
  • 2003
  • 2005
  • 2007
  • 2009
  • #
  • #
  • 1996
  • 1998
  • 2000
  • 2002
  • 2004
  • 2006
  • 2008
  • 2010

1997

Games Played Games Won Games Lost Games Drawn Bye Games Bonus Points Total Points Table Position
11 10 0 1 0 8 50 1st
Finals
  • Round
    Date
    Match
    Result
  • Semi
    Fri 23 May
    Blues v Sharks
    55 - 36
    12:00 a.m. Eden Park
  • Semi
    Sat 24 May
    Brumbies v Hurricanes
    33 - 20
    12:00 a.m. Canberra Stadium
  • Final
    Sat 31 May
    Blues v Brumbies
    23 - 6
    12:00 a.m. Eden Park
Draw and Results
  • Round
    Date
    Match
    Result
  • 1
    Sat 1 Mar
    Bulls v Blues
    D 40 - 40
    7:30 p.m. Loftus Versfeld

    Bulls
    40 (Adriaan Richter 3, Henry Tromp tries; Theo Van Rensburg 4 Pen; Theo Van Rensburg 4 pen)

    Blues
    40 (Carlos Spencer 2, Brian Lima 2, Adrian Cashmore tries; Adrian Cashmore 3 con, 2 pen, Carlos Spencer pen)

  • 2
    Fri 7 Mar
    Cheetahs v Blues
    W 15 - 24
    7:30 p.m. Free State Stadium

    Cheetahs
    15 (Jannie de Beer 5 pen)

    Blues
    24 (Joeli Vidiri, Ofisa Tonu'u tries; Adrian Cashmore con, 4 pen)

  • 3
    Sat 15 Mar
    Chiefs v Blues
    W 16 - 26
    7:30 p.m. Waikato Stadium

    Chiefs
    16 (Scott McLeod try; Bruce Reihana con, 2 pen, Matthew Cooper pen)

    Blues
    26 (Joeli Vidiri, Zinzan Brooke tries, penalty try; Carlos Spencer con, 2 pen, dropped goal)

  • 5
    Mon 31 Mar
    Blues v Reds
    W 49 - 26
    7:30 p.m. Eden Park

    Blues
    49 (Brian Lima 2, Andrew Blowers 2, Joeli Vidiri, Carlos Spencer tries; Adrian Cashmore 5 con, 3 pen)

    Reds
    26 (Jason Little, Matthew Pini tries; John Eales 2 con, 4 pen)

  • 6
    Fri 4 Apr
    Blues v Crusaders
    W 29 - 28
    7:30 p.m. Eden Park

    Blues
    29 (Joeli Vidiri, Robin Brooke tries; Adrian Cashmore 2 con, 5 pen)

    Crusaders
    28 (Daryl Gibson, Kevin Nepia, Daryl Lilley tries; Andrew Mehrtens 2 con, 3 pen)

  • 7
    Sat 12 Apr
    Blues v Brumbies
    W 41 - 29
    7:30 p.m. Eden Park

    Blues
    41 (Eroni Clarke 2, Leo Lafaiali'I, Lee Stensness, Brian Lima, Adrian Cashmore tries; Adrian Cashmore 3 con, pen, Carlos Spencer con)

    Brumbies
    29 (Stephen Larkham, Joe Roff, Rod Kafer, Ipolito Fenukitau)

  • 8
    Sat 19 Apr
    Blues v Lions
    W 63 - 22
    7:30 p.m. Eden Park

    Blues
    63 (Ofisa Tonu'u 2, Zinzan Brooke 2, Leo Lafaiali'I, Dylan Mika, Jeremy Stanley, Joeli Vidiri, Carlos Spencer, Michael Jones tries; Carlos Spencer 5 con, pen)

    Lions
    22 (Johan Roux, Japie Mulder, Warren)

  • 9
    Sun 27 Apr
    Blues v Sharks
    W 37 - 17
    7:30 p.m. Eden Park

    Blues
    39 (Joeli Vidiri, Carlos Spencer, Ofisa Tonu'u, Sean Fitzpatrick tries, penalty try; Spencer 4 con, 2 pen)

    Sharks
    17 (Kevin Putt, John Slade tries; Gavin Lawless 2 con, pen)

  • 10
    Sat 3 May
    Highlanders v Blues
    W 28 - 45
    7:30 p.m. Carisbrook

    Highlanders
    28 (Taine Randell, Anton Oliver, Romi Ropati, Josh Kronfeld tries; Tony Brown con, pen, Brendan Laney pen)

    Blues
    45 (Jeremy Stanley 2, Robin Brooke 2, Joeli Vidiri, Ofisa Tonu'u, Lee Stensness tries; Carlos Spencer 5 con)

  • 11
    Sat 10 May
    Blues v Hurricanes
    W 45 - 42
    7:30 p.m. Eden Park

    Blues
    45 (Michael Jones 2, Joeli Vidiri, Carlos Spencer, Zinzan Brooke tries; Adrian Cashmore 2 con, pen, Spencer 2 pen)

    Hurricanes
    42 (Tana Umaga 2, Mark Allen, Jarrod Cunningham, Finau Maka tries; Jon Preston 4)

  • 12
    Sat 17 May
    Waratahs v Blues
    W 20 - 34
    7:30 p.m. Sydney Football Stadium

    Waratahs
    20 (Alistair Murdoch 2 tries, Matthew Burke 2 con, 2 pen)

    Blues
    34 (Brian Lima 2, Zinzan Brooke, Dylan Mika tries; Adrian Cashmore 4 con, 2 pen)

Coaching Staff

Graham Henry, Mac McCallion

Manager

Rex Davy

Captain

Zinzan Brooke

An undefeated season sees the Blues retain the Championship title, defeating the Brumbies 23-7 in the final at Eden Park.

ZINZAN BROOKE - 1997 Player of the Year

Unbeaten season

The Blues’ triumph in 1997 was even more emphatic than that of 1996 in that they went through the season undefeated, an extraordinary feat considering the high standard of most sides and one which only the Crusaders in 2002 have repeated.

There were two cliff-hanger wins, 29-28 over the Crusaders at Pukekohe and in an Eden Park 45-42 thriller against the Hurricanes. But those apart the only blot on the Blues’ sweep through the 1997 competition was a 40-all draw with the Bulls in Pretoria.

Victory over Brumbies in final

An unbeaten round-robin record saw the Blues overcome the Natal Sharks in a high scoring thriller home semi-final and a week later, again at Eden Park, on a wet Saturday afternoon retain the title winning 23-7 over the Brumbies.

Jones intercept clinches the win

Fittingly, the try which sealed the victory came from one of Auckland’s greatest players, Michael Jones, aged 32 and playing superbly as a blindside flanker after having achieved his earlier fame as an open-side. With the game in the balance Jones scored from an interception as the Brumbies backs attacked from their own 22.

  • Mid 80s - 1995
  • 1997
  • 1999
  • 2001
  • 2003
  • 2005
  • 2007
  • 2009
  • #
  • #
  • 1996
  • 1998
  • 2000
  • 2002
  • 2004
  • 2006
  • 2008
  • 2010