He returns the favour

Kick down town to Hegarty

And we are underway

The Blues are missing two of their biggest guns in Rieko Ioane and Patrick Tuipulotu but should still have enough fire power to dispatch the Reds and keep their playoff hopes alive. Last week they were hampered by torrid conditions in Auckland but will be looking forward to a dry track and plenty of open running opportunities in Brisbane.

Reds skipper Samu Kerevi has been a constant menace with ball in hand this year. The game-breaking midfielder has made the most carries (187), beaten the most defenders (58) and made the second most offloads of any player in Super Rugby this season. He squares off in the twelve jersey against Blues veteran Ma’a Nonu who just seems to get better with age. At 37-years-old, Nonu is just as dangerous at ever and will relish the challenge of containing the Reds main attacking weapon.

A very good evening from Suncorp, I am Usie and I will be bringing you this game this evening. Its the Reds who host the Blues in what promises to be a huge battle.

Despite their current lowly position on the ladder, both the Blues and Reds did look like genuine playoff contenders early in the season. The Reds have lost their last four games on the bounce with their last win coming against the Sunwolves in round 12. The Blues won four games in a row early in the season before dropping five games, winning one and drawing one to slip to the bottom of the NZ conference.