Five things to look forward to in the second half of Super Rugby Pacific

Chill the beers and stock up on the salted nuts. Super Rugby Pacific is here for another eight rounds – plus the playoffs – and there is plenty to get excited about.

The season began in February with lots of fizz in the bottle. Game No.1 was a rematch of last year’s grand final, and It was a stunning outcome with the Chiefs defeating the eleven-time-champion Crusaders in Christchurch, 31-10.

There have been other all-New Zealand clashes of note. The Saders outlasting the Blues 34-28 at Eden Park in Round 4 was a Kiwi derby for the ages. While across the ditch the Brumbies overcoming several double-digit deficits to defeat the Waratahs in Round 6 left us all wanting more.

But perhaps the biggest story of the first half was the Fijian Drua’s 25-24 upset victory in Round 3 over the Crusaders.

In front of a full house in Lautoka, the unfancied Fijians won the game in comeback fashion with a penalty kick after the siren.

There promises to be plenty more blockbusters and boilovers during the season’s second half. The top five things to mark in your diary are:

A Round 14 blockbuster in the ‘Berra

The Chiefs at Brums in the season’s penultimate round will be an absolute crackerjack. Just think of the head-to-head battles: Tom Wright vs Shaun Stevenson, Pete Samu vs Pita Sowakula, Nic White vs Brad Weber, Nick Frost vs Brodie Retallick.

Through Seven rounds these teams – Chiefs (second), Brumbies (third) – are both established in the comp’s upper tier. Depending on results in the upcoming rounds, it is possible that this will be a top-of-the-table clash.

That would make it incredibly consequential. The winning team would be on the cusp of capturing the Minor Premiership, thus securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

This match-up will also have an Australia versus New Zealand backdrop. The Brumbies (certainly) and the Chiefs (arguably) are their country’s top provincial teams. In the case of the Brums, they are their nation’s only genuine title contender.

That means that the hopes of an entire nation will be riding on them. The Kiwis, as always, will be relishing the opportunity to play spoilers.

Reds vs Tahs in Townsville

Both teams have been underachievers so far in 2023. Currently, the Reds (2-5) sit in eighth place while the Waratahs (1-5) are languishing in eleventh.

Despite them being at the wrong end of the table, the stakes will be high here. As things stand, there will be room for only one of them in the top eight at season’s end. That means that the winning side in this Round 11 fixture may well forge ahead into the postseason at the expense of the loser.

Reds coach Brad Thorn. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

As if this rivalry needed any extra spice. Queensland and New South Wales rugby union teams simply don’t like each other, and neither will want to be sunk for the season at the hands of their oldest and fiercest rival.

Usually the interstate angst is spread over two home-and-away fixtures per season. This year, however, it will all be distilled into this one shootout in Townsville. Tasty stuff, indeed.

Four more in Fiji

We really did not know what we were missing out on in the past, did we?

Fijian Drua home games have quickly become must-see viewing. This team are an absolute delight to watch with their natural flair, ability to score tries from anywhere, and bone-jarring defence all played in front of frenzied Fijian fans.

The Drua host the Blues (Round 10), Hurricanes (Round 11), Moana Pasifika (Round 14) and Reds (Round 15) over the season’s final two months. The home side will have the extra motivation of maintaining their place in the top eight and securing the franchise’s first ever playoff place.

The conditions will be hot and sticky; the games will be fast and furious, the environment will be hostile. To put it bluntly, it will be hell for those visiting teams.

The Chiefs-Crusaders re-match

In Round 10, these behemoths will lock horns in the 2022 grand final re-match – take two.

Did anybody see what was coming in Round 1? Sure, the Chiefs are a very fine team, but their 21-point win over the champs in Christchurch sent shockwaves through the competition.

This will be the Saders’ chance for revenge. That defeat on their home patch back in February will still linger in the memory. Also, getting a big win here could springboard them to a late-season run for another title.

The Chiefs, for their part, will be confident and highly motivated. Confident because they have had success against the Crusaders in recent times – five victories in five years. They’ll be motivated because top-half playoff places will be on the line, and the game, itself, will be the perfect litmus test to prove their own title credentials.

(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Moana Pasifika’s first gamee in Samoa

You won’t have to wait long for this one. Moana Pasifika will finally play on their home islands this Friday night when they host Queensland in Apia.

This will be a very special occasion not just for the team, but also their families and Samoa-based fans. It will be a homecoming for players born there like Miracle Fai’ilagi, as well as those with Samoan heritage born abroad, such as Christian Leali’fano.

It might just bring out the very best in this Moana Pasifika team, who have a golden opportunity to record their first win of the season after seven straight defeats. Especially against a struggling Reds side who have won only two of their seven matches this season.

If Drua home games are anything to go by, then the atmosphere in Apia will be electric. The colourful clothing, the singing and dancing, the roar of the crowd. It will be an intoxicating mix.

Let’s hope that Super Rugby continues to prioritise playing matches on the pacific islands moving forward. Staging a game next year in Tonga should be next on its to-do list.