Monday 30 January 2017 11:02, UK
The Blues will play their Super Rugby clash against the Reds in Apia on June 2, five days before Tana Umaga's side face the British and Irish Lions at Eden Park.
The match will be the first Super Rugby game played in the Samoan capital, which also hosted their first All Blacks Test in the country in 2015.
It will be the second Super Rugby match to be hosted in the Pacific islands this year with the Chiefs and Crusaders, who played the first Super Rugby match in Suva last year, returning to the Fijian capital on May 19.
The Blues play the touring Lions on June 7, the second match of the tour by Warren Gatland's side after they open with a game against a selection of players from New Zealand's semi-professional provincial competition in Whangarei on June 3.
"The Super Rugby draw this season threw up a unique situation with a home game scheduled only five days before our match against the British and Irish Lions at Eden Park," Blues chief executive Michael Redman said in a statement.
"Our Blues region is home to around 150,000 proud Samoans and we have 15 players in our team with Samoan heritage, along with our head coach Tana Umaga.
"When we assessed all of our options within our region, taking this game to Samoa became an obvious choice."
Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, who is also the head of the Samoan Rugby Union, said the country was keen to host even more games.
"We had the Manu Samoa and All Blacks in 2015 and now in 2017 we will host the Blues vs Reds," Malielegaoi said. "We hope in future to attract more select games to Samoa in our rugby union field.
"The game will also be held on our Independence weekend which carries great significance for our country."
