Five storylines ahead of Round Nine of Super Rugby Pacific including the return of Australia’s prodigal son while Blues and Brumbies set for Auckland classic

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 Nine action, Planet Rugby has selected five storylines to follow in the various clashes.

High-riding Blues and Brumbies set for a classic

All eyes will be on Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday when two of Super Rugby Pacific‘s in-form teams head into what is poised to be a highly entertaining encounter.

While the Hurricanes are the setting the pace at the top of the standings after winning all seven their matches in the competition so far this season, the Blues and Brumbies are their closest rivals as they are level on points (27), just three adrift of the table-toppers.

The Blues occupy second position by virtue of a superior points difference and will be slight favourites ahead their clash against the Canberra-based outfit.

Matches between these sides have been tightly contested affairs in recent seasons, with the Blues winning two out of the three Super Rugby Pacific matches since the inaugural tournament in 2022 – by one and two points, respectively – while the Brumbies’ solitary victory came via a five-point margin.

Adding to that, both sides head into this weekend’s match in excellent form, with the Brumbies on a five-match winning streak – with their only defeat coming against the Chiefs in Round Two – while the Blues have won their last four matches since losing against the Hurricanes in Round Three.

That sets the scene for what should be another thriller and don’t be surprised if this game goes down to the wire.

All eyes on the basement battle in Perth

On the other end of the spectrum, the Crusaders will be hoping to get their campaign back on track when they face fellow strugglers, the Western Force, at HBF Park in Perth in the last match of the round.

As the tournament’s defending champions, the Crusaders are in unfamiliar territory in second-last position on the table while the Force are propping up the table one spot below them.

Both sides have won just one out of their seven matches played so far, but the Crusaders have accumulated more bonus points, which gives them a two-point buffer on their hosts in the standings.

As expected of basement dwellers, these sides come into this fixture after suffering defeats of late with the Crusaders losing 43-40 to the Waratahs last week, in a frantic encounter in which the lead changed sides 12 times.

Meanwhile, the Force had a bye last week, but they were never at the races in their previous game and were comprehensively outplayed en route to a humiliating 50-3 loss against the Blues at Eden Park in their Round Seven clash.

With just six rounds of the tournament left these sides need to stat winning matches if they still want to reach the play-offs – something which the champions will be desperate to do in their bid to defend their title.

However, the Force are just so desperate in their quest to get off the foot of the table and will give their all to achieve that goal.

Unbeaten Hurricanes face a tough challenge against Fijian Drua

The table-topping Hurricanes are in a confident mood as they have won all seven of their matches so far, but they face a potential banana skin when they face the Fijian Drua at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva on Friday.

Blues bolstered as All Blacks duo return for crunch clash with the Brumbies

While the Hurricanes deserve their spot at the top of the standings, they are up against a resilient foe in the Drua who have proven difficult to beat in Fiji.

Mick Byrne’s troops play their home matches in Suva and Lautoka and last suffered a defeat in their backyard on April 29 last year when the Blues got the better of them in a Round 10 clash.

A dangerous foe in Suva tomorrow! #SuperRugbyPacific pic.twitter.com/p0LZUSYK8i

— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) April 18, 2024

Since then, the Drua have won six consecutive home matches – against the Hurricanes, Moana Pasifika and Reds in 2023 as well as the and Force this year.

While the Hurricanes will be wary of their hosts and determined not to suffer a similar fate to the one they experienced last year, the Drua seem to save their best performances for when they are playing on Fijian soil.

And with their fanatical supporters sure to back them to the hilt, they will be determined to end the men from Wellington’s winning streak and, in doing so, extend their outstanding home record.

Desperate Reds and Highlanders face off in Brisbane

While the Force and Crusaders are bringing up the rear in the standings, their records over the past month are much better than that of the Reds and Highlanders, who are set to clash at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Friday.

The Reds head into this encounter after losing their last three matches – against the Force, Brumbies and Moana Pasifika – while the Highlanders are on a four-match losing streak – following defeats to the Brumbies, Chiefs, Hurricanes and Rebels.

Such poor form has had dire consequences in their positions in the standings, with the Reds dropping down to sixth position – after being amongst the frontrunners during the early stages of the tournament – while the Highlanders currently occupy 10th, just four points above the Crusaders.

The Reds’ last match was a disastrous one against Moana as it finished in defeat, while Wallabies stars Tate McDermott and Fraser McReight were red-carded and subsequently suspended.

Meanwhile, the Highlanders came off second best to the Rebels, and their head coach Clarke Dermody has responded by dropping two of his best players – All Blacks scrum-half Folau Fakatava and exciting full-back Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens – to the bench.

Despite their current form being slightly worse than the Reds’, the Highlanders will fancy their chances of beating their hosts as they have won the two previous matches between these sides in Super Rugby Pacific.

Australia’s Prodigal Son returns

That encounter in Perth will be a momentous occasion for experienced utility back Kurtley Beale as he is set to make his debut for the Force as well as his long awaited return to Super Rugby.

The 35-year-old has been in the news for the wrong reasons of late as he was out of action for 14 months as he was serving a suspension while facing allegations of raping a woman in the toilets of a Sydney bar in December 2022.

Beale was eventually found not guilty and the Force acted quickly by acquiring his services on a short-term deal until the conclusion of their Super Rugby Pacific campaign.

He is set to make his debut for the Perth-based outfit against the Crusaders and when he takes to the field it will be the first time he will be in action at Super Rugby level since 2020.

Beale left the Waratahs that year and spent the next two years at Top 14 outfit Racing 92 before returning to the Sydneysiders at the end of 2022 in the hope of representing Australia at a fourth Rugby World Cup.

That dream wasn’t realised as he spent 14 months on the sidelines due to his suspension. That is all set to change when he runs out at full-back for the Force against the Crusaders and he will be hoping to make a big impact on that match with his outstanding skill-set.

READ MORE: Super Rugby Pacific Team Tracker: Highlanders spring a surprise by dropping All Black for Reds clash