Super Rugby Aotearoa

The 22-year-old is coming off a breakout performance in the win over the Blues a fortnight ago – a coming of age display for a young man who, until then, had largely under-delivered on his huge potential.

A football player till his last year of primary school, Tupaea was then a star in rugby through Hamilton Boys’ High, captaining the New Zealand Secondary Schools team, then dazzling in his maiden provincial season with Waikato in 2018.

Frizell has been a standout for franchise since his rookie year in 2018 and has gone on to play 13 tests for the national side.

After establishing himself as the first-choice blindside flanker for the All Blacks in 2020, the 27-year-old has continued his strong form Super Rugby Aotearoa this season and Highlanders coach Tony Brown said extending his contract was a no-brainer.

The Highlanders had dropped six players, including All Black Josh Ioane, for the match after they breached team protocols last weekend.

Sione Misiloi, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Marino Mikaele-Tu'u, Teariki Ben-Nicholas and Patelesio Tomkinson joined fullback Ioane on the sidelines.

The win came after last week's 30-19 loss to the Hurricanes, and means the Highlanders move off the bottom of the standings and into third place with only their second win so far this season.

The second placed Blues, with two wins and two losses in their opening four games, will begin the second round of the competition following their 31-16 victory over the Canes in the opening match in Wellington.

Coach Leon MacDonald has made several changes after the disappointing loss to the Chiefs, although most of the Blues squad from that win in Wellington last month will take part this weekend.

Coach Tony Brown has refused to say what the breach was but it could not come at a worse time for the Highlanders who are bottom of the competition ladder with just one win from games.

Sione Misiloi, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Marino Mikaele-Tu'u, Teariki Ben-Nicholas and Patelesio Tomkinson will join fullback Ioane on the sidelines.

"There's six guys who are unavailable through letting the team down around their standards -- broke the code that we live by and it's all around their professional habits," Brown told reporters.

The Blues’ Super Rugby Aotearoa season hit a familiar skid with a second straight defeat to send the ambitious Auckland franchise tumbling back to the pack in the now tight race for second spot, and a likely crack at the Crusaders in the final in Christchurch. They host the Hurricanes at Eden Park on Saturday night to open the second and final round of qualifying games (though the mooted trans-Tasman competition to follow remains shrouded in doubt).

Barrett converted all three of his own tries and kicked three penalties as the All Blacks utility back led his team to their first win of the season.

The 24-year-old, playing at fullback, put his side's first points on the board after six minutes with a penalty before scoring the opening try three minutes later.

Barrett finished off a straightforward move that saw the Hurricanes win their own line-out and move the ball through the backs before crossing the Highlanders' line.

World Rugby said on Wednesday it will spend $2.4 million annually over three years to help facilitate the entry of Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika into the competition, subject to NZR Board approval and key conditions being met.

"We're really confident. We're not there yet but we've been working really hard with both entities over a period of over six months now," NZR head of professional rugby Chris Lendrum said.

"This is two really serious attempts by two really serious teams and a very serious national union here in NZ to establish these two teams.

The hearing found Tu’ungafasi not guilty of contravening Law 9.12 (striking with shoulder) after he had been cited following the Blues’ defeat to the Crusaders at Eden Park on Sunday. The big tighthead had appeared to strike Scott Barrett in the chin with his shoulder during a ruck cleanout late in the match, and received a yellow card at the time by referee Paul Williams.

The Sanzaar citing commissioner deemed post-match the offence met the red-card threshold and Tu’ungafasi elected to defend himself at a judicial hearing.

Jackson Garden-Bachop suffered an achilles injury playing against the Crusaders in round two and now needs surgery.

It leaves the Hurricanes without their top two first-fives after Simon Hickey suffered a season-ending knee injury during pre-season.

Orbyn Leger will start in the number ten jersey again after debuting for the Hurricanes in last weekend's loss to the Chiefs.

Young prospect Ruben Love, a possible first five backup, is set for his first game time after being named on the bench.

Fullback Jordie Barrett could also fill in at number ten.