Crusaders in prime position to win title
Weekend results could not have gone better for the defending champions
The Crusaders’ place at the top of the Super Rugby table has been cemented over the weekend without them having played a match and the odds are shortening on them defending their title.
If a bye after the rigours of the test series against France was a welltimed break ahead of their final push to the top, the latest round could hardly have gone better in terms of the results concerning their closest rivals.
The Hurricanes’ slump in particular has all but assured the Crusaders will finish on top of the New Zealand conference.
The 24-12 defeat by the Brumbies in Canberra after the Hurricanes led at halftime has allowed the Crusaders to hold their nine-point lead over Chris Boyd’s men with two rounds remaining.
Scott Robertson’s side need to win only one of their remaining two matches to ensure home advantage for as long as they progress in the playoffs, and with the Highlanders to visit a cold and damp Christchurch next Friday after their thrashing by the Chiefs in a baking Suva, and the struggling Blues at home their final assignment, the Crusaders will be favoured to win both these matches.
In May, the TAB was offering $3.25 on the Crusaders to win. That shortened to $2 before this latest round and it’s now at $1.90.
The Hurricanes, who have lost three in a row (to the Crusaders, Highlanders and now Brumbies), are the next best on $3.10.
The Hurricanes, fourth, host the Blues next but will face a concerted challenge for their right to host a quarter-final in their final round-robin
The Crusaders have finals pedigree and it’s difficult to imagine any other team lifting the trophy in 2018.
match against the Chiefs, who are fifth. The Highlanders are sixth.
It is looking increasingly likely that the title is the Crusaders’ to lose. They are unbeaten in six matches at home this year and while they lost away to the Hurricanes and Highlanders on successive weekends in March, they haven’t lost since, a run of 10 victories.
Last year, they finished second on the table behind the Lions, who didn’t play a New Zealand opponent due to a significant quirk of the draw, and