Roar Guru
The Chiefs host the Crusaders in what may very well be the match of the round. Join The Roar for this Kiwi grudge match from 5:35pm (AEDT).
Death by scrum
The scrum has played a critical role in the fortunes of Super Rugby games this year.
The Waratahs were scrummed back by the triumphant Western Force, whose set piece was ground into the dust by the Reds. The Sharks scrummaged their way to victory against the Lions. The Sharks scrum, in turn, was pummelled by the Cheetahs, who produced a famous upset.
The Bulls’ scrum has been poor. They have not won a game yet, despite home advantage. If the Brumbies took all the points offered from their early scrum dominance against the Chiefs, they would have walked away from a historic away win.
On this prospect, the Crusaders will probably be licking their chops. The Crusaders have won all 18 of their scrum feeds so far.
Midfield massacre
After two rounds, the Chiefs have the highest clean breaks this season (20), almost twice as many as the 2014 finalists. Last week, James Lowe, Charlie Ngatai, and Seta Tamanivalu cut the Brumbies midfield to shreds. The prospect of Sonny Bill Williams playing this weekend could turn the Crusaders centre lanes into the Chiefs’ bowling alley.
The Crusaders have a broad attack capability and can breach the advantage line from both the pack and the backs, as shown in their performance last week versus the Highlanders. Richie McCaw, Sam Whitelock, captain Matt Todd and many other All Blacks including, backs like Israel Dagg, will get their team close to the red zone, and score points.
One All Black who will not be joining this match is tighthead prop Owen Franks, who was suspended for two weeks for hitting Highlanders prop Josh Hohneck. But he is not the only New Zealander who has been disciplined. Kane Hames from the Highlanders and the Blues’ Hayden Triggs have also been suspended. Wellingtonian referee Mike Fraser will look to run a tight ship.
The main concern for the Crusaders is their defence. They have let through numerous line breaks and other gain line breaches that lead to points by the Rebels and the Highlanders. If they do not take care of this, the bookies odds may come to fruition, and give Chiefs a third win in a row.