There is so much going on in rugby that round four of Super Rugby has almost taken a back seat to yesterday afternoon’s breaking news that Dave Rennie has been announced as the new head coach of the All Blacks.
While that has certainly stolen the headlines, the new lease on life it provides to players who were left out in recent seasons will have a major effect on Super Rugby going forward. When you hear the new head coach say he will be picking on form, I expect every player in the competition to ensure they put their best foot forward.
Now for us, the question is how will that affect the gameplay this weekend in terms of results and performances. Well, that is what we are here to try and decipher as we crack into our fourth best bets and preview of the season.
To start off the weekend, Moana Pasifika get their first home game as they host the Force, who will make the long trip from Western Australia to Auckland. For them, it is an opportunity to secure their first win of the season, as they have fallen to 0-2 with losses to the Blues and Brumbies. Moana were brought back down to earth last weekend against the Hurricanes, with the Wellington side putting 50 points on them.
While it was certainly a dampener after their win in Fiji, Moana will be looking forward to their first home game of the season and the first time they enter a match up as favourites.
I think that sentiment is for good reason, as they have named their strongest line up this weekend, with both Miracle Faiʻilagi and Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa back in the starting line up, which should be a major boost to their chances in this one.
Like the Chiefs, the Hurricanes were stunned last weekend in Lautoka as they fell at the hands of the Fijian Drua 25 to 20. There is so much context around that result that I am certainly not out on the Hurricanes’ prospects this season. They do travel to Sydney this weekend for their toughest test of the new season as they take on the 2 and 0 Waratahs.
When looking at the line-ups yesterday, outside of the 10 position where the Hurricanes are down to their fourth option, this is very much a fully fledged and ready to go side that, to me, is one of the most talented groups in the competition.
Based on talent alone, I think the Hurricanes can get up in this one. I am also a massive believer in the style of rugby they are trying to play under head coach Clark Laidlaw, which might be better suited against the free-flowing nature of the Australian sides in the competition.
Personally, I have been on the Caleb Tangitau hype train for a while now, as one thing that remains true in most sport is that you cannot stop speed. For me, Tangitau is the fastest player not only in New Zealand but likely the competition, which allows him to turn half gaps into tries that others in Super Rugby could not.
For the Highlanders, they are now in a position where the shine of their win against the Crusaders is beginning to wear off, and it is time for them to put another good shift in on Saturday afternoon.
If the Highlanders are to take this opportunity against the Force, I think they would be well advised to get their wide players involved as much as possible. If they do that and Tangitau gets plenty of opportunities with the ball in his hands, I like his chances of finding the line.
The biggest game of the slate once again is a New Zealand clash, as the Blues are the next stop for the Crusaders in their treacherous opening five rounds of the season. For the Crusaders, after taking on a lot of water against the Brumbies, they had a statement win against the side many believed were set to be the best team in the competition.
For the Blues, they are coming off what I would describe as a good loss. While they ended up on the wrong side of the score against the Brumbies, they arguably produced their best performance of the season. They now get the chance to return home and host one of the oldest rivalries in professional rugby.
Both sides, as you would expect, have named their strongest 23. For the Crusaders, when they do that, they just about overwhelmingly stand out above every other club. For me, last week something shifted for Rob Penney’s side, and with the team running out this week, I think they could find their second win of the season in the City of Sails.
Last time out, the Reds showed they are quite the outfit as they demolished the Highlanders at home in a 31 to 14 drubbing. For the Brumbies, their perfect start to the season rolled on, as mentioned, with a three point nailbiter win against the Blues where the game could have gone either way.
Both sides are without some of their biggest contributors this week. The Reds are without their leading midfielder Hunter Paisami, while the Brumbies will be without one of the most dynamic loosies in the competition, Rob Valetini.
Looking at this one, I think it could be closer than some expect, simply because of how the Reds looked last time out, while the Brumbies have been put through some seriously draining tests to start the season. That means the Reds might not be able to pull this one out, but they could certainly keep it close.