S18 PREVIEW: ROUND EIGHT, PART ONE
The Crusaders, on a five-match winning streak in one of their most impressive starts to a Super Rugby season, have an ideal chance to close the gap on the tournament's runaway leaders, the Chiefs.
With their main rivals in the New Zealand conference – the table-topping Chiefs and third-placed Highlanders – on a bye and having played one match more, the Crusaders have the perfect opportunity to move within striking distance of the top.
The Chiefs are on 29 points (after seven matches), followed by the Stormers (six matches) and Highlanders (seven matches) – who are both on 23 points.
Having beaten the Sharks, Lions and Western Force on a three-match road trip, the Crusaders, on 22, face a Jaguares team that has been out of sorts all season and must fancy their chances of a bonus-point win.
Another team having a better than expected season, the Rebels, also have a chance to improve their play-off prospects.
The men from Melbourne host the Hurricanes – a team four places (in fifth) and three points (20) ahead of them.
The last of the Friday matches is a basement battle of sorts – the Cheetahs (15th in the 18-team competition with just one win) host the winless and last-placed Sunwolves of Japan.
We look at the Friday, April 15, matches below!
The Crusaders may be on a hot streak – five straight wins – but they have had very little time to prepare.
It has been an exceptionally short week – returning from Perth on Sunday after a three-match road trip, and then playing on Friday.
However, coach Todd Blackadder is adamant there will be no problem keeping motivation and energy levels up for the team.
"With a home crowd to play in front of and an exciting new team to face, the boys will also be keen to ensure that it is a memorable night for their good mate Ryan Crotty," he said of the midfielder – who will be playing in his 100th game for the Crusaders.
"He is a pivotal member of this team and to reach 100 games already is testament to the commitment and hard work that he has put in.
"We have been privileged to have him in the team for the last 99 games and we hope to have him around for many more."
The Argentinean team, the Jaguares, of course will present a very different challenge – especially in terms if tactics.
"We have prepared really well as a coaching team," Blackadder said.
"They have actually changed their team quite consistently – eight, seven and nine changes in the last three weeks, so they have rotated a lot of their players.
"For us, it is simply about looking at how they are playing week to week."
Jaguares – on the final leg of a three-week New Zealand tour – will be looking to get some momentum before they complete their road trip worth a match against the Sunwolves in Japan.
With nine changes to the team that lost to the Hurricanes last week, continuity is not something this team knows about.
Lucas González Amorosino, one of the new names on the matchday team sheet, said they are "well-rested" after staying at home in Argentina during the first leg of the tour.
Amorosino said the Crusaders are one of the "most structured" New Zealand teams.
"They have solid set pieces, playing a lot from the line-outs and the scrums," the Jaguares back said.
"We have studied them and have a plan to ensure we are competitive."
Recent results:
These teams have not met before.
Prediction: The Crusaders have won their last five matches, the last time they won more consecutive games was in 2011 (six in a row). The Crusaders have won their last five matches against teams from outside of New Zealand and are yet to lose such a match this season. The Crusaders return home for the first time since Round Four where they've won five of their last six matches, those five victories coming by an average margin of 24 points. The Jaguares have scored only twice in the opening 20 minutes of matches this season, the joint fewest in Super Rugby, while Crusaders have scored the most in the same period (seven). The Crusaders boast the most effective scrum in the competition this season with a 95 percent success rate, they've lost just two of 40 scrums on their own feed in total. Maybe all the travel will catch up with the Crusaders, but until the Jaguares get some continuity and sort out their discipline issues they will not be a real threat to the top teams. The Crusaders should win by 10 to 15 points.
Teams:
Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Johnny McNicholl, 13 Kieron Fonotia, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Richie Mo'unga, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Matt Todd, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody.
Replacements: 16 Ged Robinson, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Mike Alaalatoa, 19 Jimmy Tupou, 20 Tim Boys, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Sean Wainui, 23 Ben Volavola.
Jaguares: 15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Matías Orlando, 13 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 12 Santiago González Iglesias, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Juan Martín Hernández, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Rodrigo Báez, 6 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 5 Matías Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustín Creevy (captain), 1 Santiago García Botta.
Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Felipe Arregui, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Juan Cruz Guillemaín, 20 Pablo Matera, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Joaquín Paz, 23 Lucas González Amorosino.
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Jamie Nutbrown (New Zealand)
TMO: Aaron Paterson (New Zealand)
This is a crucial match for both teams – even at this early stage of the competition.
Both have four wins and two defeats to their credit, with a bye thrown in for good measure.
The Hurricanes' victories came against the Jaguares, Kings, Western Force and Blues.
The Rebels have beaten the Force, Reds, Sunwolves and Waratahs.
The men from Melbourne feel structure will be key when they host last year's losing finalists.
The Wellington-based franchise boast one of the competition's most threatening attacks – with three consecutive bonus point victories – and have scored the fourth most tries after seven rounds in 2016.
Eliminating unstructured play will mitigate the individual brilliance of Beauden Barrett, Super Rugby's fourth leading point scorer this season, and Ngani Laumape, who's ranked equal fifth for defenders beaten.
"Our defence has been a really strong point of what we've done this season," Rebels coach Tony McGahan said on the team's website.
"It's really kept us in games and allowed us to get some really close victories, which maybe we've stumbled in the last 15 minutes in the last couple of years – so for us we really need to be on our game [against the Hurricanes].
"The Kiwi sides are very good at turning over ball, kick and chase, structure and counter work so we really need to make sure that we make it a set piece game.
"We need to be able to move ourselves into a structured position defensively to counter what they do with brilliant individuals attacking."
Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd admitted his team have their work cut out for them.
"They are a very good side," Boyd said.
"Their last match was an away win against the Waratahs in Sydney and they are well rested after the bye round."
The Hurricanes have played the Rebels on four previous occasions for three wins including a 36-12 win in Wellington last year.
Recent results:
2015: Hurricanes won 36-12, Wellington
2014: Hurricanes won 25-15, Melbourne
2012: Hurricanes won 66-24, Wellington
2011: Rebels won 42-25, Melbourne
Prediction: The Hurricanes have won their last three matches against the Rebels, their only loss coming in their first ever encounter with the Melbourne side. The four matches between these teams in Super Rugby have seen an average winning margin of 23 points. The Hurricanes have now scored 40+ points in three consecutive matches for the first time since 1997. Never before have they scored 40+ points in four consecutive Super Rugby games. The Rebels have seen their match day opponents record a 93 percent kick success rate so far this season, no other team in the competition has faced such accurate goal kicking from their opposition. The Hurricanes have scored five tries after seven or more phases in possession this season, no team has scored more. The Rebels have a real chance of taking a huge step towards the play-offs, but the smart money will be on the Hurricanes – who may win through a late try – seven points or less.
Teams:
Rebels: 15 Reece Hodge, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Tamati Ellison, 12 Mitch Inman, 11 Cam Crawford, 10 Jack Debreczeni, 9 Nic Stirzaker (captain), 8 Adam Thomson, 7 Sean McMahon, 6 Jordy Reid, 5 Lopeti Timani, 4 Luke Jones, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 James Hanson, 1 Toby Smith.
Replacements: 16 Pat Leafa, 17 Cruze Ah Nau, 18 Jamie Hagan, 19 Sam Jeffries, 20 Scott Fuglistaller, 21 Ben Meehan, 22 Dan Hawkins, 23 Sefa Naivalu.
Hurricanes: 15 Jason Woodward, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Vince Aso, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara (vice captain), 8 Victor Vito, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Brad Shields, 5 Michael Fatialofa, 4 Vaea Fifita, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Dane Coles (captain), 1 Reggie Goodes.
Replacements: 16 Leni Apisai, 17 Chris Eves, 18 Ben May, 19 Mark Abbott, 20 Tony Lambourn, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Otere Black, 23 Ngani Laumape.
Referee: Rohan Hoffmann
Assistant referees: Damien Mitchelmore, Ed Martin
TMO: Peter Marshall
These are two teams still trying to find their feet – playing some good rugby at times, but simply not consistent enough.
Cheetahs coach Franco Smith said his team – with three straight losses after their solitary win in Round Three – is looking for some momentum ahead of their tour to Australia.
They will face the high-flying Rebels, Reds and Waratahs on the road.
Coming off a bye they will be looking for a better showing than the narrow loss to the Bulls in week five.
He spoke of the "soft moment" that cost them so dearly this season.
He is looking for control in the set pieces and remain focussed for the full 80 minutes against a Sunwolves team that can cause havoc when the fame becomes unstructured.
"We'll have to pile on the pressure from the opening minute and ensure we don't allow them back in the game," he said.
The return of two burly Springboks – utility forwards Teboho Mohoje and Hilton Lobberts – will add some grunt to a Cheetahs team looking to play with a lot more structure.
"I think we are in a privileged position," Smith said.
"Hilton has been knocking on the door for a while now, and I'm excited to give him a start. I think he is itching to contribute."
Recent results:
These teams have never met before.
Prediction: The Cheetahs will become the first team to face the Sunwolves twice and will be aiming to record back to back wins over the Japanese side following their 32-31 victory in Round Three. The Sunwolves are the only team the Cheetahs have defeated so far this season and are on a run of three straight losses. The Sunwolves have lost both of their matches away from home so far this campaign conceding 79 points in the process. The Cheetahs have won an average of 14.2 line-outs per game so far this season, the most of any team, however their 85 percent line-out success rate is ranked just 12th in the competition. Sunwolves' Viliami Lolohea made four clean breaks in Round Seven, the second most of any player across the round and only one behind the Reds' Samu Kerevi. If the Cheetahs remain structured and don't allow the Sunwolves to run wild they should win – but it is likely to be less than 10 points.
Teams:
Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Nico Lee, 12 Francois Venter (captain), 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Neil Marais, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Paul Schoeman, 7 Uzair Cassiem, 6 Hilton Lobberts, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Lodewyk de Jager, 3 Nicolaas van Dyk, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Charles Marais.
Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Danie Mienie, 18 Johan Coetzee, 19 Carl Wegner, 20 Henco Venter, 21 Teboho Mohoje, 22 Tian Meyer, 23 Fred Zeilinga.
Sunwolves: 15 Riaan Viljoen, 14 Viliami Lolohea, 13 Harumichi Tatekawa 12 Derek Carpenter, 11 Mifiposeti Paea, 10 Tusi Pisi, 9 Yuki Yatomi, 8 Ed Quirk, 7 Andrew Durutalo, 6 Tomás Leonardi, 5 Liaki Moli, 4 Hitoshi Ono, 3 Takuma Asahara, 2 Shota Horie (captain), 1 Masataka Mikami.
Replacements: 16 Takeshi Kizu, 17 Ziun Gu, 18 Shinnosuke Kakinaga, 19 Faatiga Lemalu, 20 Yoshiya Hosoda, 21 Kaito Shigeno, 22 Yu Tamura, 23 Yasutaka Sasakura.
Referee: Nic Berry
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner, Lourens van der Merwe
TMO: Marius Jonker
Compiled by Jan de Koning
@King365ed
@rugby365com
* Statistical information provided by Opta Sports
