Preview: S14, Round Eleven, Day One

There are only four rounds remaining in the Super 14 and as usual the congestion at the top of the ladder is building and it definitely is a time to test the nerves of players and coaches alike.

It's Round Eleven of the Super 14 and as usual the congestion at the top of the ladder is building and it definitely is a time to test the nerves of players and coaches alike.

Just four rounds remain before next month's top four play-offs and the Stormers, Chiefs, Hurricanes and Blues all face must-win games to keep themselves in the semi-final race.

Friday's Anzac Day clash is the order of the day as two traditional New Zealand powerhouses – the Crusaders and the Blues – go head to head in Christchurch.

The six-time champion Crusaders are thirteen points clear of the Blues and have had a week to mull over shortcomings exposed by the Chiefs as they prepare to hit back against their seventh-placed visitors.

Elsewhere, the eighth-placed Brumbies must beat the last-placed Lions at home to keep their semi-final hopes alive, while the Western Force and defending champion Bulls have byes this weekend.

Crusaders v Blues
AMI Stadium, Christchurch, 19:35 (08:35 BST, 07:35 GMT)

This match had an early season billing as the most meaningful of the 2008 season and that may still be true, if only for the two sides taking the park rather than its original billing as a possible preview of the final.

The Blues have slipped to seventh in the standings – two points off the top four – but with just three rounds remaining, the Aucklanders' season has reached the make-or-break stage.

A minimum of four points are paramount to the Blues' cause in what is their Last Chance Saloon, and with a run home including away fixtures with the Reds and Highlanders along with the Hurricanes at Eden Park, it is already an uphill climb.

The Crusaders are still comfortable leaders but a second loss to follow their 18-5 toppling against the Chiefs will leave them lacking serious momentum less than a month out from the play-offs.

The men in red and black will want to build winning momentum again against the Blues after going down in Hamilton and while losses are never part of the blueprint, it may prove a blessing in disguise in the bigger picture.

In a surprise defeat, the Crusaders beast was awoken by the Chiefs, now the desperate Blues are in line to suffer the consequences in what looms as a high-voltage clash in Christchurch a week later.

A fatigued Crusaders side was in stark contrast to the Chiefs in Hamilton as the home side thrived on a huge Waikato Stadium crowd and simply had too much in the tank for the 2006 champions.

The Chiefs held all the energy and looked slick throughout, while the Crusaders were disjointed and perhaps lacking in cohesion after their bye a fortnight ago and fielding a second-string side against the Lions the previous week.

While losing their unbeaten record was obviously not part of the plan, coach Robbie Deans would have taken it in his stride and the timing of the loss could become a positive in the run-up to the play-offs next month.

With last year's semi-final loss to the Bulls in South Africa still fresh in the Crusaders' minds, they know they must keep winning to secure AMI Stadium as the venue this time around.

The Blues, who had the chance to rest their wearisome legs in Round Ten, will need to fire up straight away if they have any hope of securing a play-off spot – home or away.

However, coach David Nucifora and his troops must be contemplating the prospect of an early end to their Super 14 chances after losing two of their last six matches.

They aren't exactly oozing form either. The Blues' last outing before their bye was an atrocious 11-16 home defeat to the Brumbies and the week prior to that they were humbled 37-16 by the Waratahs in Sydney.

These results have had the pundits in a lather about another Blues season falling apart at the seams.

The crux of the Blues' problems comes down to their limited effectiveness with ball in hand and the answer lies in being more aggressive in the attacking game.

There's been noticeable tiredness within the Blues squad having their bye so late, but if they regain some much-needed confidence and get some physicality back in their attack – they should be alright.

But if anything is going to get this side back on track, it would be the challenge inspired by meeting the Crusaders on Anzac Day.

The Blues are the only team with a winning record against the Crusaders. Their eighth and most recent victory in 14 matches was last year, 34-25 at Eden Park, but crucially it came in the first week, when the Auckland-based side are seemingly at their best.

Super head to head: This all-New Zealand derby clash will feature some interesting match-ups. It will be a huge occasion for new Crusaders lock Ali Williams, who squares up against his former Blues team-mates for the first time since an acrimonious move south in the off-season. The All Black lock quit the Blues last year after a falling out with coach David Nucifora, and his preparations for his first meeting with his old team included wearing a Spiderman suit when fronting journalists this week at training. Whether Williams can spin a web and trap his ex-colleagues on the backfoot with another industrious performance remains to be seen. Blues' fly-half Nick Evans also faces a big challenge against Stephen Brett, and the latter's job should be that much easier given the Crusaders' dominance in the tight.

Prediction: The Blues are aware of how to win in Christchurch, having done so in 2004 and also being a side containing many players that were involved in Auckland's 26-15 Ranfurly Shield steal in the last round of the 2007 Air New Zealand Cup. But this is a different tournament played under different rules and circumstances. The Blues will run the Crusaders close, but it won't be enough to help them survive this one. The Crusaders to win by eight points.

Crusaders: 15 Leon MacDonald, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Stephen Brett, 9 Andrew Ellis, 8 Mose Tuiali'i, 7 Richard McCaw (c), 6 Kieran Read, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Ben Franks.
Replacements: 16 Ti'i Paulo, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Ross Filipo, 19 Nasi Manu, 20 Kahn Fotuali'i, 21 Hamish Gard, 22 Scott Hamilton

Blues: 15 Isa Nacewa, 14 David Smith, 13 Anthony Tuitavake, 12 Benson Stanley, 11 Rudi Wulf, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Taniela Moa, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Daniel Braid, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Troy Flavell (c), 4 Anthony Boric, 3 John Afoa, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Nick White, 17 Bronson Murray, 18 Kurtis Haiu, 19 Justin Collins, 20 Danny Lee, 21 Isaia Toeava, 22 Ben Atiga.

Referee: Lyndon Bray (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Paul Honiss (New Zealand), Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Television match official: Kane McBride (New Zealand)
Assessor: Stuart Beissel (New Zealand)

Brumbies v Lions
Canberra Stadium, Canberra, 19:40 (10: