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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) The Wellington Hurricanes are hoping that the match against a team having a series of defeats longer than theirs will allow them to hope the out of a free fall of late Super Rugby season two weeks before the start of the playoffs. 19659002] The Hurricanes have won 10 straight games to climb to the top of the table at times this season, but have lost three straight games and need a win over the Auckland Blues on Saturday to resume form before the end of the regular season. 19659002] The Blues have not beaten a New Zealand opponent in nearly three seasons and the Hurricanes see the opportunity to regain momentum in front of a local crowd. But coach Chris Boyd realizes that results can be unpredictable late in the season when teams desperately want to reach the playoffs or atone for failing.
This was brought back to the Hurricanes last weekend when they lost to Canberra. the ACT Brumbies team, a team they were supposed to beat but who had to win to keep their own hopes in the playoffs.
"I'm going to be honest with you, I was a little nervous before this game because I knew that they had a lot to play," Boyd said. "It's not what we did not do, but it was a difficult situation for them and they will be exactly the same next week."
"They go to the Chiefs in Hamilton ( Saturday) and they lose that match and the season is over, so when one team has a huge amount to play and the other does not have as much, then I think you can be exposed in these situations "
The Hurricanes are still behind the Crusaders based in Christchurch in the New Zealand Conference and, with 45 points, are likely to make the playoffs even if they do not win their last two regular season games against Blues and the Chiefs. But they want to go to the playoffs with momentum of wins and that makes more important the game of Saturday against the Blues, who are out of the playoffs.
The Crusaders have a nine-point lead at the New Zealand conference which should be enough to ensure that they finish the regular season in first place in the region and overall standings. They play the Dunedin Highlanders on Friday and the Blues in their last regular season game.
The return Friday of All Blacks captain Keiran Read, who will play his first Super Rugby game of the year after being handed an operation on the back. "Said he was not yet ready to play 80 minutes and that he had the choice between starting and leaving the bench. He chose the first one.
"I think I'll start and have the opportunity to empty the tank, I'll try that," he said. "In terms of the back, it feels really good."
In Australia, the New South Wales Waratahs scored four points with last week's win over the Melbourne Rebels and could claim the first spot by facing the Japanese Sunwolves Saturday rebels play against Queensland on Friday
The Johannesburg Lions led the African conference with just three points from Argentina's Jaguares, who pushed back the bad shape of the Pumas in June for their seventh consecutive win last weekend, putting pressure on the Lions, who have a pbad this weekend while the Jaguares could go first if they beat the Pretoria Bulls. [19659003TheLionsfacetheBullsandtheJaguarsplaytheSharksintheirlastregularseasongames
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