2012 Blues Season
The 2012 Blues season is the team's 17th season in the Super Rugby competition.
The Blues' pre-season began on 4 February, and the regular season began on 24 February. The team will play 16 regular season matches, with byes in rounds 6 and 16. The Blues will play all teams within the New Zealand conference twice, and all other teams once, with the exception of the New South Wales Waratahs and Cheetahs. The team were captained by Keven Mealamu and coached by Pat Lam.
| 2012 Blues season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team information | ||||
| Coach |  Pat Lam | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | Eden Park, North Harbour Stadium | |||
| Avg. attendance | 17,495 | |||
| High attendance | 32,000 (vs. Crusaders, Round 1) | |||
| Low attendance | 10,111 (vs. Lions, Round 12) | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Luke Braid, Lachie Munro, Benson Stanley (3) | |||
| Points | Gareth Anscombe (102) | |||
| ||||
Pre-season
The first of three pre-season fixtures was held on 4 February at Toll Stadium against the Hurricanes. This was followed by an away match against the Melbourne Rebels on 11 February and a "home" match on 18 February against the Highlanders at UNITEC, in Mt Albert.[citation needed]
Fixtures
| 4 Feb. 2012 | Blues | 36 - 22 | Hurricanes | Toll Stadium, Whangarei | ||
| Attendance: 6,000 |
| 11 Feb. 2012 | Melbourne Rebels | 21 - 31 | Blues | AAMI Stadium, Melbourne | ||
| Attendance: 6,000 |
| 17 Feb. 2012 | Blues | 29 - 22 | Highlanders | UNITEC, Auckland | ||
| Attendance: N/A |
Regular season
The Blues regular season began on 24 February with a home fixture against the Crusaders, and finished on 14 July, away to the Brumbies.
Fixtures
| 24 Feb. 2012 | Blues | 18 - 19 | Crusaders | Eden Park, Auckland | ||
| Report | Attendance: 32,000 Referee: Chris Pollock |
| 2 March 2012 | Chiefs | 29 - 14 | Blues | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton | ||
| Report | Attendance: 12,113 Referee: Keith Brown |
| 10 March 2012 | Bulls | 23 - 29 | Blues | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | ||
| Report | Attendance: 31,582 Referee: Steve Walsh |
| 16 March 2012 | Stormers | 27 - 17 | Blues | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town | ||
| Report | Attendance: 38,041 Referee: Glen Jackson |
| 23 March 2012 | Blues | 25 - 26 | Hurricanes | Eden Park, Auckland | ||
| Report | Attendance: 23,213 Referee: Steve Walsh |
| 5 April 2012 | Melbourne Rebels | 32 - 23 | Blues | AAMI Park, Melbourne | ||
| Report | Attendance: 15,246 Referee: Bryce Lawrence |
| 13 April 2012 | Blues | 23 - 29 | Sharks | Eden Park, Auckland | ||
| Report | Attendance: 18,000 Referee: Steve Walsh |
| 20 April 2012 | Highlanders | 30 - 27 | Blues | Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin | ||
| Report | Attendance: 18,417 Referee: Bryce Lawrence |
| 27 April 2012 | Blues | 11 - 23 | Queensland Reds | Eden Park, Auckland | ||
| Report | Attendance: 12,111 Referee: Craig Joubert |
| 4 May 2012 | Hurricanes | 35 - 19 | Blues | Westpac Stadium, Wellington | ||
| Report | Attendance: 11,624 Referee: Jaco Peyper |
| 11 May 2012 | Blues | 25 - 3 | Lions | Eden Park, Auckland | ||
| Report | Attendance: 10,127 Referee: Angus Gardner |
| 19 May 2012 | Crusaders | 12 - 59 | Blues | Rugby League Park, Christchurch | ||
| Report | Attendance: 17,000 Referee: Bryce Lawrence |
| 26 May 2012 | Blues | 20 - 27 | Highlanders | Eden Park, Auckland | ||
| Report | Attendance: 14,111 Referee: Glen Jackson |
| 2 June 2012 | Blues | 34 - 41 | Chiefs | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland | ||
| Report | Attendance: 20,200 Referee: Chris Pollock |
| 7 July 2012 | Blues | 32 - 9 | Western Force | Eden Park, Auckland | ||
| Report | Attendance: 10,200 Referee: Andrew Lees |
| 14 July 2012 | Brumbies | 16 - 30 | Blues | Canberra Stadium, Canberra | ||
| Report | Attendance: 14,111 Referee: Jonathon White |
Player Summary
Player statistics for the 2012 season are shown below:
Overall Summary
| Player | Position(s) | Apps. | Tries | Cons. | Pens. | Drps. | Pts. | W.C. | Y.C. | R.C. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orene Ai'i | First five-eighth, Fullback | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Keven Mealamu (c) | Hooker | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Tony Woodcock | Prop | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | - | - | - |
| Ali Williams | Lock | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | - |
| Daniel Braid | Flanker | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | - | - | - |
| Brad Mika | Lock, No. 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Jerome Kaino | Flanker, No. 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Rudi Wulf | Wing, Fullback | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | - | - | - |
| Anthony Boric | Lock | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Isaia Toeava | Utility back | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Benson Stanley | Second five-eighth | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | - | - | - |
| Tom McCartney | Hooker | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
 Chris Lowrey | Flanker, No. 8 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | - | - | - |
| Rene Ranger | Wing, Centre | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | - |
| Peter Saili | Flanker, No. 8 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
 Tevita Mailau | Prop | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | - | - | - |
| Michael Hobbs | First five-eighth, Second five-eighth | 14 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 25 | - | - | - |
| Charlie Faumuina | Prop | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | - | - | - |
| Lachie Munro | Utility back | 10 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 68 | - | - | - |
| Andrew van der Heijden | Lock | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Alby Mathewson | Half-back | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | - | - | - |
| Filo Paulo | Lock | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Sherwin Stowers | Wing | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | - | - | - |
| Luke Braid | Flanker | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | - | - | - |
| Liaki Moli | Lock | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | - | - | - |
| Pauliasi Manu | Prop | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Sean Polwart | Flanker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Piri Weepu | Half-back, First five-eighth | 15 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 24 | - | - | - |
| Gareth Anscombe | First five-eighth | 10 | 2 | 13 | 21 | 1 | 102 | - | - | - |
| Ma'a Nonu | Second five-eighth | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | - | - | - |
| David Raikuna | Wing | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | - | - | - |
| George Moala | Wing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Angus Ta'avao | Prop | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Hadleigh Parkes | Utility back | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | - | - | - |
| Ben Lam | Wing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Daniel Pryor | Flanker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| James Parsons | Hooker | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Steve Luatua | Lock, Flanker | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | - | 1 | - |
| Cameron Goodhue | No. 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Francis Saili | Wing, Centre | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | - | - | - |
| Charles Piutau | Wing, Fullback | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | - | - | - |
| Albert Nikoro | Wing, Fullback | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - |
Legend: Apps. = Appearances, Cons. = Conversions, Pens. = Penalties, Drps. = Drop Goals, Pts. = Total points, W.C. = White cards, Y.C. = Yellow cards, R.C. = Red cards
Top Point Scorers
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gareth Anscombe | 102 |
| 2 | Lachie Munro | 68 |
| 3 | Michael Hobbs | 25 |
| 4 | Piri Weepu | 24 |
| 5= | Luke Braid | 15 |
| 5= | Benson Stanley | 15 |
Top Try Scorers
| Rank | Player | Tries |
|---|---|---|
| 1= | Luke Braid | 3 |
| 1= | Lachie Munro | 3 |
| 1= | Benson Stanley | 3 |
| 2= | Seven Players | 2 |
Standings
The final standings for the 2012 season are shown below:
New Zealand Conference | ||||||||||||||
| Pos | Team | Rnd | W | D | L | Bye | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chiefs | 18 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 444 | 358 | +86 | 47 | 30 | 5 | 3 | 64 |
| 2 | Crusaders | 18 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 485 | 343 | +142 | 47 | 34 | 5 | 4 | 61 |
| 3 | Hurricanes | 18 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 489 | 429 | +60 | 58 | 39 | 8 | 1 | 57 |
| 4 | Highlanders | 18 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 359 | 385 | −26 | 36 | 31 | 2 | 4 | 50 |
| 5 | Blues | 18 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 359 | 430 | −71 | 34 | 50 | 2 | 6 | 32 |
Overall Standings | ||||||||||||||
| Pos | Team | Rnd | W | D | L | Bye | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Stormers | 18 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 350 | 254 | +96 | 28 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 66 |
| 2 | Chiefs | 18 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 444 | 358 | +86 | 47 | 30 | 5 | 3 | 64 |
| 3 |  Reds | 18 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 359 | 347 | +12 | 38 | 36 | 4 | 2 | 58 |
| 4 | Crusaders | 18 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 485 | 343 | +142 | 47 | 34 | 5 | 4 | 61 |
| 5 | Bulls | 18 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 472 | 369 | +103 | 50 | 38 | 6 | 5 | 59 |
| 6 | Sharks | 18 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 436 | 348 | +88 | 47 | 31 | 7 | 4 | 59 |
| 7 | Brumbies | 18 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 404 | 331 | +73 | 41 | 31 | 5 | 5 | 58 |
| 8 | Hurricanes | 18 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 489 | 429 | +60 | 58 | 39 | 8 | 1 | 57 |
| 9 | Highlanders | 18 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 359 | 385 | −26 | 36 | 31 | 2 | 4 | 50 |
| 10 | Cheetahs | 18 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 391 | 458 | −67 | 35 | 47 | 3 | 7 | 38 |
| 11 | Waratahs | 18 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 346 | 407 | −61 | 33 | 43 | 3 | 8 | 35 |
| 12 | Blues | 18 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 359 | 430 | −71 | 34 | 50 | 2 | 6 | 32 |
| 13 | Rebels | 18 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 362 | 520 | −158 | 37 | 59 | 3 | 5 | 32 |
| 14 | Force | 18 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 306 | 440 | −134 | 30 | 49 | 2 | 5 | 27 |
| 15 | Lions | 18 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 317 | 460 | −143 | 30 | 52 | 2 | 3 | 25 |
Legend: Pos = Position, Rnd = Round, W = Win, D = Draw, L = Loss, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, PD = Points Difference, TB = Four-try bonus points, LB = Close loss bonus points, Pts = Competition Points
Round by Round Result Summary
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | H | A | A | A | H | - | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | - | H | A |
| Result | L | L | W | L | L | B | L | L | L | L | L | W | L | L | L | B | W | W |
| Pos. (Conf.) | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Pos. (Overall) | 9 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Legend: H = Home, A = Away, W = Win, D = Draw, L = Loss, B = Bye, Pos. = Position, Conf. = Conference
See also
External links
References
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