Super Rugby Pacific preview: Jordie Barrett returns and big back-row battle in Hamilton

David Skippers
Super Rugby Pacific preview image Round Six 2023.jpg

Making its return, we bring you Super Rugby Pacific’s Round Six preview, in which we look at the main talking points ahead of this weekend’s action.

Games to watch

Reds v Crusaders

Although they will be on their home patch in Brisbane, the Reds have it all to do when they take on the Crusaders in their trans-Tasman encounter on Friday.

The home side have been very inconsistent during this year’s Super Rugby campaign and although they have won two out of five matches, they are yet to taste victory in consecutive games.

The Reds’ campaign started in ignominious fashion when they lost 47-13 to the Hurricanes but bounced back with an impressive 71-20 triumph over the Western Force. However, their next match saw them suffering a narrow 23-17 loss to the Brumbies before they edged out the Fijian Drua 27-24 in Round Four.

That inconsistency continued against the Rebels last weekend when they were beaten 40-34 in a thrilling derby in which the result was in the balance until the game’s dying moments.

They face a Crusaders side, who despite a wobbly start – and injuries to several key players – have hit their straps in recent weeks and showed why they are the tournament’s defending champions.

After losing to the Chiefs and Drua in Rounds One and Three – with a victory over the Highlanders sandwiched in between – the Crusaders were under pressure. They bounced back with impressive victories over the Blues and Brumbies, who were amongst the tournament’s early frontrunners, and will be determined to continue on the victory trail in Brisbane.

Fijian Drua v Melbourne Rebels

This encounter which takes place in Suva on Saturday should be an interesting battle between two evenly matched teams who are separated by a single point on the Super Rugby Pacific table.

Just like last season, the Drua have punched above their weight but judging from their previous matches this season, there has been some improvement in their ranks as they have already won two matches, which is the same number of victories they racked up during their entire 2022 campaign.

The Drua claimed a narrow win over Moana Pasifika in their tournament opener and despite going down to the Waratahs in their next game, they were responsible for arguably the biggest ever shock in Super Rugby history when they edged out the Crusaders 25-24 in their next match, in Lautoka.

Although they have not capitalised on that result, as they suffered back-to-back losses in their next matches to the Reds and Highlanders, the Drua are a competitive unit under the guidance of head coach Mick Byrne and like that clash against the Crusaders, this weekend’s fixture will be played on Fijian soil which means it’s a potential banana skin for the Rebels.

The Melbourne-based outfit are another side who have been inconsistent this year but they head into this fixture in fine form after digging deep to beat the Reds last weekend.

Prior to that, they suffered an away defeat to the Chiefs in Round Four with their only other victory registered against the Waratahs the previous week, after they started the season with successive losses to the Force and Hurricanes.

Player to watch – Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes)

The competition’s top points scorer, Jordie Barrett, returns to action with the Hurricanes this week when they host the Western Force in Wellington on Sunday.

Barrett took some some time off due to New Zealand Rugby’s rest protocols, where All Black players are not allowed to play more than five games in a row, and trained with rugby league side Melbourne Storm during that break.

The youngest Barrett has settled in well at inside centre and has looked solid in that position for the Hurricanes this season.

The 26-year-old carries well, kicks cleverly out of hand and accurately off the tee. The star has all the attributes to continue growing in the role. Expect him to be on song yet again in yellow this weekend.

One-v-one battle to watch – Sam Cane (Chiefs) v Dalton Papali’i (Blues)

This week’s battle is a very intriguing one between two star flankers, one who leads the All Blacks and another who many thought should have been picked ahead of his rival – Sam Cane, up against Dalton Papali’i when the Chiefs host the Blues in Hamilton on Saturday.

Cane has responded really well to the pressure put on him in 2022, and looks in much better nick this season. Far better in the carry and more effective at the breakdown, his leadership is key to the Chiefs, who have flown out of the blocks this season. Nevertheless, the All Blacks skipper is under huge pressure to perform. This will be a battle watched very closely by Ian Foster and co.

Meanwhile, Papali’i has grown tremendously since taking over the captaincy at the Blues, making him a far better player than only a couple of seasons ago. He leads by example, carrying hard and hitting a high tackle count every game. The Aucklander will want to get one over his national captain to underline that he can get the job done at Test level too.

It sets the scene for the most beautiful of back-row duels.

Subplot to watch – Waratahs under pressure after poor recent form

These are difficult times for the Sydney-based outfit as they head into Saturday’s clash with the Brumbies in Canberra with their backs to the proverbial wall after a run of poor results in recent times.

Waratahs head coach Darren Coleman and his troops must be feeling the pressure as they have just one victory under their belt from five matches played so far this season. That win came in Round Two against the Fijian Drua, who they beat 46-19 during the Super Round in Melbourne.

Apart from that result, there has not been much to write home about for the ‘Tahs as their campaign started with a narrow 31-25 defeat in the corresponding fixture against the Brumbies in Sydney.

Following their win over the Drua, things have gone pear-shaped for the Sydneysiders in recent weeks as they suffered successive losses to the Rebels (34-27), Hurricanes (34-17) and Chiefs (24-14).

Although they have played well in all those matches, they ran out of steam on each occasion – something they can ill afford against the Brumbies, who suffered their first defeat of the season against the Crusaders last weekend.

Before that result, Stephen Larkham’s side beat the Waratahs, Blues, Reds and Moana Pasifika, and they will be keen to add to their visitors’ misery by handing them another loss this weekend.

Best of the rest

There is one more game taking place this weekend with Moana Pasifika hosting the Highlanders in the opening match of the round at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland on Friday.

Moana head into this fixture in a desperate mood as they are languishing at the bottom of the table after losing all five of their previous matches played in this year’s tournament.

Added to that, they head into this fixture low on confidence as they suffered a humiliating 59-0 defeat against the Hurricanes last weekend.

Meanwhile, after losing their first three matches of the season, the Highlanders have improved in recent weeks after claiming back-to-back wins over the Force and Drua.

READ MORE: Super Rugby Pacific: Seven stats leaders after round five as Mark Telea climbs

Blues Dalton Papalii Jordie Barrett

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