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The Hurricanes host the Crusaders at Westpac Stadium in Round 17 of Super Rugby. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 5:35pm (AEST) on Saturday.
It’s the final leg of the Super Rugby season and teams are now really going to be fighting for a spot in the playoffs.
There is going to be no love lost, particularly in this match, and in a New Zealand derby such as this expect some highly entertaining football.
Both the Canes and Crusaders have had a funny old season, where one minute they look like contenders and capable of knocking off everyone in their path. The next, they’re dropping games you would not expect them to lose.
By these standards it makes it difficult to really assess where they are at especially at this point of the season.
In the overall table, the Crusaders are sitting pretty in third spot; if possible they’ll want to move up, but a move is more vital for the Hurricanes who currently sit in sixth place. However, with all teams very close in the playoff race their best bet is to consolidate their position.
Of course the big news this week is the return of Dan Carter. The outstanding Crusader and All Black’s first-five has had a fair amount of time off, busy travelling and just enjoying being away from football.
After a successful return to club rugby he’s been added to the bench for the Crusaders. Even though the Crusaders have managed quite well without Carter, having him in is beneficial. It will certainly be putting all the other teams on high alert.
One key area of strength for the Crusaders is turn over ball. They make a habit of winning opposition line out throws and being first to the break down. They’ve got an un-canny knack of playing better without the ball and starving their opponents of possession.
The Hurricanes can score points from just about anywhere and in matches they are often the first to get on the board particularly in the first half racking up 102 points in total for the opening quarter. If they can get on the board first and not give the Crusaders chances to turn it over then the Canes could get a strong hold on this game.
There could be a lot of points scored in this one; the Crusaders hold a slight edge being a better balanced side but the Canes do have the attacking strength to challenge.
Tip: Crusaders, just.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.