Five storylines ahead of Round 11 of Super Rugby Pacific including have the Crusaders turned the corner and an historic occasion in Tonga
The 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season is in full swing and there are several entertaining encounters set to take place this weekend.
Ahead of the Round 11 action, Planet Rugby has selected five storylines to follow in the various clashes.
Have the Crusaders turned the corner?
We always knew that whoever came in to replace Scott Robertson as the perennial Super Rugby champions’ new head coach would have a tough act to follow as the men from Christchurch lifted silverware in each of the seven seasons while he was in charge of the team.
However, few would have predicted that the Crusaders would be in the position which they find themselves currently – amongst the also rans of Super Rugby Pacific and in a battle to reach the tournament’s play-offs as they are currently occupying 10th position in the standings.
Under the guidance of new head coach Rob Penney they have found the going tough, winning just two out of nine matches with the second of those victories being as recently as last week when they clinched a morale boosting 39-0 triumph over the Rebels in Christchurch.
Playing on their home turf significantly boosts the Crusaders’ chances of winning. Their clash with the Rebels was only their third home match of the campaign and in their previous fixtures in Christchurch they suffered a narrow loss to the table-topping Hurricanes (14-10) in Round Four and notched a victory over the Chiefs (37-26) in Round Six.
This Saturday, the champions are back on home soil against the Reds and will fancy their chances of sealing back-to-back victories for the first time this campaign – a result which could catapult them into the play-off positions if results go their way elsewhere.
Play-off race heating up
With just five rounds of games left before the quarter-finals, all the sides in the 12-team competition are still in with a realistic chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
At the top of the table, the Hurricanes are setting the pace as they have only lost one of their nine matches played – against the Brumbies last week – and have already amassed 37 points. However, the Blues have closed the gap and are just one point adrift while the Brumbies and Chiefs occupy third and fourth positions on 31 and 28 points respectively.
Occupying the top four spots will secure the respective teams a home quarter-final and currently the Rebels and Reds, who are in fifth and sixth places, are the only other sides who can realistically challenge the aforementioned teams for a top four spot.
The race for the remaining quarter-final positions is fairly tight and as things currently stand the Fijian Drua and Highlanders occupy the all-important seventh and eighth spots.
The Drua currently have 17 points and the Highlanders 15 but Moana Pasifika, the Crusaders, Waratahs and Western Force all still have a chance of finishing in the top eight with the Force, who occupy the bottom spot on the table currently, just five points behind the Highlanders.
Hurricanes to bounce back despite hooker crisis
After a fantastic start to the competition, in which they won their opening eight matches, the Hurricanes suffered their first defeat when they were beaten (27-19) by the Brumbies in Canberra in Round 10.
It’s fair to say that Clark Laidlaw’s troops have put that result behind them and will be keen to return to winning ways when they take on the Waratahs at Sky Stadium in Wellington on Friday.
With the Hurricanes returning to their home venue don’t be surprised if there is a backlash against the struggling Sydneysiders, who are currently occupying 11th position in the standings.
No shortage of HEATERS last time they played 🔥
Will we see more bangers when the Hurricanes take on the Waratahs at home?#SuperRugbyPacific pic.twitter.com/YuaMpLWX63
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) May 1, 2024
However, things have not gone according to plan for the Hurricanes’ forward stocks as they are without the services of several of the hookers in their squad for this fixture.
Ahead of the clash against the Brumbies, they were already without All Black Asafo Aumua and Jacob Devery, who are both sidelined with long-term injuries, but they suffered another setback when James O’Reilly suffered a concussion in that defeat in Canberra.
That means Hawke’s Bay NPC hooker Kianu Kereru-Symes has answered the Hurricanes’ SOS and will start against the Waratahs while youngster Raymond Tuputupu is the back-up number two.
Brumbies to build on win over Hurricanes
After handing the Hurricanes their first defeat of the season, confidence will be running high in the Brumbies camp when they take on the Fijian Drua in Canberra on Saturday.
Although they can expect a stern challenge from the Drua, Stephen Larkham’s charges showed in that victory over the Hurricanes that they are amongst the leading teams in the competition and they will be difficult to beat in their backyard.
Following that impressive triumph over the Hurricanes, Larkham challenged his players to retain those high standards for all their remaining matches in the run-in to the quarter-finals.
They can expect the Drua to test them in most facets of play but the fact that this match will be contested in Canberra will swing things in the home side’s favour as apart from that win over the Hurricanes, they have also been victorious on home soil against the Western Force, Moana Pasifika and Waratahs this season.
They should continue with that winning trend against the Drua this weekend.
First ever Super Rugby match in Tonga
It will be an historic occasion when Moana Pasifika and the Highlanders go head-to-head at the Teufaiva Stadium in Nuku’alofa on Saturday as it will be the first time that a Super Rugby match will take place on Tongan soil.
Moana’s squad consists of mostly of players who hail from Tonga and Samoa and head coach Tana Umaga has included 12 players of Tongan heritage in his matchday squad for this encounter.
Amongst them is proud Tongan loose forward Solomone Funaki, who is set to join Welsh region the Dragons from next season. It should be a special occasion for Funaki, who will make his first appearance of the season via the replacements bench, while fellow Tongan international Sione Havili Talitui, who is expecting more than 20 family members and friends at the game, is also looking forward to the clash.
“We want to put out our best performance for Tonga and we just want to make our people proud,” he said.
It will also be an emotional experience for two Highlanders players – scrum-half Folau Fakatava and prop Saula Ma’u – who both immigrated to New Zealand aged 15 and 16 respectively.
It will only be the second time Ma’u’s parents see him in action as a professional player and it will be the first time that both Fakatava and Ma’u have played professionally in their home country.