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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – The start of this weekend's Super Rugby playoffs should be the first of three formalities completed before the trophy is again awarded to the Crusaders of Christchurch [19659002]semi-finals and one final, but the Crusaders are strongly favored to capture the Super Rugby Championship again for the ninth time and for the second year in a row.
Crusaders face Durban Sharks, Johannesburg Lions meet Argentinian Jaguars, New South Wales Waratahs clash with Dunedin Highlanders and Wellington Hurricanes host Hamilton Chiefs in first round of playoffs playoffs.
The dominant lesson of the regular season is that the Crusaders – who finished first with a 14-2 record and 17 points ahead of his nearest rival – are better than any other team of the competition.
The Crusaders will make the usual protests that the playoffs are known to all matches and nothing can be taken for granted. But few teams would have ever started the playoffs as a firmer favorite to win the tournament than the crusaders who have a well-honed game plan and strength on the field and on the bench.
They are likely to be strengthened on Saturday by the injury return of All Blacks captain Kieran Read and center Ryan Crotty. Their only notable absentee is prop Joe Moody, who has a knee injury.
If the Crusaders have anything to fear, it is that the Sharks, who have won only seven games this season, will be the first South African team in 16 games. They have won their last three games against the Sharks but lost at home to the Durban-based team in 2014.
The technical challenge for the Crusaders will be that the Sharks lead the tournament in unloading and have missed less tackles than any other team.
"It's well done (weather)," said coach Scott Robertson, who led the Crusaders under the title last year in his first season in charge. "We need to be better around some key aspects of our game, around our maul and our fray, and mentally we need to be sharper with some of our calls and some tactics."
The Hurricanes will host the Chiefs in the first quarter-final on Friday, a week after losing to the 28-24 Chiefs in Hamilton.
After winning 10 straight games in the regular season, the Hurricanes have lost three of their last four games and are lame in the playoffs. Captain Brad Shields, who will leave the club at the end of the season to play in England, is uncertain for Friday's game because of an injury to the coast
The Lions, who won the African conference and finished second behind the Crusaders. The general's table will be without influential midfielder Nic Groom when they face the Argentine Jaguares on Saturday. Groom will miss the playoff series with a broken hand.
Captain Warren Whiteley said that it was essential for the Lions to exploit the home advantage they will enjoy until the end.
"It's in our hands. "Whiteley said." Every team in the neighborhoods can not do much now. Hard work was done a long, long time ago. It's all about small little things. "[19659002TheWaratahswhofinishedfirstintheAustralianconferencefaceateamofHighlandersingoodshapeandplaysomeofthebesttournamentrugbyplayers
"They react very well to the things that their backfield creates. including the attackers, "said Ned Hanigan, bogey of Waratah." They are moving the ball and I think they're probably going to get us moving a little bit and the organized chaos is their game and they're good. "[19659017]
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