There’s just a fortnight left of the Super Rugby Pacific regular season, and things are certainly tight at the top with only two points separating the log-leading Brumbies and the Chiefs and Crusaders who sit in second and third, respectively.
The Brumbies have played a game more than the two sides trailing them, and they could well find themselves down in third place come the close of their bye week, with the Crusaders taking on the Highlanders and the Chiefs squaring off with Moana Pasifika this weekend.
We take a look at the aforementioned fixtures as well as the Reds versus Hurricanes and Force versus Waratahs clashes below.
Friday
We kick things off with a Friday double-header, which opens up with a clash between the Crusaders and the last-placed Highlanders on New Zealand’s South Island.
As noted in the intro, the Crusaders would move back into first place with a win, which would pile the pressure on the Chiefs, who take on Moana Pasifika the following day.
The Crusaders head into Friday’s opener off the back of a solid win over their hoodoo side, the Waratahs. They had little issue getting the bad juju off their back as they raced into a 31-7 half-time lead with Brayden Ennor and Johnny McNichol starring for the Cantabs.
They would take their foot off the gas in the second stanza as they allowed the Waratahs to bag 26 points, but they also added two tries to their tally to run out 33-48 victors.
The Highlanders had a tougher time of it in Round 14 as they went down 24-20 to the Hurricanes in Wellington. It was yet another gut-wrenching defeat for the men from Otago as an injury-time try from Cam Roigaard robbed them of what would have been a crucial victory.
Looking at the team’s news for this one and Rob Penny has rung the changes for this one with George Bower starting at loosehead and Tamaiti Williams shifting to tighthead, while Codie Taylor returns from injury to complete a new look frontrow, Further changes for the Crusaders see Scott Barett return to the starting second row while Macca Springer gets a go on left wing. For the Highlanders, the changes are minimal, with Taniela Filimone taking the injured Jona Nareki’s spot on the wing.
Across the Tasman Sea, we head for Friday’s finale, which will see the fourth-placed Reds take on the fifth-placed Hurricanes. Two points separate the sides on the log, so this one is likely to have a massive bearing on which side enters the play-offs in that ‘Lucky Loser’ fourth-placed berth.
The two sides head into this one off the back of contrasting derby results, with the ‘Canes leaving it late for Cam Roigaard to save their behinds, with the nuggety nine diving over under the sticks with the game well into injury time. The Reds, on the other hand, were unable to get anything out of their derby with the Brumbies as they went down 24-14 in Canberra. Ill-discipline would prove costly for the men from Queensland last weekend, with Hunter Paisami’s sin-binning for a high shot handing the Brumbies the advantage early in the second stanza.
A couple of tweaks have been made to the ‘Canes side with Du’Plessis Kirifin, Fatafehi Fineanganofo and Peter Umaga-Jensen all returning to the run-on XV. For the Reds, they’ve been handed a major boost with Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson returning from injury. He’s joined in the run-on side by Dre Pakeho, who gets a start at 13 with Filipo Daugunu shifting out to the wing.
Friday Singles
Highlanders (+15.5) 17/20
The handicap is a big one, and with both sides having a lot to play for, I’m expecting a slugfest at Orangetheory Stadium, which is why I’m backing the Highlanders on a generous plus handicap.
Reds Win
I’m going to play it safe here and not mess around on the ‘caps and just back the Reds on the straight. The return of Wilson is a massive boost for them, and I reckon he’ll guide them to what would be a crucial victory.
Friday Double
Highlanders (+15.5) 17/20 and Reds Win
Saturday
Over to Saturday’s action now, and we’ve got another double-bill with proceedings opening with a clash between the Chiefs and Moana Pasifika. For the hosts, they are eyeing a return to the summit of the log, while Moana are looking to not only secure quarter-finals rugby but also stage a late charge at a fourth-place regular-season finish and claim their first ever victory over the Chiefs.
One simply cannot talk about Moana’s historic 27-21 win over the Blues without starting with the name Ardie Savea. The All Blacks were sensational in Auckland last weekend. Not only did he perform his core roles as a tearaway loosie, but he also managed to find time to smash a 60-metre spiral touch finder. It was arguably the greatest ever Super Rugby performance and one that will go down in Moana Pasifika folklore.
While Ardie was doing a demolition job on the Blues, the Chiefs players had their feet up watching it all unfold as they enjoyed a bye week. While they had been in sensational form before the bye as they comfortably beat the Crusaders 19-35 in Round 13, the bye arguably came at a very opportune time for them, as Moana will prove a very physical prospect this Saturday.
The Chiefs have opted to keep changes to a minimum with All Black Samisoni Taukei’aho getting a start at hooker, while for Moana there’s a backline rejig due to William Havilli’s knee injury with Tevita Ofa shifting to fullback and Solomon Alaimalo coming in on the wing.
Our final fixture of the day sees a Western Force side already out of the running for a quarter-final berth take on a Waratahs team that occupies the final play-off spot and could secure qualification for the next round if they win this one with a bonus point and the Highlanders lose to the Crusaders
The visitors really struggled to get going against the Crusaders last weekend with a poor first-half showing, seeing them blown out of the water. And while they improved in the second stanza, they were unable to overturn the Crusaders’ big lead as they went down by 15 points to the Kiwi side.
Like their opponents, the Force also struggled in Round 14 as they were hammered 38-7 by the Drua in Suva. Things actually looked pretty good for the men from Perth during the opening salvos of the game as they scored first, but things took a turn awfully quickly with the Drua responding with 38 points and the Force not able to add to their tally.
Looking at the team news for our final fixture and the Force have been handed a couple of boosts with Carlo Tizzano and Dylan Pietsch returning from injury and thrust straight into the run-on XV. The Waratahs have also made a couple of tweaks to their starting line-up with Wallaby prop Taniela Tupou returning to the front row while Lawson Creighton starts at fullback.
Saturday Singles
Moana Pasifika (+18.5) 17/20
There’s a lot of good vibes floating around the Moana camp at the moment, and while I can’t see them winning this one, I can see them being competitive and staying within the ‘cap.
Force Win
The shackles will be off for the Force, and the return of some key attacking players will boost their cause immensely. My money is on them taking this one.
Conservative Weekend Treble
Reds Win, Moana (+18.5) 17/20 and Force Win
