The Highlanders (89%) and the Blues (87%) have the best and second-best tackle success rates of any team in the 2021 Super Rugby Trans-Tasman season.

The Blues have conceded 15.8 points per game in the 2021 Super Rugby Trans-Tasman season, the fewest of any team; the Highlanders (19.2) have conceded the third-fewest in the campaign (Hurricanes – 18.6).

This will be the Highlanders’ third Super Rugby Final; the Dunedin side have one victory (21-14 v Hurricanes, 2015) and one defeat (24-19 v Crusaders, 1999) from their two previous matches at this stage

This will be the Blues’ fifth Super Rugby Final; the Auckland side have won three of their previous four (L1), with that one defeat coming in 1998 (20-13 v Crusaders)

This will be the second meeting between the Blues and Highlanders in a Super Rugby finals fixture; the Blues defeated the Highlanders (37-31) in the 1998 semifinal

The Blues have won each of their last three Super Rugby home matches against the Highlanders, as many as they won in their seven such fixtures prior (L4)

The Highlanders will be aiming for back-to-back wins over the Blues in Super Rugby for the first time since a four-match span from March 2017 to April 2018, after defeating them 35-29 in their most recent meeting (Round 8, Super Rugby Aotearoa 2021)