Super charged: Beauden Barrett’s back again and explosive front-row battle in Dunedin

David Skippers
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Making its return, we bring you Super charged, in which we preview the main talking points ahead of the next round of Super Rugby Pacific action.

Games to watch

Hurricanes v Crusaders

The Hurricanes were desperately unlucky to fall to a 30-29 defeat to the Chiefs last time out despite a stunning late fightback.

They scored 14 points in six minutes towards the end of that clash but ultimately fell short, thanks mostly to conceding too many points around the half-time interval.

The ‘Canes will need to start much better and keep their concentration around the break if they are to go one better against the Crusaders this weekend.

Their overall form in Super Rugby Pacific this season has been a very mixed bag and they have won just two of their opening five games, but they have shown immense improvement over the last couple of weeks even if they did fall just short against the Chiefs.

The Crusaders, on the other hand, are in very familiar territory near the top of the standings after picking up five wins from their first six games. A win this weekend will give them a good chance of reaching the top of the pile before Sunday.

Their previous match was almost the complete opposite of the Hurricanes clash, with the men from Christchurch beating the Highlanders 17-14 with all of the points scored in the first half. The second period was pretty dire and was highlighted by needless errors from both teams.

They will also be looking for a much-improved performance, especially in the second half, to get the most out of the match against a consistently improving Hurricanes outfit.

Western Force v Melbourne Rebels

With the competition heading towards its business end and with matches against their New Zealand counterparts looming on the horizon, the Australian teams will be hoping to be at their best by the time they take on their trans-Tasman opponents in two weeks’ time.

The Force and Rebels are traditionally Australia’s two weaker teams but sparks are set to fly when they face off in Perth on Friday. Both sides are yet to set the tournament alight this year and head into this fixture off the back of indifferent form.

The Force are currently in a transitional phase after it was announced last month that Simon Cron will replace Tim Sampson as the team’s head coach at the end of their current campaign.

Despite that, they have delivered competitive performances in most of their other fixtures and are currently lying in seventh position on the table. They had a bye last weekend but put in a solid showing in their previous match, suffering a narrow 39-38 defeat to the table-topping Brumbies in Perth on March 25.

By contrast, the Rebels have found the going tough in Super Rugby Pacific and lost their first five games before eventually securing their first triumph against the Fijian Drua in Round Six.

The previous match between these teams was a one-sided affair in Melbourne in Round Two with the Force eventually sealing a 28-3 win. They will be hoping for a similar result this weekend but can expect a tougher challenge from the Rebels, who will have a spring in their step after their recent win over the Drua.

Player to watch – James Slipper (Brumbies)

This weekend marks a very special occasion for veteran Wallaby prop James Slipper, who will play in his 150th Super Rugby game when he laces up his boots for the Brumbies against the Fijian Drua at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

Slipper made 104 appearances for the Reds between 2010 and 2018 before making the move to the Brumbies in 2019. He is just four games away from his 50th Super Rugby match in ACT colours as well.

The 32-year-old will be squaring up at loosehead prop alongside Sefo Kautai at tighthead and hooker Billy Pollard to make up a powerful Brumbies front-row. The trio, pushed by locks Tom Hooper and Darcy Swain, will be looking to dominate a Drua pack that has struggled to stand its ground all season so far.

Slipper’s contribution will be vital to the Brumbies cause as he is solid in the scrums but also adept around the park whether that is on attack or defence and he will be determined to celebrate this special occasion with a fine all-round performance and a Brumbies triumph.

One-v-one battle to watch – Ethan de Groot (Highlanders) v Sekope Kepu (Moana Pasifika)

This will be a case of the up-and-coming youngster against the grizzled veteran when these two strongmen line up against each other in the opening match of the round at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Friday.

De Groot is an exciting prospect, who has already won a handful of Test caps for the All Blacks after several excellent performances for the Highlanders at Super Rugby level since making his debut for the side in 2020.

The loosehead prop is solid in the execution of his core duties with his scrummaging particularly impressive but he’s also confident with ball in hand and knows his way to the try-line.

The 23-year-old faces a stern Test against Kepu, who, at the age of 36, has been around a few blocks at Super Rugby level and also made his mark in the international arena for the Wallabies.

The former New Zealand age grade representative’s experience will come in handy especially in the scrums against his younger opponent as the Moana Pasifika captain loves the physical nature of the game. Kepu is not renowned for his scrummaging ability but he usually holds his own at the set-piece and it will be interesting to see how he handles the challenge set by De Groot, who will be keen to upstage the Wallaby centurion.

Subplot to watch – Beauden Barrett’s return for the Blues

Much has been said and written about the All Blacks playmaker in recent weeks after he was forced off the field with a head knock in the Blues‘ Round Six encounter with the Highlanders in Dunedin.

There were genuine concerns in some quarters that Barrett‘s career as a professional player was coming to an end after that setback, but the injury was not as bad as initially feared and there was no concussion suffered due to the knock. Despite being cleared, the Auckland-based side’s management took a precautionary approach and opted to keep him on the sidelines for their back-to-back victories over Moana Pasifika.

However, the 31-year-old has been cleared to play this weekend and will wear the Blues’ number 10 jersey when they take on the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday.

Before sustaining that injury against the Highlanders, Barrett delivered a fine performance as he contributed 13 points in their 32-25 triumph courtesy of a well-taken try, a conversion and two penalties.

He will be determined to continue with that form against the Chiefs.

READ MORE: Super Rugby Pacific Team Tracker: James Slipper set for 150th appearance

Australia Beauden Barrett

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