The second of this weekend's Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final fixtures is set to be an absolute cracker with the hit and miss Chiefs taking on an up and coming Waratahs outfit.
Check out our other Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final previews by clicking below:
Both of these sides score and concede points at astonishing rates so we could well see plenty of tries at FMG Waikato this Saturday. Perhaps it’ll be wise to wait for that over points line to open up.
Chiefs vs Waratahs | Saturday 4 June | FMG Waikato | 06:35
To Win Match
Chiefs 1/4 | Draw 25/1 | Waratahs 3/1
Handicap
Chiefs (-) 9/10 | Waratahs (+) 9/10
Has any side embodied the frenetic pace of this tournament more than the Chiefs? The men from Waikato have played out some absolute belters this season winning 10 of their 14 fixtures.
While that is a decent win percentage, it must be noted that they weren’t always comfortable victors in these games and lady luck shone down on them on numerous occasions including last weekend where they managed to scrape past a Drua side – who were for all money the better outfit on the day – 34-35.
The Waratahs ended the regular season with two fewer wins than their opponents for Saturday but it was a drastic improvement from last season’s Super Rugby campaigns where the ‘Tahs lost all eight of their domestic fixtures and their five Trans-Tasman games.
The men from New South Wales managed to truly get New Zealand-shaped monkey off their back this term as they beat the Crusaders and Highlanders while running a weakened Blues close last weekend (17-20).
What will be slightly worrying for them, however, is that they struggled against the Chiefs going down 51-27 at this weekend’s venue in mid-April.
In terms of injury news, the Chiefs were dealt a major blow this week with veteran All Black Sam Cane ruled out through a knee injury. He will be joined on the sidelines by Caleb Trask who failed an HIA last weekend.
Things look far rosier on the Waratahs’ side of the injury fence with Izaia Perese (knee) and tighthead prop Johnson-Holmes (also knee) said to have decent chances at being fit for this one.
Verdict: Waratahs (+) 9/10
I’m on the plus line for this one. The Chiefs have conceded a flurry of points late in their games this season which means the Waratahs should be in this one right up until the final whistle.
