Before the rugby, the thing everyone will remember.

On 2 April, Blues loose forward Cam Suafoa announced his retirement at 27, after being told the sarcoma he had beaten once had returned and was terminal. He had been diagnosed in November 2023, had a tumour removed, come back, been declared cancer-free, and played in the Blues' 2024 title season. A second diagnosis came at the end of 2025, then a nine-hour surgery.

He finished with 31 games for the Blues and a Māori All Blacks jersey. His sign-off: "Being a part of the Blues has been a dream come true. Thank you for all the memories, Blues #333 signing out x."

Nine days later, the entire Blues squad ran out in Wellington with their heads shaved or their hair bleached blonde.

Vern Cotter: "There's a solidarity within the group, a strong sense of together." Our thoughts are with Cam, his wife Britt and their whānau.

Now, the season.

A note on player of the match: there was no Player of the Match award at any Super Rugby Pacific match in 2026. The competition ran a weekly Player of the Year vote, published only through Round 10.

The season at a glance

| | | |---|---| | Head coach | Vern Cotter (final season, off to the Reds) | | Captain | Patrick Tuipulotu, with Dalton Papali'i early | | Ladder | 4th, 8 wins 6 losses, 38 points | | Points | 456 for, 412 against | | Finals | Lost QF 31-52 to Crusaders, survived as lucky loser, lost SF 21-57 |

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The regular season

Round 1: Blues 15, Chiefs 19 (Eden Park, 14 Feb)

A defensive opener lost in the last four minutes. Level at 5-5 at the break, the Blues went ahead through Dalton Papali'i, then Cortez Ratima backed up a break to sprint clear on 76 minutes. Of note: Papali'i captained with Tuipulotu recovering from shoulder surgery.

Round 2: Western Force 32, Blues 42 (Perth, 21 Feb)

A nine-try affair. The Force led 17-14 at halftime through a Carlo Tizzano try after the siren, then the Blues ran in four to two after the break. Stephen Perofeta kicked six from six. Of note: a 14th straight win over the Force.

Round 3: Brumbies 30, Blues 27 (Canberra, 28 Feb)

Heartbreak after the siren. Nine clear with ten to play, then Perofeta was binned, Luke Reimer crossed, and as the siren went Charlie Cale bobbled the ball metres out, regathered and planted it. Of note: Dalton Papali'i scored in his 100th game. It ended a seven-year Blues winning streak in Canberra.

Round 4: Blues 29, Crusaders 13 (Eden Park, 7 Mar)

The statement win. Caleb Clarke scored twice inside nine minutes and the Blues led 19-3. Clarke was then binned himself, letting the Crusaders back, before returning to complete his hat-trick. Of note: Beauden Barrett's first appearance of 2026, and the end of a four-game Eden Park drought against the Crusaders.

Round 5: Blues 43, Moana Pasifika 7 (Eden Park, 15 Mar)

Turned on a 17th-minute red card, when Augustine Pulu caught Sam Nock high and Nock failed his HIA. Moana pressed hard regardless, before four unanswered second-half tries.

Round 6: Waratahs 20, Blues 35 (Sydney, 21 Mar)

A proper comeback. Down 17-8 at the break and 12 adrift early in the second half, the Blues scored 27 unanswered points, having also survived ten minutes a man down. RECORD: a 12th successive win over the same rival, a Blues first in 30 years. Waratahs captain Matt Philip: "Two weeks in a row now we're ahead 60, 65 minutes and then let it go."

Round 7: Blues 40, Fijian Drua 15 (Eden Park, 28 Mar)

The Drua actually led early in the second half. The Blues' rolling maul then took over, hooker Bradley Slater scoring twice off it. Of note: the Blues claimed the inaugural Joeli Vidiri Memorial Trophy. And a lovely one: Payton Spencer, son of Carlos, finished a length-of-the-field try that started with a turnover on the Blues' own line.

Round 8: bye

Round 9: Hurricanes 42, Blues 19 (Wellington, 11 Apr)

The match the Blues played with shaved and bleached heads for Cam Suafoa. The Hurricanes led 14-0 and 21-12 at the break; a Fineanganofo yellow briefly opened a door before Harkin's second and a Roigard quick-tap closed it. Of note: Caleb Clarke's try was his 39th for the Blues.

Round 10: Blues 47, Highlanders 40 (Eden Park, 17 Apr)

Thirteen tries. The Blues built a 33-14 lead by the 50th, then the Highlanders' scrum sparked a frantic comeback that got them within seven with a chance to force extra time, ended by a knock-on in the Blues' 22. RECORD: Beauden Barrett moved to second on Super Rugby's all-time points list, passing Morne Steyn's 1,551. Of note: Anton Segner topped the Player of the Year votes for the round on 8.

Round 11: Blues 36, Reds 33 after extra time (Christchurch, 25 Apr)

The wildest night of their season, played at the new Christchurch stadium for Super Round. The Blues led 33-21 with 15 to play before Louis Werchon's converted try on the buzzer forced Super Point extra time. The Blues camped in Reds territory until Fraser McReight was pinged at the ruck, and Beauden Barrett kicked the winner on 84 minutes. Of note: Patrick Tuipulotu captained on his return from shoulder surgery. Cotter: "Tight situations need clear heads and that's what we got."

Round 12: Moana Pasifika 19, Blues 45 (North Harbour, 2 May)

The Battle of the 09. Moana started well and the Blues conceded the first five penalties, before seven tries either side of halftime. Of note: a debut try for Terrell Peita sealed the bonus point. This was the last competition point the Blues earned all season.

Round 13: Crusaders 36, Blues 20 (Christchurch, 8 May)

The start of the slide. The Blues led 13-12 at the break after an AJ Lam counter from about 70 metres, then conceded three quick second-half tries. Remarkably the Crusaders finished with 13 men and still got the bonus point.

Round 14: Blues 24, Hurricanes 47 (Eden Park, 16 May)

Two Hurricanes tries inside 12 minutes and it was gone, though the Blues scored three in the last quarter. Of note: Fehi Fineanganofo's 16th of the season equalled the all-time single-season try record.

Round 15: bye

Round 16: Chiefs 59, Blues 34 (Hamilton, 30 May)

Needed a win for hosting rights. Led 10-0, then conceded 19 unanswered and 40 in the second half, dropping to 4th. Of note: rookie hooker Eli Oudenryn scored six minutes into his debut. Beauden Barrett missed this and the qualifying final with a quad injury.

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The finals

Qualifying final: Crusaders 52, Blues 31 (Christchurch, 6 Jun)

Sam Nock's early try had the Blues ahead before the game turned on a 19th-minute red card to Malachi Wrampling for a high shot on Leicester Faingaʻanuku. The Crusaders scored three more before halftime and McNicholl completed a hat-trick after it. Of note: the Blues then had to wait on the Chiefs beating the Reds to survive as the lucky loser, a format they had themselves called "weird" beforehand.

Semi-final: Hurricanes 57, Blues 21 (Wellington, 13 Jun)

Genuinely competitive for forty minutes. The Blues led twice, Clarke putting Tuipulotu over and Payton Spencer kicking clear for Cole Forbes then backing up to score, and trailed just 19-14 at the break. Three Hurricanes tries in ten minutes after halftime ended it. Of note: the Blues lost both AJ Lam and Caleb Clarke to failed HIAs. The Hurricanes' fifth try was the 100th of their season, a Super Rugby first.

Cotter afterwards, on his time in Auckland: "I don't have much time to say it, but I loved it. I loved working with these boys. I loved every moment. I was born in Auckland, so it was nice to be able to coach a team that you're born in."

Tuipulotu on Cotter: "He's certainly going to be missed."

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The season in the round

Fourth, 8-6, and a table that tells the story better than any paragraph. After Round 12 the Blues sat second on 38 points. They finished on 38. Four matches, no competition points, and an aggregate of 142-78 against.

Cotter's own summary before the semi was disarmingly blunt: "We bumbled our way through to a semi-final." He also had a fair point about the format: "We finished fourth, so in any other competition, I think fourth means it's a semi-final, doesn't it?"

Caleb Clarke led the try-scoring on 9, with AJ Lam on 8, both inside the competition's top ten. Beauden Barrett top-scored on 81 points.

Anton Segner had the season of his life. He was the Blues' only Team of the Year selection, finished third in the competition Player of the Year voting, and then swept the club awards: Player of the Year, Players' Player, Forward of the Year and Fans' Player of the Year, all four.

And the goodbyes are substantial. Cotter departs for the Queensland Reds having delivered the 2024 title and semi-finals in 2025 and 2026. Dalton Papali'i and Hoskins Sotutu are also moving on, and AJ Lam heads to Clermont.

A season that ran out of road, then. But it will not be remembered for the last four rounds. It will be remembered for a squad that turned up in Wellington with shaved heads because one of theirs was in a fight nobody wins on the field.