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2008

Games Played Games Won Games Lost Games Drawn Bye Games Bonus Points Total Points Table Position
13 8 5 0 0 8 40 6th
Finals
  • Round
    Date
    Match
    Result
  • Semi
    Sat 24 May
    Crusaders v Hurricanes
    33 - 22
    12:00 a.m. AMI Stadium
  • Semi
    Sat 24 May
    Waratahs v Sharks
    28 - 13
    12:00 a.m. Sydney Football Stadium
  • Final
    Sat 31 May
    Crusaders v Waratahs
    20 - 12
    12:00 a.m. AMI Stadium
Draw and Results
  • Round
    Date
    Match
    Result
  • 1
    Sat 16 Feb
    Blues v Chiefs
    W 32 - 14
    7:30 p.m. Eden Park - 23,480 in attendance

    Blues
    32 (Danny Lee, Troy Flavell, Joe Rokocoko, Ben Atiga tries; Nick Evans 2 pen, 3 con)

    Chiefs
    14 (Mils Muliaina try; Stephen Donald 3 pen)

  • 2
    Sat 23 Feb
    Lions v Blues
    W 10 - 55
    7:30 p.m. Ellis Park - 11,107 in attendance

    Lions
    Lions 10 (Jaco van Schalkwyk try; Louis Strydom pen, Chris Jonck con)

    Blues
    55 (Kurtis Haiu 2, Nick Evans,Jerome Kaino, Isa Nacewa, Nick Williams, Rudi Wulf tries; Evans pen, 6 con)

  • 3
    Sat 1 Mar
    Cheetahs v Blues
    W 26 - 50
    7:30 p.m. Free State Stadium - 22,984 in attendance

    Cheetahs
    26 (Gavin Passens, JW Jonker, Heinrich Brussow, Kabamba Floors tries; Meyer Bosman con, Conrad Barnard 2 con)

    Blues
    50 (Isaia Toeava 2, Joe Rokocoko 3, Rudi Wulf, Anthony Tuitavake tries; Nick Evans pen, 5 con)

  • 4
    Sat 8 Mar
    Sharks v Blues
    L 22 - 17
    7:30 p.m. ABSA Stadium - 34,073 in attendance

    Sharks
    22 (Keegan Daniel 2, Johann Muller tries; Rory Kockott pen, 2 con)

    Blues
    17 (Nick Evans, Taniela Moa tries; Nick Evans pen, 2 con)

  • 5
    Sat 15 Mar
    Blues v Force
    L 17 - 27
    7:30 p.m. North Harbour Stadium - 13,213 in attendance

    Blues
    17 (Tony Woodcock, Anthony Tuitavake tries; Ben Atiga pen, Nick Evans con)

    Force
    27 (Cameron Shepherd, Richard Brown, Tamati Horua tries; Matt Giteau 2 pen, 3 con)

  • 6
    Sat 22 Mar
    Blues v Stormers
    W 17 - 14
    7:30 p.m. Eden Park - 18,511 in attendance

    Blues
    17 (Danny Lee try; Ben Atiga 4 pen)

    Stormers
    14 (Conrad Jantjes try; Peter Grant 3 pen)

  • 7
    Sat 29 Mar
    Blues v Bulls
    W 23 - 21
    7:30 p.m. Eden Park - 22,562 in attendance

    Blues
    23 (Troy Flavell, Keven Mealamu tries; Nick Evans 2 pen, 2 con, dropped goal)

    Bulls
    21 (Wikus van Heerden 2, Derick Kuun tries; Derick Hougaard 3 con)

  • 8
    Sat 5 Apr
    Waratahs v Blues
    L 37 - 16
    7:30 p.m. Sydney Football Stadium - 26,986 in attendance

    Waratahs
    37 (Ben Robinson, Tatafau Polota-Nau, Wycliff Palu, Lote Tuqiri tries; Kurtley Beale 2 pen, 3 con)

    Blues
    16 (Troy Flavell, Benson Stanley tries; Nick Evans 2 pen)

  • 9
    Sat 12 Apr
    Blues v Brumbies
    L 11 - 16
    7:30 p.m. Eden Park

    Blues
    11 (Rudi Wulf try; Nick Evans 2 pen)

    Brumbies
    16 (Christian Lealifano try; Stirling Mortlock 2 pen, con, Mark Gerrard pen)

  • 11
    Fri 25 Apr
    Crusaders v Blues
    L 26 - 22
    7:35 p.m. AMI Stadium

    Crusaders
    26 (Corey Flynn 2, Richie McCaw, Tii Paulo tries; Stephen Brett 3 con)

    Blues
    22 (Rudi Wulf, Nick Williams, David Smith tries; Nick Evans pen, 2 con)

  • 12
    Fri 2 May
    Reds v Blues
    W 22 - 35
    7:30 p.m. Suncorp Stadium

    Reds
    22 (David Croft, Van Humphries, Peter Hynes tries; Clinton Schifcofske pen, 2 con)

    Blues
    35 (Jerome Kaino, Isa Nacewa, Kurtis Haiu, Taniela Moa tries; Nick Evans 3 pen, 3 con)

  • 13
    Sat 10 May
    Highlanders v Blues
    W 15 - 40
    7:30 p.m. Carisbrook

    Highlanders
    15 (Aaron Bancroft, Adam Thomson tries; Mike Delany pen, con)

    Blues
    40 (Nick Evans 2, Rudi Wulf, Anthony Tuitavake, David Smith tries; Nick Evans 3 pen, 2 con, Ben Atiga con)

  • 14
    Fri 16 May
    Blues v Hurricanes
    W 19 - 17
    7:30 p.m. Eden Park - 37,352 in attendance

    Blues
    19 (Anthony Boric try; Nick Evans 4 pen, con)

    Hurricanes
    17 (Hosea Gear 2 tries; Piri Weepu 2 con, pen)

Coaching Staff

David Nucifora, Greg Cooper, Liam Barry

Manager

Ant Strachan

Captain

Troy Flavell

A massive player exodus sees 12 of the 28 players from 2007 leave the Blues. Three victories in the final three weeks sets the Blues up for a semi-final spot, but other results on the final weekend transpire against them as they finish in sixth.

ISA NACEWA - 2008 Player of the Year

ELVs come into play

The 2008 Rebel Sport Super 14 was played under the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) to add yet another new twist to the fascinating history of the professional game. The laws meant the ball was in play longer, with many traditional penalty offences replaced with free kicks and backlines 10 metres apart at scrum time.

Player exodus

At the conclusion of the 2007 season the Blues lost a lot of their star power, with 12 of the 28 players from last year’s Blues squad either moving overseas or being forced to retire through career ending injuries. Of those 12 players, nine had played international rugby so the Blues were also losing a vast amount of experience. This included such players as Sam Tuitupou, Doug Howlett and Isa Nacewa.

Blues make promising start

The Blues started superbly, with new recruit Nick Evans shining at first five-eighths. They defeated the Chiefs 32-14 in their opening game of the season and claimed ten competition points from their trip to South Africa which saw a 55-10 rout of the Lions and a 50-26 win over the Cheetahs.

Mid-season slump

After a close fought struggle against the Sharks, the draining return trip from Africa proved too much for the Blues as they slumped to a 27-17 defeat to a resurgent Western Force at North Harbour Stadium.

The loss to the Western Force and another against the Brumbies at Eden Park four weeks later proved to be the difference at the end of the season. In a season draw of only six home games, the Blues could ill afford to lose two of them. Winning just one of those matches would have seen the team cement a home semi-final as the Blues finished the season in sixth, just one point outside the top four.

Injuries prove costly

Injuries to key players Joe Rokocoko, Nick Evans and Isa Nacewa hurt the Blues chances. In particular the loss of Nacewa, undoubtedly the most influential backline player, for five weeks, coincided with three losses and highlighted the lack of depth the Blues had.

Final flurry

After the Blues’ bye, which did not come until round 10, the team fought back gallantly in difficult circumstances to defeat the Reds, Highlanders and Hurricanes in the final three rounds to set up a tense wait to see if the Blues had done enough to qualify for the semi-finals. But the Waratahs’ victory over the Reds and the Sharks’ win against the Chiefs denied the Blues a spot in the top four as they finished sixth.

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