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Preview: Crusaders v Sharks

Preview: Crusaders v Sharks

SUPER RUGBY QUARTERFINAL: The bookmakers have given the Sharks a 20-point start. It is a reflection of the expectations for the match.

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One bookmaker has taken so much money on a Crusaders win, that he has dropped his odds (on the home team) to 0.06.

It means you will win just six cents for ever Rand or Dollar that you bet on the Crusaders.

It also tells you that bookmakers are not buying into the ‘Sharks have cracked the New Zealand code’ claims floating around.

Yes, the Sharks do have a 75 percent success rate against New Zealand teams this year – including beating the Blues in Auckland.

However, all the pundits are looking past their victories over the Chiefs (28-24) and Highlanders (38-12) – both in Durban.

The Sharks have not played the Crusaders this year and have only ever won once in Christchurch.

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The travel factor will also not make the job any easier.

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Sharks captain and lock Ruan Botha admitted this is not the road they wanted to go, to travel to Christchurch.

“If we could turn back time, there are a number of games we could have won that would have made it easier for ourselves,” Botha said.

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“We know how strong the Crusaders are. They are good at keeping the ball through multiple phases but we will back our defence.

“The one thing they’ve done well this season is to keep the ball and they also have their small mini-plays with the ball in hand.

“We need to put them under pressure and our defence is capable of doing that,” he added.

Crusaders forwards coach Jason Ryan said the real danger is that the Sharks have nothing to lose.

The Crusaders have been doing their analysis on the Sharks and are quietly confident.

“We’re reasonably happy with where we’re at, we’ve just got to make sure we have that edge at the right time of the week,” Ryan said.

“We haven’t played the Sharks for two years.

“They’re a big physical pack and like any South African team, they are going to bring a lot of physicality.

“They’re a good off-loading team and they’ve got athletes across the park,” he added.

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Sharks assistant coach Dick Muir said that, despite the odds being stacked against them, there’s a lot of excitement in the team.

“We’re coming off a good win and the team is ready to have a go,” Muir said of last week’s triumph over the Jaguares.

Muir believes the Sharks are at their best when being ‘written off’ and have their backs against the wall.

“The Crusaders have the players, but our expectations are pretty high as we get to the business end of the competition.

“Not too many people are giving us a chance so it’s a great opportunity to prove them wrong.”

Preview: Crusaders v Sharks

Recent results:
2016: Crusaders won 19-14, Durban
2015: Crusaders won 52-10, Durban
2014: Crusaders won 38-6, Christchurch (semifinal)
2014: Sharks won 30-25, Christchurch
2013: Sharks won 21-17, Durban
2011: Crusaders won 36-8, Nelson preliminary play-off match)
2011: Crusaders won 44-28, Twickenham
2010: Crusaders won 35-6, Christchurch
2009: Crusaders won 13-10, Durban
2008: Crusaders won 18-10, Christchurch

Prediction: The Crusaders have won 17 of their last 21 games against the Sharks, including each of their three previous meetings in the post-season. The Crusaders have won their last 16 games on the bounce when hosting teams from outside New Zealand; the last time they lost such a fixture was in the opening round of the 2015 campaign against the Rebels. No South African team has ever won a finals game in New Zealand, with this being the 13th such fixture in Super Rugby history. The Crusaders (19.8) are the only team in the competition to have missed fewer than 20 tackles per game in Super Rugby 2018. Jean-Luc du Preez has made 31 offloads so far this campaign, four more than any other player in the competition. The bookies are not too far off the mark. The Crusaders should win by 20 points.

Teams:

Crusaders: 15 David Havili, 14 Seta Tamanivalu, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Matt Todd, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Samuel Whitelock (captain), 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tim Perry.
Replacements: 16 Andrew Makalio, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Michael Alaalatoa, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Mitchell Hunt, 23 Manasa Mataele.

Sharks: 15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Jacobus van Wyk, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Ruan Botha (captain), 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Armand van der Merwe, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Mahlatse Ralepelle, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Wian Vosloo, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Makazole Mapimpi.

Date: Saturday, July 21
Venue: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Kick-off: 19.35 (09.35 SA time; 07.35 GMT)
Expected weather: Mostly cloudy, with a passing shower in the afternoon. High of 15°C, with a low of /6°C
Referee: Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO: Shane McDermott (New Zealand)

Compiled by Jan de Koning
@king365ed
@rugby365com

* Statistics provided by Opta Sports

Preview: Crusaders v Sharks

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