It's been a graveyard for Australian teams but skipper Jake Gordon says Auckland's Eden Park holds no fears for the NSW Waratahs in tonight's Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific showdown.
The Waratahs have been given almost no chance of pulling off an upset in their quarter-final, failing to topple the Blues in their last eight meetings including a record-breaking 55-21 loss in the sides' last outing in April in Auckland.
No Australian side has won a play-off game in New Zealand in 27 years of Super Rugby while the Waratahs have lost their last seven at Eden Park, dating back to 2009, with the Wallabies last triumphant there way back in 1986.
Gordon, who will be on the sidelines at Eden Park on Friday night due to concussion protocols, downplayed the significance of the venue.
He says its not so much about the park, it's the guys they play against.
The skipper adds the Blues have got class across the park, but it's not the stadium, it's the opposition.
Tonight's game represents another chance to fittingly reward veteran flanker Michael Hooper but Gordon says his team needs to be at their best to do so.
The Waratahs play the Blues at 7.35 tonight.
In other quarter-finals, the Chiefs host the Reds at 4.35pm tomorrow, the Drua play the Crusaders at 7.05pm and the Brumbies face the Hurricanes at 9.35pm tomorrow.
[Source: rugby.com.au]
