Blues load up on All Black scrum power

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: The Blues have promoted two of their All Blacks props to their starting side to face the Highlanders in a Super Rugby Aotearoa Round Three match at Eden Park on Sunday.

Flexing their depth in the front row position, the Auckland franchise have named Karl Tu'inukuafe and Ofa Tuungafasi as their starting props.

The pair have swapped places James Lay and fellow All Blacks prop Nepo Laulala, with that duo named to start on the bench.

They will be accompanied by fellow new front row forward Luteru Tolai, who has come into the hooker spot in place of the benched Kurt Eklund.

The only other alteration in the forward pack comes at lock as young Canterbury product Sam Darry replaces Gerard Cowley-Tuioti to make his Super Rugby Aotearoa debut.

In the backline, meanwhile, super-fit Jonathan Ruru, who won the franchise's Bronco test during the pre-season with a time of four minutes and 16 seconds, gets his first start at scrumhalf.

Ruru, who impressed in the Blues' game-of-three-halves clash against the Crusaders by scoring a hat-trick, takes the place of Sam Nock, who has been demoted to the reserves.

He, Eklund, Lay and Laulala will accompany Cowley-Tuioti and electric Bay of Plenty outside back Emoni Narawa as the new faces on the bench.

Blues: 15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Mark Telea, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Harry Plummer, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Otere Black, 9 Jonathan Ruru; 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papalii, 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 3 Ofa Tuungafasi, 2 Luteru Tolai, 1 Karl Tu'inukuafe.

Replacements: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 James Lay, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 20 Tom Robinson, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Tanielu Tele'a, 23 Emoni Narawa.

Date: Sunday, March 14

Venue: Eden Park, Auckland

Kick-off: 15.35 (02.35 GMT)

Referee: Mike Fraser

Assistant referees: Brendon Pickerill, Ben O'Keeffe

TMO: Paul Williams

By Sam Smith, RugbyPass