Blues vs Western Force Prediction: Potter to work his magic at Eden Park

The Blues appear to be a shadow of their former selves, as the reigning Super Rugby Pacific champions prepare to host Western Force at Eden Park on Friday morning (08:05, live on Sky Sports Mix).

I've provided a couple of Blues vs Western Force predictions, alongside the latest match odds and essential team news for the encounter in Auckland.

Blues vs Western Force Odds

The Blues are the strong favourites at 1/8 to claim the victory on Friday, while Western Force are 6/1 to cause an upset at Eden Park.

A draw in Auckland is available at 22/1, while over 55.5 total points in the game is currently 10/11.

Team News

Josh Fusitua, Ricky Riccitelli and Marcel Renata start in the front row for the Blues, with Patrick Tuipulotu and Laghlan McWhannell in the second row.

Anton Segner, Dalton Papali’i and Hoskins Sotutu start in the back row, with the half-backs consisting of Taufa Funaki and Beauden Barrett.

Xavi Taele and Rieko Ioane start in the centres, with AJ Lam, Cole Forbes and Stephen Perofeta forming the back three.

As for the visitors, the Force go with Ryan Coxon, Nic Dolly and Tom Robertson in the front row, with locks Jeremy Williams and Darcy Swain in behind.

Nicholas Champion de Crespigny, Carlo Tizzano and Reed Prinsep complete the pack, with Henry Robertson and Ben Donaldson in the half-backs.

Hamish Stewart and Bayley Kuenzle are in the centres, with a back three made up of Mac Grealy, Harry Potter and the experienced Kurtley Beale.

Western Force +15.5 @ 21/20

The Blues have struggled to reach the heights of last season and a 35-21 defeat at the Reds in Brisbane last time out highlighted their shortcomings this term.

It’s fair to say the Blues have dominated their recent meetings with the Force, as they are undefeated in all of their last 12 games against the Perth outfit.

However, the Force have shown signs of improvement this season and currently occupy sixth place in the table ahead of the ninth-placed Blues.

While the Blues should be able to come out on top at Eden Park, the +15 handicap in favour of this improving Force side looks to be the way to go on Friday.

Harry Potter anytime tryscorer @ 19/10

One man who is enjoying a stellar run of form for Western Force is winger Harry Potter.

The former Leicester Tigers try machine has scored six tries across his last six games in Super Rugby Pacific.

While this will be his first outing against the Blues, Potter has scored four tries across his last four games against Kiwi opponents and catches the eye at 15/8 to go over for a try in Auckland.

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