An afternoon derby to savour before

New Zealand rugby fans rejoice — next Saturday’s first British and Irish Lions match of their tour has necessitated the scheduling of two rare afternoon Super Rugby matches for three Kiwi sides, and the first, the Crusaders v Highlanders in Christchurch, could be a classic.

The New Zealand Provincial Barbarians will play the Lions in Whangarei at 7.35pm, a significant match in itself, and one with a perfect entree. The two southern rivals will clash at AMI Stadium at 2.35pm. The Chiefs host the Waratahs in Hamilton in the other at 5.05pm, but the New Zealand derby will probably attract most attention given the Crusaders have won all 13 of their matches this season, while the Highlanders are on a nine-match streak.

In their first game of the season — back in round two at the start of March — the Crusaders came back from a 27-6 deficit, scoring three tries in the final 15 minutes, to win 30-27.

It was an unlikely victory helped by the controversial late sin-binning of Highlanders midfielder Malakai Fekitoa for a mid-air challenge on David Havili.

So there is history, form — the Highlanders beat the Waratahs 44-28 in Dunedin, while the Crusaders continued their run with a 41-19 victory over the Rebels in Melbourne — and precious competition points up for grabs.

The Crusaders, with two roundrobin matches remaining and 11 points up on the Hurricanes (who have a game in hand), are a good chance to retain their top spot in the New Zealand conference, but will be desperate to beat the Johannesburgbased Lions as top team overall in order to qualify for a home final.

The sixth-placed Highlanders, who effectively knocked the Blues out of

To play the Crusaders in Christchurch in front of a full stadium . . . it’s going to be an intense match. Highlanders coach Tony Brown

the playoffs with their win over the Waratahs, will be eager to overtake the Hurricanes in fifth in order to potentially qualify for a quarter-final against the Brumbies in Canberra rather than having to travel to South Africa.

They will also be keen to put a dent