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The Crusaders are looking to keep their undefeated start to the season alive when they host a struggling Force outfit coming off a bye. Catch all the action on The Roar from 5:35pm (AEDT).
Four weeks in a row the Crusaders have come back from a deficit and tasted victory.
They’re just one of three teams with a zero in the loss column, and have shown grit and determination to repeatedly win despite their position on the scoreboard.
The most successful team in Super Rugby are shaping up to be a massive threat for the Hurricanes title defence in 2017.
They jumped past the Blues last week at home, 33-24, thanks to two late tries in the final eight minutes.
The Force had the bye in Round 4, after a disappointing loss to the Brumbies.
They went the complete opposite of the Crusaders, when they conceded two tries in the final eight minutes to lose by eight, continuing their shaky start to the season.
The Force still sit third in the Australian conference despite just one win so far for 2017, and another one would push them up into second.
Team news
Ben Daley and Jermaine Ainsley have been brought back into a revamped Force front row, alongside hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau making his run-on debut.
Also in the debut ranks will be flanker Isi Naisarani.
In the backline, Luke Morahan has been moved to fullback as Alex Newsome gets a start out on the wing, while Marcel Brache comes in at inside centre for his first game of the season.
For the Crusaders, Scott Barrett has moved to blindside flanker, while Luke Romano joins Sam Whitelock in the back row. Matt Todd comes back in at openside flanker from a calf injury.
Jordan Taufua has been named at No.8, with Wyatt Crockett replacing prop Joe Moody. Digby Ioane returns from a finger injury to replace Manasa Mataele. Mitch Drummond and Time Bateman have also been named at halfback and outside centre respectively.
Prediction
This could be a long day at the office for the Force. The Crusaders haven’t been dominant, but they’ve certainly been a lot better than their opponents this season.
While the Force showed promising signs against the Brumbies two weeks ago, they’ll need to play much better than that to get the result.
Crusaders to win by 30
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.