The Crusaders and Hurricanes will slug it out for the number one spot in Super Rugby as these two high flyers clash in Christchurch to kick off Round 15. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 5:25pm (AEST).
This is the glamour tie of the whole round as the best two teams in this year’s competition go up against each other for the second time. In Round 4, the Canes took the honours and dished out one of the two losses the Crusaders have suffered this season.
Both sides have some serious momentum behind them and it’ll be fascinating to see how each of them goes about trying to break the other down. There is going to be some serious talent on the same field in this match with the Canes’ backline looking incredibly strong.
The news that the Wellington side had to bring in a new centre pairing might have momentarily got a few Crusaders fans wondering if this would present a weakness for their team exploit. However, that thought wouldn’t have lasted long once they read that the new pairing was Jordie Barrett and Ngani Laumape and that the other rejigging in the Canes three quarters will see a back three of Nehe Milner-Skudder, Julian Savea and Ben Lam.
That is some serious firepower and all being conducted by the maestros Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara.
Up front, the Canes will also be excited to welcome back Brad Shields and Michael Fatialofa, who will bring some important grunt and power up front. If the forwards can give Perenara and Barrett quick, front-foot ball then the Crusaders will find it very hard to keep the Canes out.
Things will even harder for the home side as a result of missing some of their key talent including Tim Perry, Owen Franks and Ryan Crotty while super sub Manasa Mataele (third highest try scorer in the competition this season) is missing through injury too.
In the past couple of weeks, the Crusaders have had to work harder than they might have expected to get their wins. Their comeback against the Waratahs two weeks ago was definitely an impressive performance but you can’t help but feel that if they give the Hurricanes a 29-point lead, the Wellington side will not fail to kill off the game like the Sydneysiders did.
Interestingly, the reigning champions have made things harder for themselves this year so far with more yellow cards (nine) than any other side and do risk losing their number one spot on the overall ladder to the Hurricanes in this game. If the Canes can get over the top of them then they will not only take the top spot, but will also still have a game in hand over the Crusaders putting them very much in the driving seat for the rest of the regular season.
Prediction
If this game lives up to the hype than it is going to be an absolute belter. The bookies can’t split them but here at The Roar we’d made of sterner stuff!
The Crusaders are reigning champs and current competition leaders for a reason and have won games in all sorts of situations this season. However, the amount of firepower that the Canes have both up front and in their backs, combined with the fact that Beauden Barrett will be in charge, gives the Wellington side the edge in this clash.
Hurricanes by 8.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the Crusaders versus Hurricanes match, starting from 17:35 (AEST) tonight.
adam smith
Guest
I think you’re right Moaman, on all your comments. Beauden is a phenomenal player for sure, very talented family. BB reminds me a lot of King Carlos, tremendously gifted but maybe a bit naive in his game management. And definitely a shame when injuries curtail a career, I was definitely happy with Crudens progress. And in saying that, I think Beaudy has time on his side to mature as a play maker.
moaman
Guest
@ adam smith; Wasting your breath I feel.People have different expectations of a 10 obviously. My biggest beefs with BB are the way he turns side-on to the defence ( thereby putting undue pressure on his 2nd 5 ) and his apparent reluctance to use a tactical kicking game when conditions dictate it. Otherwise he is a wonderful player.I see I incurred the usually mild Digger's wrath (above) by comparing him to Cruden of five years or so ago but prior to Aaron C's knee injury (?) he was shaping up as our best 10 (after Carter) in over 50 years.
Ed
Guest
Oh for us Australians to discuss our options at flyhalf! I'd take one the equivalent of a DM or RM.
Diggercane
Guest
From memory, 20 in the second, 15 in the third? Certainly didn’t help closing those games out. Anyway, Mounga is very exciting and may just be starting come next year given his rate of improvement. Trying something new Fionn ?
JP Bogers
Roar Rookie
I backed the Saders to win by less than 12 being home ground and weather... Also my home team... I didn't expect the win tho. RM and Goodhue my standout backs... The forwards new what to do.
Fionn
Guest
This is a different tone to most of your posts ?. Wasn't the only test the All Blacks won the one in which Cruden spent most of the match at 10? He didn't have any input the rest of the series as he was on the bench from memory?
Lion Brown
Guest
How much game time did Cruden get in test 2 and 3 ... didn't he come on late in both ?? Anyway given he's gone we were in need of finding a decent counterpoint to BB and it's looking as though RM is that player
Diggercane
Guest
Fair enough, I can see your point but I don’t think it is cherry picking to point it out at all given the second and third tests, though I also think there is a tendency to not give the Lions enough credit also. Completely agree with RM, going into any tournie with just one option at 10 is a risk, as 2011 showed, hopefully Macca can also provide further ammo.
Ralph
Guest
Condolances.
Lion Brown
Guest
There is a wee bit of cherry picking of facts here - sure injuries had taken a toll - however to say he was done and had no influence in the lions series is not factual, unless you want to skip game 1 I don't believe it's a coincidence that the best the ABs looked and their best result of that series was when Cruden played and ran the backline for the majority of the game - my reading of that series was Hansen saw little value in employing what was clearly his best combo when Smith went down (AC at 10, BB at 15) when that wasn't going to an available option come the w-cup - up until his injury AC was first choice and it was well known Hansen was a huge fan - so if he'd decided stay there would have been a decent chance he would have been in with a good chance of reclaiming his spot BB is a great player but he's not a controlling 10 and nothing over the last couple of seasons indicates he's improved in that area - as an AB fan I'm more than happy that RM has stepped and is improving because going into the w cup with just BB brought us back to pack a bit - RMs form last night is a big plus
Diggercane
Guest
What a pointless comparison. Cruden was clearly done come 2017, his lack of input in the Lions series telling to me. No question his quality as a player but to overlook his time playing with a settled and arguably best centre partnership in Nonu and Smith, led by one Mccaw not to mention the quality of the Chiefs pack astounds, the AB record would have been dented over that period without BB influence who was clearly the best 10 in 2016. It’s all subjective of course but he made his choice, no one else. Might as well complain that Carter got too old while we are at it and blame that on the coaches too. In saying all that, Mounga is certainly exciting, he continues to impress and I don’t think it is inconceivable he could be the front runner come Tokyo.
ChrisG
Roar Rookie
The win was even more impressive considering the Crusaders had 8 All Blacks on the sideline. With all of those back they'll take some beating this year.
moaman
Guest
BB is not the five-eighth Cruden was; and he is not a 10 to run a team around a wet paddock like we saw from Mo'unga last night. As a broken play attacking player he is pretty well peerless but the wet and heavy pitch last night cancelled out those qualities and we were left with an average performer. Cruden, circa 2013/14 was head-and-shoulders the best 10 going around.He attacked the line square on with ball held out in front and his combination with SBW was incredible.Injuries and the advent of BB-mania ( you still hear commentators and media gushing) supplanted him.....
moaman
Guest
To be fair Fionn due to the bs rules you have in Oz...being born in Aus doesn't make him an Australian citizen either according to your government. It is sad (scandalous?) that people all around the world can be turfed out of a country after living there for fifty years (U.K,USA eg) or denied equal rights by virtue of having kiwi parents (Aus). IMO a guy born and raised in Oz should only have one country to play for...and they wear yellow not black.
Diggercane
Guest
No, they are both capable match winners. The issue is the tactics employed, this is easily seen across the games and stubbornly intended, especially the exits, midfield bombs from the 22, frustrating given the tactics and the forwards are always behind, it’s just dumb play and I struggle to understand why it continues to be employed after several results against the Crusaders and Chiefs in recent seasons.
Diggercane
Guest
Strange to say Viking given their record but to my eye they are heading in the wrong direction.
Diggercane
Guest
Can’t be right all the time ?
adam smith
Guest
Whoa?! Know-it-all-Kirky playing the man aye? So sorry I offended you. Nope haven’t seen many, only playe Rugby for 33 years & counting. Played NPC 1st division, New Zealand Maori colts, Taranaki development squad...nope, didn’t play or see many good first fives there. Your opinion is just that an opinion, as is mine, & I am just as entitled to it as you. Like I said, for mine, Cruden is a far superior game manager who, doesn’t need excuses such as, “wet weather, slippery ball, conditions” to absolve his weaknesses. Tell me, who has a superior “win/loss” record when in the All Black team? Who has won more super Rugby titles?
Kia Kaha
Roar Guru
Valuable win for the Crusaders. Hard luck Digger & co. The Crusaders were outclassed in the backs in Wellington. This time it was the Hurricanes outclassed in the forwards. Considering how many frontline players they were missing in the pack, that's a huge achievement. Will Crockett be persuaded out of retirement for the French series? Suddenly that extra game for the Hurricanes doesn't look like such a big advantage. It's all about building momentum for the finals after the disruptive international break but you don't want to be playing more games than the other teams. Crusaders play the Chiefs away next week before going into the international break. Come away with a win there and then they play the Highlanders and Blues at home after the break. The Hurricanes, on the other hand, play the Highlanders away. Then after the break they play the Brumbies away, the Blues at home and the Chiefs away. I'd rather have the Crusaders' fixtures. The Highlanders could easily spoil the party as well as the Chiefs. The Blues are experts in spoiling other teams' finals aspirations when they have none of their own. The question is for whom...
Oliver Matthews
Expert
Full Match Report The Crusaders have strengthened their grip on the number position in Super Rugby competition by defeating the Hurricanes 24 - 13 in a very wet affair in Christchurch. So many of us were excited at the prospect of this game - the top two teams in the competition coming head to head in what promised to be a circus of great attacking rugby. However Mother Nature saw an opportunity to mess with our plans and opened up the clouds over Christchurch. The rain really had a big impact on the game with both sides struggling to keep control of the wet ball in the opening stages. This was reflected in the fact that it took 20 minutes for either team to trouble the scorers. There were three Barretts on the pitch but the unlikely first scorer was big Scot who slid in for the Crusaders first score. It was a sign of things to come as the Crusaders put on a very professional and wise performance where they often kept the ball tightly up their forwards shirts and just kept rolling on. The Hurricanes fought back with a couple of penalties but despite some good periods of possession in the Crusaders 22 towards the end of the first half they couldn’t cross the white line. At the half time break the tight scoreline of 7-6 to the Crusaders was a fair reflection - neither side had really dominated and both were very much still in the match. The second half saw the Crusaders really pull away though and the way they did it - with simple, straightforward, controlled rugby - should remind everyone in the competition that these guys have a number of arrows in their quiver and it’s going to take a special performance to undo them. They really squeezed the Canes in the second half and for huge periods of time they were camped out in the visitors 22. The Canes tackled hard and kept finding ways to escape but they couldn’t keep this up forever and when they buckled the Crusaders struck - first with Ala'alatoa and then with a nice try from #8 Bedwell-Curtis. Throughout this season the Hurricanes have always seemed to have another one or two gears that they could rely upon to allow them to pull away from their opposition. But on this wet evening their wheels were just spinning in the mud. Any possession they did have they could not capitalise on and they rarely created any genuine chances in the second half. It wasn’t an easy game to watch in many ways and while the conditions played a part for sure the refereeing really didn’t help. The sound of the whistle being blown was heard far too often and it meant the game really staggered along for some periods. One particular match up that was interesting was how well Mo’unga performed against Beauden Barrett. The incumbent All Blacks #10 really had little to no impact on the game while Mo’unga was impressive in the way he controlled the game. There’s been plenty of debate about who is the understudy to Barrett - McKenzie or Mo’unga. Well both have been performing well this year Barrett is going to need to make sure that today was one of those rare quiet days otherwise there are two strong contenders right behind him. The Hurricanes still have a game in hand over the Crusaders but the challenge of winning the Kiwi conference just got a lot harder for the Wellington side.