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The Saturday Super Rugby marathon – there are still two more matches coming up from South Africa after this one – continues from nib Stadium this evening, with Western Force hosting the Crusaders. We’ll have live scores and commentary from 9.45pm AEST.
After a slow start to the season the Crusaders are starting to play some good rugby.
However they are on their way back from a bruising and tiring South African tour with some of their forwards in particular crying out for rest.
Last week they lost the match against the Sharks through ill-discipline and coach Todd Blackadder will be looking at this match with apprehension.
Perth has never been a happy-hunting ground for the men from Canterbury, the Force boast one win and two draws from five matches against the Crusaders in Perth.
There was hope for the red and blacks though at least until Wednesday when Dan ‘the man’ Carter, who was due to return from paternity leave, was ruled out with a slight hamstring strain.
Carter has flown back to Christchurch to join Kieran Read on the injury bench while Ritchie McCaw is off enjoying his sabbatical.
It leaves the Crusaders vulnerable. In the two games the Crusaders have been without the world’s premier flyhalf they have scored just two tries compared to 17 in their previous three matches.
The Force meanwhile are a team slowly moving in the right direction. They have almost had a complete re-launch since the arrival of Michael Foley as head coach and while their results are no better than in previous years (only one win from 7 matches so far), their play is definitely on the improve.
Positive noises out of St Leonards recently about offering additional assistance to the Force and the Rebels also give the faithful ‘sea of blue’ supporters reason to hope that their days at the bottom of the Super Rugby table are numbered.
We’ll have to wait and see what the Force’s line-up looks like on the day because Michael Foley doesn’t release the team lists until the last possible moment.
However with their best-performing forward Hugh ‘The Madness’ McMeniman out injured for probably six weeks it seems unlikely that the Force will be causing an upset tonight.
The big question mark over this match is will the Crusaders unleash the Whitelock clan again? All four brothers started together last week – that’s Sam, George, Luke and Adam for those keeping score.
Join the action here on The Roar from 9.45pm AEST and if you’re watching or following along, don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts in the space 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.