While normalcy was somewhat restored this past weekend, we did see some big moves on the table with the Chiefs and Crusaders leapfrogging the Reds into first and second respectively after the Reds went down to the new log leaders in Waikato.
There was also some movement at the lower end of the log with Moana Pasifika continuing their solid run of form as they beat the Waratahs to move up to eighth place on the table.
We could well see more movement in the standings this weekend with some crucial games taking place including clashes between the Hurricanes and Crusaders as well as the Highlanders and Drua.
Darry Worthington previews the two aforementioned games as well as the other three remaining Round 9 fixtures, below.
Friday
We’re in for a treat on Friday with a solid double-header that sees the Hurricanes in Wellington square off with the Crusaders and the Waratahs take on the Chiefs in Sydney.
The Kiwi derby should be an absolute belter with the Crusaders enjoying a decent mid-season run while the Hurricanes are always dangerous at home.
The two sides experienced contrasting fortunes in Round 8 with the Crusaders getting rid of some of that Suva hoodo by beating the Drua 14-31 while the Canes suffered an agonizing 19-18 defeat to a Beauden Barret-inspired Blues outfit.
Barett was the real leveller in the aforementioned fixture with his 67th-minute penalty being the ultimate decider.
The Canes will take heart from that defeat, however, as they were the more adventurous of the two sides, while their forward pack stepped up to the challenge of the Blues heavies.
Simpler times were had for the Crusaders in Suva with an experimental side – Sevu Reece was at outside centre for this one – taking the game by the scruff of the neck from the outset, running up a 0-31 lead by the 65th-minute mark.
And while the Drua would hit back with a couple of late tries, the Crusaders always had their number.
Looking at the team news for Friday’s opening encounter, David Havilli makes his return with Sevu Reece shifting to the wing and Levi Aumua pairing up with Havilli in the midfield.
For the Canes, the only change from the side that went down manfully to the Blues sees young hooker Raymond Tuputupu come onto the bench.
Time to head across the Tasman now for the Waratahs versus Chiefs game and the visitors come to town as heavy favourites having recorded their sixth win of the campaign while their opponents suffered their third loss of the season and their second defeat on the bounce.
The visitors for Friday’s finale were given something of a test by the Reds this past weekend but ultimately showed they were a class above their opponents from Queensland as they ran out 27-15 victors in Waikato.
In a game marred by poor conditions, the scores were level at half-time and Chiefs would only add a further three points to the scoreline until they burst into life at the 70-minute mark with a try from a rolling maul seeing them extend their lead to 10 points.
The two sides would then exchange tries in the final two minutes providing some real entertainment to a rather dull fixture.
While things were rosy and red for the Chiefs, the same cannot be said about the Waratahs whose defensive frailties were once again exposed as they shipped a boatload of points for the second weekend in a row going down 45-28 to Moana Pasifika only a few days after their 57-12 drubbing at the hands of the Hurricanes.
While the Tahs did show some promise on the attack – they were 14 points up after 22 minutes and 7-21 up at half-time – they were woeful defensively in the second stanza as they conceded six tries while only recording one try themselves.
There hasn’t been that much of a knee-jerk reaction from the Waratahs coaching staff after that dismal defeat, with coach Dan McKellar only making two changes to his side. Englishman comes into the starting line-up in place of injured flanker Charlie Gamble while Joey Walton returns in the centres.
For the visitors, Damien McKenzie shifts to fullback with Josh Jacomb getting a rare start at flyhalf. McKenzie’s shift to the back means Shaun Stevenson moves to the wing and Emoni Narawa drops to the bench.
Friday Singles
Hurricanes Win
I reckon this one will be as narrow as they come but I fancy the hosts here. They were solid against the Blues last weekend and if they can be a bit more clinical then I reckon they’ll have the Crusaders’ number.
Chiefs (-10.5) 9/10
Yes, the Waratahs are at home, but they are playing against the best-attacking side in the ‘comp and with such a leaky defence, I reckon they’ll run riot.
Friday Double
Hurricanes Win and the Chiefs (-10.5) 9/10
Saturday
It’s a staked Saturday with three fixtures headed our way including a massive derby between the Reds and the Brumbies, which will bring the curtain down on the round.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, there’s a tasty-looking opening clash between the Blues and Moana Pasifika as well as the Highlanders versus Drua game to run the rule over.
The opener is a really interesting one with an in-form Moana travelling to Eden Park.
The visitors gave a great account of themselves this past weekend with their never-say-die attitude showing once again as they came back from a 14-point half-time deficit to run out 45-28 victors over the Tahs.
That was their third win in four games and came a week after they beat the Crusaders 29-45 in Canterbury.
It will be interesting to see how they go against a Blues outfit who have been miserly on defence this term.
The hosts for Saturday highlighted their defensive capabilities against the Canes last week as they held onto a one-point lead for the final 15 minutes of the fixture to run out 19-18 victors.
Looking at the teams’ news for this one, the Blues have kept things very similar to last week with the only changes taking place in the front row with Angus Ta’avao coming into the propping berth in place of the injured Marcel Reneta while Ricky Riccitelli comes back into the starting hooker slot having recovered from injury.
For the visitors, standout flanker Miracle Faiilagi makes his return while Jackson Garden-Bachop comes into the fly-half berth, which may signal that Moana could look to keep things tighter for this one.
We head up to Otago for our next installment which sees cellar-dwellers the Fijian Drua take on the ninth-placed Highlanders.
Both sides know they need to start winning games if they are to have a chance of advancing to the knock-out phase, especially with Moana Pasifika showing solid form.
Both sides head into this one off the back of two disappointing defeats with a poor 70-minute showing from the Drua seeing them lose 14-31 to the ‘Saders in Fiji, while the Highlanders let a good chance slip against the Force as they coughed up a 7-20 lead five minutes before half-time to go into the sheds only a point to the good.
They then managed to produce nothing of note on attack in the second half while shipping two tries to the Force to go down 29-20 in Perth.
The Highlanders have opted to make a raft of changes to their run-on XV with the big alterations seeing Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, Folau Fakatava and Hugh Renton all returning from injury. For the Drua, there’s no team news coming out at the time of writing but it looks like scrumhalf Frank Lomani will miss out with a short-term shoulder injury.
Last time around, just ONE point separated the @reds_rugby and @brumbiesrugby 🥵
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) April 10, 2025
We've seen some epic Aussie rivalry matches so far this season and this one won't disappoint on Saturday night!#SuperRugbyPacific pic.twitter.com/zM9NA6H7Ky
It’s over to our final fixture of the weekend and it should be a cracker with traditional rivals the Reds and Brumbies set to square off in an Aussie derby that may have a massive bearing on each side’s season.
The duo are currently separated by four log points with the Reds occupying third spot and the Brumbies two places behind in fifth.
For the hosts, last weekend was something of a learning curve for their leadership with not taking opportunities to kick at goal and ill-discipline costing them in the end as they fell to a 12-point defeat at the hands of the Chiefs.
They could and should have boxed a lot smarter and while I don’t think they would have won the encounter, better decision-making could have seen them walk away from Waikato with a losing bonus point.
While the Reds were putting in a valiant effort against the tournament favourites, the Brumbies had their feet up as they enjoyed a bye week.
The break arguably came at the right time for the men from Canberra who had been in decent form winning three of their last four games but you could see they were a bit leggy in the latter parts of their 34-27 Round 7 win over the Highlanders.
The Reds have had some bad news on the injury front with number eight Harry Wilson ruled out for up to six weeks with a fractured arm with Joe Brial taking his place.
There’s also a return for Tim Ryan, who will be chomping at the bit to get some game time in front of the Suncorp faithful. The Brumbies have also made a couple changes here with Ryan Lonergan starting at scrum half while Tuaina Taii Tualima cracks the nod at eight.
Saturday Singles
Moana Pasifika (+14.5) 17/20
It worries me that Garden-Bachop is starting at fly-half as I think Moana should go on the attack here, but the Blues have not impressed with ball-in-hand this term and I can see this one being rather tight.
Drua Win
I’m going off gut and the fact that the Highlanders can’t seem to get over the line and claim a win at the moment.
Reds (-3.5) 19/20
I fancy the hosts to deliver here. They’ll be up for a derby and while the loss of Harry Wilson is a blow, they have still named a solid run-on 15. Keep an eye on Tim Ryan as well as I reckon he’ll bag a couple tries this Saturday.
Weekend Quad
Hurricanes Win, Chiefs (-10.5) 9/10, Moana Pasifika (+14.5) 17/20 and Reds (-3.5) 19/20
