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The Crusaders travel to Durban to face the Sharks in Super Rugby Round 8. Join us here on The Roar from 12 midnight (AEDT) for live scores and updates.
This week marks the start of Super Rugby ‘Snakes and Ladders’, where conference leadership positions will start to rise and fall.
The visitors have won only three of their six matches. If they lose this, they will fall further behind the Hurricanes, Chiefs and Highlanders.
This challenge is compounded by the loss of Dan Carter, who has returned to New Zealand for the birth of his child, while Richie McCaw needed a break after last round’s bruising loss to the Bulls and will start from the bench.
The hosts are in a tight race for the top with the Bulls and the Stormers, and welcome the return of three Springboks. However Francois Steyn’s expunged red card was recently contested by SANZAR, and he has since been found guilty. He joins Bismarck de Plessis as a suspended player – for five weeks.
Sharks hooker Kyle Cooper will lock horns with Bell Funnell, who will play with a different prop partnership from last week. The Sharks scrummagers will aim to replicate last week’s punishment by the Bulls, though Owen Franks will probably have something to say about that.
The Crusaders will take heart with numerous raids by the Force into the Sharks redzone. Unlike the Force, the Crusaders have excellent finishers, with multi-skilled dual-role players like Kieran Read, Matt Todd, Israel Dagg, and Ryan Crotty. And Nemani Nadolo could rip through both the A and B zones in attack.
The Sharks will target the gaps in the Crusaders’ defence exploited early in the game by the Bulls last week. This will only work if Pat Lambie is able to retain possession and leverage on the return of Jacobus Reinach and Marcell Coetzee to secure quick ball and win collisions.
The fullback duel between SP Marais and Israel Dagg will be worth watching, as they have very similar counter-attacking skills that can punish teams and change a game’s momentum.
Look out for game-changing contributions by Keiran Read and the leadership team. This is typically the type of match, and the stage of the tournament, where he and his team lifts. Failure to do will start burying their Super Rugby ambitions, and intensify the attention on the viability of Crusdaders coach Todd Blackadder to win trophies with a strong roster.
The referees and TMO are all from South Africa, which is a break from the recent practice of using neutral referees. The bookies have the Sharks at a slight advantage, which basically means it is anyone’s match.
This is a high-stakes game, folks. While we might see a bunch of reset scrums, we will also probably see a lot of attacking, savage ruck contests and backs slicing up their opponents.
Be sure to join us for all the action from 12 midnight (AEDT), and leave your comments below.
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.