Super Rugby R12 preview: Crusaders v Brumbies, Blues v Reds, Waratahs v Hurricanes and more
THREE massive trans-Tasman battles headline round 12 of Super Rugby, the pick of which sees the Crusaders hosting the Brumbies. Read our R12 preview.
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THREE massive trans-Tasman battles headline round 12 of Super Rugby, the pick of which sees the Crusaders hosting the Brumbies.
In what looms as the biggest round of action to date, the Blues’ clash with the Reds and Hurricanes’ match against the Waratahs are sure to delight fans on both sides of the ditch.
The clash between the Rebels and Sharks is another not to be missed, especially after the ladder leaders were well beaten at home last week.
Read on for a full preview of round 12!
Blues v Reds
5.35pm EST Friday, Eden Park, Auckland, Fox Sports 2HD
Round 12 kicks off with a clash between the bottom sides in the New Zealand and Australian conferences — but bear with us, it should be anything but boring.
The Blues reignited their playoffs hopes with an excellent win over the Waratahs last weekend, continuing their superb Eden Park form which has seen John Kirwan’s side notch a perfect four wins from four matches in Auckland.
Bruising backrower Jerome Kaino was superb against the Tahs and will be again leading the Blues pack, while attacking weapons Ma’a Nonu, Charles Piutau and Frank Halai will be looking to cash in on any turnover ball.
On the other side of the ledger are the battling Reds, who slumped to a third-straight loss last weekend, against the Hurricanes, and whose season is really on the ropes.
Gun young flanker Liam Gill makes a timely return from injury, while playmaker Quade Cooper celebrates his 100th match for the Reds.
Eden Park hasn’t been the happiest hunting ground for the Wallabies playmaker — 2011 RWC final, anyone? — but there’s nothing quite like a good rugby redemption story.
Leading the Reds out of their slump with a victory over the Blues would be a step in the right direction for Cooper, but it looks a very tough task.
Rebels v Sharks
7.40pm EST Friday, AAMI Park, Melbourne, Fox Sports 2HD
Melbourne Rebels return to The Stockade after a week off following their six-point victory over the red-hot Western Force. It’s been a positive week so far for the Rebels with Kiwi-born flanker Scott Fuglistaller extending his stay at AAMI Park for another two years.
Far tougher to beat at home, the Rebels will still need to find improvement in a number of areas with the ladder-leading Sharks desperate to start a tough four-week tour — that also includes matches against the Brumbies, Crusaders and Blues — in the best possible fashion.
The two sides have only met twice before with the visitors claiming the spoils on both occasions while their only meeting in Melbourne saw eight tries in a 66-point thriller.
The Rebels have recalled Luke Burgess at halfback with coach Tony McGahan opting for the greater “physicality and experience” the former Wallabies No.9 offers over Nic Stirzaker.
The only other Rebels change comes at prop with Cruze Ah-Nau coming in at loosehead for the impressive Toby Smith — who misses with injury. Keep an eye out for Japanese hooker Shota Horie
who gets better with every game.
The Sharks suffered a surprise defeat in their penultimate match at home last week when the Highlanders produced one of the upsets of the season, triumphing 34-18.
Fortunately for the visitors they welcome back both Bismarck du Plessis and Jean Deysel to the pack while Jake White has opted for a change at fly half with Frans Steyn shifting in from inside centre.
It’s a game the Sharks should win but the Rebels’ form at home suggests it will be one almighty battle.
Crusaders v Brumbies
2.35pm Saturday, AMI Stadium, Christchurch, Fox Sports 2HD
Public Service Announcement: clear all Saturday afternoon plans NOW, or you’ll risk missing the match of the round — and a possible preview of the 2014 Super Rugby final.
The Brumbies stamped themselves as genuine title contenders with a brilliant win over the Chiefs last round and they have the chance to underline their credentials again in the sunshine of this afternoon kick-off in Christchurch.
A clash with the Cantabrians is always a stern assignment, never mind when they are fresh off a bye, have built up a three-game winning streak and welcome back a superstar in Richie McCaw.
While skipper Kieran Read has been sidelined with concussion, the return of the All Blacks legend after eight weeks out with a broken thumb is a massive boost for a Crusaders side that looks like timing its run to the finals perfectly. Again.
The Brumbies, meanwhile, had no injuries to report from last week’s 41-23 thumping of the Chiefs and have unsurprisingly named an unchanged XV to run on to AMI Stadium.
That venue looms as a crucial factor in this clash. The Brumbies haven’t beaten the Crusaders in Christchurch since 2000.
And the Crusaders have another phenomenal record to protect — they haven’t lost at home to an Australian or South African team since 2004, an incredible 49 games.
End that streak and you can forget about whether or not they top the ladder, the Brumbies will be the No.1 side in Super Rugby.
Chiefs v Lions
5.35pm EST Saturday, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, Fox Sports 2HD
A nine-week stretch of games that included a trip to South Africa was always going to test the Chiefs and it finally looked like it was taking its toll last week when the two-time defending champions were belted by the Brumbies.
Rocked by injuries to Aaron Cruden, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Mils Muliaina and Tanerau Latimer among a host of others, the Chiefs have won just one of their last six but managed to stay in the hunt for the New Zealand conference with a couple of draws in the Republic.
Injuries and form have forced coach Dave Rennie into an incredible 14 changes this week with nine new starters in the run-on side from last week’s Canberra shocker.
There’s good news with Kerr-Barlow returning at halfback while a new centre combination of Tom Marshall and Charlie Ngatai should provide greater thrust in midfield.
Nine new faces would usually upset a team’s fluency but with Gareth Anscombe providing some stability at No.10, the Chiefs shouldn’t suffer with so many positional switches.
They’ll also be helped by the fact this week’s opposition, the Lions, are in no way capable of producing anything like the Brumbies delivered on Anzac Day.
The Lions have never beaten the Chiefs in New Zealand, losing all eight of their previous encounters across four different venues in the Waikato.
Coach Johan Ackermann has sprung one major selection surprise with Elton Jantjies replacing superboot Marnitz Boshoff at fly half while rising halfback Faf de Klerk returns to the No.9 jersey.
The visitors should be spirited in their first tour outing but it’s hard to see this one ending in anything but a comfortable — and badly-needed — victory for the Chiefs.
Waratahs v Hurricanes
7.40pm EST, Allianz Stadium, Sydney, Fox Sports 2HD
If the Crusaders-Brumbies clash is the match of round 12, then Saturday night’s encounter in Sydney is surely a close second.
The form teams of the competition, the Hurricanes are chasing a fifth straight victory as they look to reinforce their position as shock leaders of the New Zealand conference.
Crucially, the Canes’ big-name players are all in sensational form. Their talent-laden backline — criticised for indifferent early-season form — has roared to life under the guidance of Beauden Barrett while halfback TJ Perenara is keeping the pressure on incumbent All Blacks No.9 Aaron Smith with a string of strong performances.
Coach Mark Hammett is also riding a wave of luck with injury and has thus named the same line-up that scored five tries in a resounding victory over the Reds last week.
They’ve had limited success in Sydney in the past with three victories from nine matches but did take the spoils on their last trip to Allianz Stadium — a 33-12 hammering in 2012.
So what then of the Waratahs? Michael Cheika’s side are riding a seven-match winning streak at Allianz and are keen to maintain the “fortress” feel they have at their traditional base.
That confidence will count for nothing however if they deliver a repeat of last week’s disgraceful, error-ridden defeat in Auckland.
Pushed passes, poor kicks and generally poor decision-making made things incredibly easy for the Blues and left Cheika seething post match after his team thought they were “the Harlem Globetrotters”.
Cheika has reacted to that defeat with a number of changes including a recall for prop Paddy Ryan and No.8 Wycliff Palu while Matt Carraro wins a start on the right wing.
The Tahs will again rely on Israel Folau for some attacking spark while cult hero Jacques Potgieter moves to lock, though that won’t change his kamikaze style one iota.
If the conditions allow and both teams come with their stated attacking styles this game could be one for the classics. The backlines boast the big names but the men with numbers one through eight on their backs will decide how much ball they have to play with.
Don’t miss it.
Stormers v Highlanders
11pm EST Saturday, Newlands, Cape Town, Fox Sports 2HD
After stunning the ladder-leading Sharks last start, the Highlanders have what looks to be a significantly easier task of dispatching with the struggling Stormers.
Allister Coetzee’s side has won just two games in 2014 and is coming off a disappointing defeat to fellow cellar dwellers the Cheetahs.
The injury-hit Cape Towners at least get some good news on the personnel front, with gun flanker Schalk Burger fit enough to run on in the No.7 jersey after coming off the bench against the Cheetahs, while Kurt Coleman starts at flyhalf for the first time this year.
The Highlanders, led by the two super Smiths — halfback Aaron and fullback Ben — and rising talent Malakai Fekitoa have won three on the trot to charge to within two points of top spot in the New Zealand conference.
That run includes last round’s 34-18 defeat of the Sharks, when they not only ended the ladder leader’s unbeaten home record at Kings Park but kept Jake White’s side tryless while running in four five-pointers of their own to secure a bonus point.
Fekitoa’s 60-metre solo effort was the pick of those tries and the Highlanders will be looking for more of the same from the young centre who has been touted as a future All Black.
The only thing that doesn’t make for good reading for Jamie Joseph’s side is its record against the Stormers — the Highlanders have lost the past five clashes between the two sides.
Bulls v Cheetahs
1.05am EST Sunday, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, Fox Sports 2HD
A quintuple-header of Saturday/Sunday Super Rugby action finishes up in Pretoria, with a battle between two battling South African sides.
The Bulls returned home this week with their tails between their legs after picking up just four bonus points on their four-game tour of Australasia.
Coach Frans Ludeke has tried to shake things up by dumping Jacques-Louis Potgieter and handing young gun Handre Polland the No.10 jersey.
The Cheetahs ended a seven-game winless run with a 35-22 result against the Stormers last weekend and will feel a little better about their chances of making it two in a row after snapping an 11-game losing streak against the Bulls with a 15-9 victory in round two.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske has named the same staring XV as last week, with flyhalf Johan Goosen (concussion) returning via the bench.
Reds hoping for fourth-time lucky
The Queensland Reds are desperate to advance past the opening week of the Super Rugby Pacific finals series for the first time in four years.
No easy path: Brumbies eye NZ breakthrough, will snub ‘free pass’
The Brumbies could learn their Super Rugby finals fate before their quarter final against the Hurricanes, but they won’t be taking the easy way out if other results gift a semi final berth.