Super Rugby's biggest rivalry
SUPER RUGBY SPOTLIGHT: The Crusaders could not have asked for a tougher task to get their campaign back on track when they face the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday.
Going to Wellington has never been easy for the defending champions – they have failed to win there in their last five visits.
The Crusaders last six wins over the Hurricanes have all been in Christchurch, one (38-22) of which came in Round Two.
With both teams are on 19 points, the top spot in the New Zealand Conference and the overall standings will be the prize on Friday.
The Crusaders suffered their first defeat of the season when they lost 12-20 to the Waratahs and the Hurricanes will be confident of getting another win over their rivals at the Westpac Stadium.
For Crusaders coach Scott Robertson, Friday’s match represents the very best of what Super Rugby has to offer.
“The Canes and Crusaders rivalry is what Super Rugby needs and it is what New Zealand rugby needs,” Robertson told reporters ahead of the match.
“There is always anticipation around it from the players and the public and they are pretty brutal.
“Results have gone both ways over the last couple of years. It’s a great day on the calendar. Westpac Stadium has been great for them over the last couple of years.”
The Crusaders were poor in Sydney last weekend, but that has not caused any panic in their camp.
“We were inaccurate at key moments and that is our focus.
“We made sure we were really clear on what we needed to get better at. You don’t go unbeaten for a year and change everything.
“You just got to nail a couple of key things and make sure you have the confidence going forward,” Robertson added.
Crusaders stalwart Kieran Read, who will play his first game of the year this week, is wary of the Hurricanes’ deadly attack.
“They are quality outfit and they have shown over the last few weeks that they have started to click in their attack. It’s going to be a dangerous game for us, so we got to turn up and show our heart and character,” said Read.
By Warren Fortune
@FortuneWarren
@rugby365com
