Super Rugby: Five talking points ahead of round 10
1. Anzac round starts with a surprise
Super Rugby Pacific has presented five trans-Tasman clashes for the weekend following Anzac Day – but would anyone have had the Crusaders v Rebels as the most intriguing match of the round when the season began?
Brumbies v Hurricanes might be pitting third on the ladder against first, but the Canberra side’s pitiful performance against the second-placed Blues last weekend has taken quite a bit of the gloss off that one.
The first match of round 10 pits a lastplaced Crusaders looking to turn their third home match into a second home win against a Rebels team sitting fourth, but well aware this is likely the easiest match they have remaining in the regular season.
That would have once sounded crazy as a description of a trip to Christchurch, where the Rebels have won once, in the first round in 2015 – the last year the Crusaders did not make the playoffs.
2. Chiefs hit the road after week off
Three of the Anzac Round’s matches take New Zealand teams and put them in Australian cities, where they have historically lost more than they have won.
First up are the Chiefs, who head to Sydney to face the Waratahs as they return to action after their bye – and the away loss to the Hurricanes that preceded it.
The Waratahs hold an 8-5 advantage over the Chiefs in NSW, but that record was 8-2 before the Hamilton side rattled off three wins in their last three visits.
3. Hurricanes hoping to end Canberra hoodoo
The second match involving somewhat of a hoodoo is a rare Saturday afternoon fixture in Canberra, where the Brumbies host the Hurricanes.
You have to go back to 2017 to find the last Hurricanes victory in Canberra, with the Brumbies winning each of their last five matches there – including a quarterfinal in 2023.
The Hurricanes will have to adjust to the absence of injured hooker Asafo Aumua, but with eight wins from eight so far this season, they’ll be confident of improving their record in a city where they have won just five times in 18 meetings.
4. Highlanders’ unusual use of internationals
While the Highlanders were losing 31-0 to the Reds in round nine, Rhys Patchell was preparing to run out at fullback for Kaikorai in Otago club rugby, in what turned out to be a 43-7 romp over Taieri that kept them unbeaten in the Speight’s Jug Round.
Now the Welsh international will become the third man in as many weeks to wear the Highlanders’ No 10 jersey, while Argentine international Martin Bogado returns from club duty with University – 83-10 winners over Alhambra-Union – to sit on the bench.
Why two test-capped players were considered surplus to requirements the week before is puzzling, but the Highlanders need to solve things fast, as they host a Western Force side flying high after becoming the sixth team to beat the Crusaders this season last Saturday.
5. Blues’ defence has them set for road trip
One. None. One. None. One. It’s not a binary code, it’s the number of tries the Blues have conceded in their last five matches.
After dismissing the Brumbies in the wet at Eden Park last Saturday, the Blues won’t fear the Reds, but they will be well aware this is the first time they’ve left Auckland in six weeks – and that the last time they did, they only just scraped home against the Waratahs.
The Reds hold an 8-6 advantage over the Blues in Queensland, with another match drawn.