RUGBY NEWS - Last week provided an appetiser with two games in South Africa but this is the round where Vodacom Super Rugby hits full swing again and there are several questions that will start being answered over the next few days.
The Crusaders will start as favourites to retain the trophy they won by beating the Emirates Lions in the Johannesburg final last year and if you look at the team that All Black Sam Whitelock will lead onto the field in their first match, it is easy to understand why the smart money is on the team coached by Scott Robertson. For a start there are no less than nine All Blacks in the side, even though the Crusaders are still some way short of full strength.
In all, the team that hosts the Chiefs in Christchurch on Saturday morning South African time boss 281 test caps. Not everything is the same though that it was last year, and that is where the interest comes in – for instance, the Chiefs are now no longer coached by Dave Rennie, with Colin Cooper taking over, and they no longer have Aaron Cruden at flyhalf.
Before you start thinking though that the loss of Cruden will be a crippling blow to the Chiefs, note that the exciting scrumhalf Brad Weber is being partnered at halfback in this game by Damian McKenzie. There is a lot of excitement in New Zealand at that prospect, and rightfully so. The Chiefs have lost some stalwarts but retain the core of the side that has been a perennial challenger in recent seasons, with Charlie Ngatai joining Sam Cane as a co-captain. With five All Blacks in the Chiefs pack, Saturday’s opponents should be among the stronger challengers to the Crusaders’ right to hold onto the trophy.
So should be the Hurricanes, who start Saturday’s clash with the Vodacom Bulls with Beauden Barrett only playing off the bench and Ihaia West, formerly of the Blues, wearing the No 10 jersey. That is not the only selection that will surprise some who don’t expect it, and it is going to be interesting to see how Will Genia goes starting his first game for the Rebels in a derby against his old teammates.
