Its the Forth round of Super Rugby Aotearoa and we are finally set to get the massive match up we have been waiting quite some time for on Sunday, the Blues host the Crusaders at Eden Park. Before that crushing fixture, the Hurricanes and the Chiefs will battle out for their first victory of the season when they clash at the cake tin. Its another intriguing round of the competition! After a horrid display last weekend, the Highlanders sit on the bench this weekend. Shane was again a champion to come on and have his say again this season and you can catch that stream below and be sure to turn into the channel on Youtube on a Thursday afternoon to catch the stream each and every week! If you want a quick overview, check out below the video!
HURRICANES vs CHIEFS – Hurricanes +2
Two teams head into round four of the competition without a victory and you can only hope one of them will manage it this weekend when they meet. Before the teams were announced, I was pretty comfortable in picking the Hurricanes to pick up the win after seeing the second half destruction of the Chiefs over the last two weeks, but the starting 15s almost changed my mind. Both sides have issues in the halves with Kaleb Trask and Orbyn Leger running the show in the 10 jumpers after injuries took their toll on the two sides options. The forward battle should be a real tussle for dominance so if either sides front row can have the game of their season it could go quite some way to guiding their team on the front foot through the set piece, if you cant win that area then it may be a long night. The backlines can cause plenty of havoc but if the pack doesn’t work it wont matter too much. The Hurricanes have switch Julian Savea to the right wing too which is an odd choice for a position that usually has a fullback option to cover back, but I expect Salesi Rayasi to instead cover that from 11 instead. Are the ‘canes thinking outside the box or just searching for a difference… we will find out Saturday, but I still like the home town win in a close encounter.
BLUES vs CRUSADERS – Crusaders +5
Here it is… the game New Zealand and rugby fans around the world have been waiting to see. Blues fans believe they have the goods to topple the champions Crusaders side this year after missing out on the final chance at the end of the season in 2020. Where the Blues could fall short again in one of a couple of areas which fall into the same category – the mental state. The Crusaders will know the plan and believe in their process and how they can execute over the 80, or more, minutes. If the Blues trail by 5 with 5 minutes to play, how are they mentally? If they fall behind early, do they have that battle to find their way back against a team like the Crusaders. You cant question their ability, from either side, but its just a monumental shift to topple one over the best teams in Super Rugby history. Yes, the Blues can win this game if things go to their plan and they have some standout performers throughout to shadow over the Crusaders but its a lot of rest on to see my change my pick for the game of the weekend. Crusaders to do the job in the garden of Eden by 5 points on Sunday.
Previews and reviews are right here Behind The Posts for each and every round of Super Rugby Aotearoa! Rugby is back! Let me know your thoughts on the action this weekend in the comments and thanks for stopping by Behind The Posts. If you would like to have your say here, get in touch on the contact page today!
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