Preview: Crusaders v Chiefs

Two of the tournament's heavyweights will do battle in what should be an entertaining semi-final in Christchurch on Saturday.

With nine titles between them, this match-up will pit Super Rugby royalty against each other. The Crusaders are the most successful side in the competition's history although the last of their seven titles was won way back in 2008.

Under the guidance of head coach Scott Robertson, who replaced Todd Blackadder at the start of the season, they have been in superb form all year and apart from a Round 17 defeat to the Hurricanes in Wellington, they have won all their matches this season.

The Chiefs won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 under head cosch Dave Rennie, who is determined to finish this year's campaign on a high as he will be leaving the Hamilton-based franchise to coach Glasgow Warriors when the competition ends.

These sides head into this clash with plenty of confidence as they delivered impressive performances in their respctive quarter-final victories.

The Crusaders were superb in their 17-0 win over the Highlanders in atrocious weather conditions. The performance of the Crusaders forwards was particularly impressive and the manner in which they dispatched of their Highlanders counterparts has earned praise from Rennie who hailed them as the best pack in the competition.

With seasoned All Blacks like Kieran Read, Sam Whitelock and Joe Moody leading the way, the Christchurch faithful will be hoping for a repeat performance although in Brodie Retallick, Liam Messam and Sam Cane the Chiefs also have experienced campaigners and, like the aforementioned trio, they too have shone for the world champions at Test level.

The Chiefs, by contrast had to dig deep to claim a 17-11 victory over the Stormers in their semi-final in Cape Town and the after effects of their long trip back to New Zealand could have a bearing on this game's outcome.

This will be the third Finals meeting between these teams after they met in the semi-finals of both 2012 and 2013, the Chiefs earning victories in both but by no more than three points on either occasion.

The Crusaders were victorious when these teams met in Round 13 this season, their first win against the Chiefs since 2014; and they’ll now be looking for back-to-back wins against them for the first time since Round 14 in 2011.

The Crusaders have never lost a Finals fixture when playing as the home team on the day (17 wins).

The last time the teams met: The Crusaders claimed a 31-24 victory when these sides met in Suva in Round 13. Richie Mo'unga was the Crusaders' hero as he finished with a 16-point haul courtesy of a four penalties and two conversions. The Chiefs outscored them four tries to four, however, with Tim Nanai-Williams, James Lowe, Kane Hames and Aaron Cruden crossing the whitewash for the men from Hamilton. Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, David Havili and Ben Funnell scored the Crusaders' tries.

Players to watch: He might not be leading the seven-time champions but All Blacks captain Kieran Read remains a vital cog in the Crusaders machine. Read's attacking skills are well documented but his experience and decision making at the base of the Crusaders' scrum will prove vital in the pressure cooker enviroment of a semi-final.

Although there are several attacking threats in the visitors' back-line, Damian McKenzie is one player who has played well on a consistent basis throughout their campaign. The 22-year-old's superb goalkicking helped the Chiefs to victory over the Stormers in Cape Town last weekend but it's his prowess with ball in hand which has caught the eye this season. McKenzie tops the tournament's statistics for carries (223), defenders beaten (74) and metres gained (1565) which makes him so dangerous with ball in hand.

Team news: Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson has named the same matchday squad for this semi-final. Like last weekend's 17-0 quarter-final victory over the Highlanders, lock Sam Whitelock will lead a side which includes 10 All Blacks in the starting line-up.

The Chiefs have made just two changes to the run-on side that defeated the Stormers 17-11 in a spirited Cape Town quarter-final contest last weekend. Resilient midfielder Charlie Ngatai returns from an ankle injury to start at inside centre, with veteran utility back Stephen Donald vacating the number 12 jersey to bolster the bench. Experienced Samoan international Tim Nanai-Williams is promoted from the reserves to start on the right wing. This means that Solomon Alaimalo drops out of the matchday squad.

Form: The Crusaders reached the semi-finals thanks to a 17-0 triumph over the Highlnaders in Christchurch last weekend. A week before that, they finished their regular season on a low when the Hurricanes beat them 31-22 in Wellington. That was their first loss of the season and ended a 14-match winning streak.

The Chiefs claimed a hard-fought 17-11 quarter-final win over the Stormers in Cape Town last week. That result stretched their winning run to five matches as they beat the Brumbies, Hurricanes and Waratahs before that.

Prediction: Playing in their backyard and the fact that the Chiefs had to travel will swing things in the Crusaders' favour. Crusaders to win by eight points!

Previous results:

2017: Crusaders won 31-24 in Suva
2016: Chiefs won 23-13 in Suva
2016: Chiefs won 27-21 in Christchurch
2015: Chiefs won 26-9 in Christchurch
2015: Chiefs won 40-16 in Hamilton
2014: Crusaders won 18-17 in Hamilton
2014: Chiefs won 18-10 in Christchurch
2013: Chiefs won 20-19 in Hamilton (semi-final)
2013: Crusaders won 43-15 in Christchurch

The teams:

Crusaders: 15 David Havili, 14 Israel Dagg, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Seta Tamanivalu, 10 Richie Mo'unga, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Matt Todd, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Sam Whitelock (c), 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements: 16 Ben Funnell, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Michael Alaalatoa, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Mitchell Hunt, 23 George Bridge

Chiefs: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Tim Nanai-Williams, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Charlie Ngatai, 11 James Lowe, 10 Aaron Cruden (cc), 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Michael Leitch, 7 Sam Cane (cc), 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Mitchell Brown, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Nathan Harris, 1 Kane Hames
Replacements: 16 Liam Polwart, 17 Aidan Ross, 18 Atu Moli, 19 Dominic Bird, 20 Lachlan Boshier, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Stephen Donald, 23 Shaun Stevenson

Date: Saturday, July 29
Venue: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Kick-off: 19:35 local (07:35 GMT)
Referee: Glen Jackson
Assistant Referees: Angus Gardner, Ben O’Keeffe
TMO: Glenn Newman