Hautapu Sports players will face each other when the Chiefs and Blues go head-to-head in Saturday’s Super Rugby clash.
Prop Ollie Norris and loose forward Luke Jacobson have been named in the starting line-up for the Gallagher Chiefs, while Hautapu lock Laghlan McWhannell is in the run-on team for the Blues.
All Black Jacobson returns to the Chiefs after recovering from a nose injury.
Squads
Chiefs
1. Ollie Norris 2. Brodie McAlister 3. George Dyer 4. Naitoa Ah Kuoi 5. Tupou Vaa’i (c) 6. Simon Parker 7. Jahrome Brown 8. Luke Jacobson (c) 9. Xavier Roe 10. Damian McKenzie 11. Leroy Carter 12. Quinn Tupaea 13. Anton Lienert-Brown 14. Emoni Narawa 15. Shaun Stevenson.
Bench: 16. Samisoni Taukei’aho 17. Aidan Ross 18. Sione Ahio 19. Jimmy Tupou 20. Samipeni Finau 21. Cortez Ratima 22. Josh Jacomb 23. Daniel Rona.
Blues
1. Jordan Lay 2. Kurt Eklund 3. Ofa Tu’ungafasi 4. Patrick Tuipulotu (c) 5. Laghlan McWhannell 6. Cam Christie 7. Dalton Papali’i 8. Anton Segner 9. Sam Nock 10. Harry Plummer 11. Caleb Clarke 12. Xavi Taele 13. Rieko Ioane 14. Mark Tele’a 15. Corey Evans.
Bench: 16. Nathaniel Pole 17. Joshua Fusitu’a 18. Angus Ta’avao 19. Josh Beehre 20. Cameron Suafoa 21. Finlay Christie 22. Stephen Perofeta 23. AJ Lam.
Fixture
Game to be played on Saturday March 15, 2025
Chiefs v Blues
FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, 7.05pm
Ollie Norris
Norris was called into the Gallagher Chiefs squad as injury cover in 2020 and made his Investec Super Rugby debut against the Crusaders that same year.
Norris was a member of the wider New Zealand U-20 team in 2018 and was called up to travel to France for the closing match of the World Rugby Under 20 Championship.
Born in Sydney, Norris went to St Peter’s Cambridge and was a member of their 1st XV that won the National Co-Ed title. The strong scrummager previously represented New Zealand in the 2017 Barbarians Schools team.
In 2021, Norris was named in the Māori All Blacks squad and made his debut v Manu Samoa on July 3, 2021.
A string of consistent seasons with the Gallagher Chiefs secured Norris regular appearances in the match day 23. In 2023 Norris was called up into the All Blacks XV squad to tour Japan for the Lipovitan-D Championship Cup.
Luke Jacobson
Luke Jacobson made his mark in First XV rugby which in turn earned him selection in the 2014 New Zealand Schools team.
Jacobson represented New Zealand in the 2016 World Rugby U-20 Championship and captained the Waikato U-19s to victory in the Jock Hobbs Memorial National U-19s tournament.
Dominant performances saw him awarded the captaincy of the 2017 New ZealandU-20 who he guided to victory in the final.
Jacobson debuted for the Gallagher Chiefs in 2018, following a formidable year in the jersey in 2019 saw the loose forward debut for the All Blacks in Argentina in 2019. Later that season he was selected in the 2019 All Blacks Rugby World Cup squad but was withdrawn due to concussion.
Jacobson wore the captain’s armband for the first time in 2021 against the Melbourne Rebels and has multiple times since.
After an outstanding Super Rugby season, Jacobson was again named in the All Blacks Rugby World Cup Squad in 2023 to play in France.
Laghlan McWhannell
Laghlan McWhannell was a stand out performer for the New Zealand U-20s in 2018, backing up the same year for his home province of Waikato.
In 2019, McWhannell won a top award for personal development given by the New Zealand Rugby Players Association (NZRPA).
At the age of 25, McWhannell made his Chiefs debut in 2022 after an unlucky run of injuries in 2020 and 2021 kept him on the sidelines.
McWhannell moved to the Blues in 2024 as a widely touted player with massive potential. He fit in seamlessly with the locking group, forming strong combinations with Sam Darry and skipper Patrick Tuipulotu.
Despite having to sit on the sidelines for the back end of the Super campaign, McWhannell’s ability to win lineout ball and be a physical presence around the park earned him a spot in the Māori All Blacks touring party to Japan.
After a strong 2024 campaign, McWhannell returns to the Blues in 2025 and will look to build on his impressive first-season form and compete for a starting spot in the middle of the scrum.
He is contracted with the Blues till the end of the 2026 season.
What’s happening at your club
