Super charged: Big games, Savea v Jacobson and more

David Skippers
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Before this weekend’s Super Rugby AU and Aotearoa games, Planet Rugby previews the biggest talking points ahead of the action.

Super Rugby AU game to watch – Reds v Western Force

In Super Rugby AU, the youthful Western Force travel across Australia to face one of the title favourites, the Reds, at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

The Reds head into Saturday’s clash full of motivation and high on confidence after claiming a thrilling 40-38 come-from-behind win over the Brumbies in Canberra, to establish themselves as the frontrunners in Super Rugby AU.

Last weekend’s win left Brad Thorn’s charges as the only unbeaten team in the competition with three wins from their first three fixtures while their opponents, the Force, have not had things running so smoothly.

The Force find themselves second from bottom in the standings with just one win under the belt – against the Waratahs – in their opening three games. The Perth-based team head into this match off the back of a narrow 10-7 defeat against the Rebels. Despite that loss, the Force will be buoyed by the fact they have conceded the fewest points in Super Rugby AU with just 53.

Tim Sampson’s team are undergoing a rebuilding phase as they look to reconstruct their team around some of their younger stars, similar to what the Reds did when Thorn took over the reins in 2018.

Although there are no high expectations from the Force, look for an energetic approach from them with a free-flowing style of play as they look to cause an upset against the tournament’s pacesetters. It won’t be easy though as they lost both their matches against the Reds in 2020 with their last encounter being a forgetful one for the Force as the Reds ran out comfortable 57-5 winners.

Super Rugby Aotearoa game to watch – Blues v Crusaders

The Crusaders will look to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season as they travel to Auckland to face the Blues at Eden Park.

Scott Robertson’s team have enjoyed a strong start to this year’s competition with three successive wins, while they have claimed victory in 14 of their last 17 games in all competitions dating back to the start of the cancelled 2020 Super Rugby season.

In addition, the omens appear to be in the Crusaders’ favour heading into this fixture as they were on the winning side against the Blues in both of their games played last season. The men from Christchurch secured a 26-8 win when these sides met in a Round Three Super Rugby clash, before notching a 26-15 triumph over the Blues in last year’s only Super Rugby Aotearoa meeting between these teams.

If the Blues are to emerge victorious in Auckland they’ll have to play a near perfect game and need a top class performance from Otere Black. The fly-half is currently the leading points-scorer in the competition with 30, just one ahead of Crusaders playmaker Richie Mo’unga, who impressed in his side’s triumph over the Chiefs last week. Black will need to get the better of the All Blacks star if the Blues are to have a chance against the defending champions.

Nevertheless, the Blues head into this game refreshed after a bye week and will be brimming with confidence after winning their first two games. However, most importantly they should benefit from being able to play without much expectations as the Crusaders are firm favourites to win this match despite being the away side.

Player to watch – Rob Kearney (Western Force)

Former Ireland full-back Kearney might be a surprise choice as our player to watch as the Force are an unfancied team, but he has impressed in his new surroundings and we expect him to continue with his fine form against the Reds in Brisbane.

Kearney made the switch to Super Rugby in September after finishing an illustrious 15-year spell with Leinster and has already proven to be a shrewd acquisition for the Force. Although results haven’t gone their way in two of their three previous matches, Kearney’s experience has been invaluable for a young team, especially several inexperienced backs in the squad.

The 34-year-old has been composed at the back and proven to be a calming influence for the less experienced members of the squad such as Byron Ralston, Jack McGregor, Jake Strachan and Grason Makara.

Safe under the high ball and still a threat with ball in hand, he will be keen to make an impact against a confident Reds outfit and we expect him to lead by example in what is a daunting challenge for the visitors.

One-v-one battle to watch – Ardie Savea (Hurricanes) v Luke Jacobson (Chiefs)

Expect fireworks when these two All Black back-rowers go head-to-head in Wellington on Friday in what should be another entertaining showdown between the Hurricanes and Chiefs.

Although both have made their mark as flankers, they will be packing down as number eights for this encounter. The duo are not alien to that position as they have started at the base of the scrum in all of their respective sides’ previous Super Rugby Aotearoa matches this year.

Savea has, once again, been one of the Hurricanes’ star performers with his all-action and energetic style of play giving his side much-needed momentum in their previous matches, against the Blues and Crusaders.

The 27-year-old was named as the Hurricanes’ new skipper ahead of this year’s campaign and although he is yet to taste victory in the leadership position, the added responsibility of captaincy has not affected his game.

He faces a tough adversary in Jacobson, who has gone quietly about his business in a struggling Chiefs outfit who, like the Hurricanes, are winless following back-to-back defeats to the Highlanders and Crusaders.

Despite his side’s poor form, Jacobson has done well and is a man on a mission after missing the bulk of last season’s tournament due to a fractured hand. Although the Chiefs are struggling, Jacobson is not as his ball carrying, defence and breakdown work has been impressive so far and he will relish the challenge of going up against a quality player like Savea.

Subplot to watch – Chiefs on the cusp of unwanted record

The Hamilton-based outfit head into this weekend’s encounter against the Hurricanes under tremendous pressure as they are currently on an 11-match losing streak and one more defeat will mean they become the first New Zealand team to lose 12 Super Rugby matches in a row.

Their drought stretches back to last year’s truncated Super Rugby tournament. Coincidentally, that defeat was suffered against this weekend’s opponents and was followed up with a forgetful campaign in the inaugural Super Rugby Aotearoa where they lost all eight of their matches under the guidance of one of the world’s best coaches, Warren Gatland.

With Gatland stepping down from his Chiefs duties to concentrate on his role as the head coach of the British & Irish Lions ahead of their series against the Springboks, Clayton McMillan has taken over the coaching reins on an interim basis.

Despite the change in coaches, the Chiefs’ losing run continued as they started their 2021 campaign with back-to-back losses against the Highlanders and Crusaders.

Adding spice to Saturday’s fixture is the fact that the Hurricanes are also winless this season after coming off second best against the Blues and Crusaders. That will give Chiefs supporters some hope and nothing less than a victory against the Hurricanes will please them, as their side bids to move off the foot of the table.

Best of the rest

There is just one match left on the schedule and it is the opening fixture of the weekend between the Rebels and the Waratahs at AAMI Park in Melbourne on Friday.

After securing their first win of the season against the Force in Perth last week, the Rebels will be quietly confident of building on that result against a struggling Waratahs outfit, who are firmly entrenched at the foot of the Super Rugby AU table.

The Sydneysiders have found the going tough this season after losing all three their previous matches – against the Reds, Brumbies and Force – while the Rebels lost their first two matches of the campaign, against the Reds and Brumbies, before bouncing back with that win over the Force.

 

Blues