2013 Blues season
The 2013 Blues season will be the team's 18th season in the Super Rugby competition. The Blues' pre-season began on February 2, and the regular season began on February 23. The team played 16 regular season matches, with byes in rounds 5 and 10. They did not play in rounds 1 and 17, which was only be contested by Australian teams as a result of the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia. The Blues played all teams within the New Zealand conference twice, and all other teams once, with the exception of the Western  Force and Southern Kings. The 2013 team was captained by Ali Williams and coached by Sir John Kirwan. Pre-season. The first of three pre-season fixtures was on the 2nd of February against the Queensland Reds in Toowoomba. This was followed by a home match against the New South Wales Waratahs at Toll Stadium on February 9 and a final match on February 15 against the Highlanders at Queenstown Events Centre. Regular season. The Blues regular season will begin on February 23 with an away fixture against the Hurricanes, and will finish on July 13, with a home fixture  against the Chiefs. Tour Matches. On the 4th of April it was announced that the Blues would play a one-off match against France as a midweek fixture during their tour of New Zealand in June. The match was held on June 11 at North Harbour Stadium and was the first time a New Zealand-based Super Rugby team has played against an international side. Player Summary. Player statistics through round five of the 2013 Super Rugby season are shown below: Standings. The standings through the final round of the 2013 season are shown below: See also. 2013 Super Rugby  season