Expert
The Blues go head to head with Kiwi rivals the Hurricanes in Auckland as the Super Rugby season charges into Round 13. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match from 5:35pm (AEST).
While the outcome of this match might seem pretty easy to predict – another Canes win (their ninth this season) – it’s worth remembering that the Blues have a few things to be excited about this round.
Firstly, they are coming off a good win against the Waratahs in Sydney. The NSW side did play poorly, but the Blues will still take heart from winning on the road against the leaders of the Australian conference, especially when they had so many injuries.
Those injuries have been the story of the Blues’ season in many ways and have made it hard to really get a handle on where the Auckland side really sit in terms of quality. Bizarrely though – despite a poor season where they’ve only won three of their ten matches – they are still only six points off eighth place on the overall ladder.
More good news for the Blues faithful after the win last weekend is the return of Sonny Bill Williams and Ofa Tuungafasi from injury, with the pair surely eager to make an impact – both to help their club and to assist their international chances for the All Blacks’ coming matches against France. SBW’s match-up against Ngani Laumape could well decide who pulls on the black 12 jersey for the first Test.
As for the Canes, they are worryingly good this year, and have added a defensive defiance to their attacking flair. They are just two points behind the Crusaders and have a game in hand.
Their backline looks deadly, even if their first-choice halfback is starting on the bench. Time and again this season, opponents have been within reaching distance of the Hurricanes, until their stars turn on the class and suddenly it’s five minutes later and the other side are looking at a 14 to 21-point gap.
Prediction
The Blues have only beaten another Kiwi side once in their past 26 clashes.
The weather forecast calls for heavy rain and storms so it might not be the free-flowing game many were hoping for, but even so, the Canes will wrap up another victory and put the pressure back on the Crusaders atop the table.
Hurricanes by 10.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 5:35pm (AEST).