Six-time champions the Canterbury Crusaders can put the heat on the table-topping Auckland Blues and the Wellington Hurricanes by ending the unbeaten run of the Natal Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
The Crusaders burst back into title contention with a spectacular 49-28 win over the Central Cheetahs in Bloemfontein last weekend, as the Blues and Hurricanes overtook the Sharks, who had the last weekend off.
Canterbury, the benchmark team in the southern hemisphere provincial tournament, are in fifth place, just one point behind the Sharks heading into the fifth week of the series.
Coach Robbie Deans is urging his Crusaders to be more aggressive against the Sharks in anticipated sweltering conditions.
”If we are going to live with the Sharks on their home patch, we are going to need to be more aggressive and impose ourselves more in the contact area than we’ve been able to so far this year,” Deans said Thursday.
”We are also going to have to be more accurate and more effective in our defensive work in terms of closing down opposition ball carriers and creating opportunities for tackle turnovers.”
The Sharks, who have beaten the Northern Bulls, NSW Waratahs and Otago Highlanders, all at home, know this will be the stiffest test of their early season flourish.
”This will our toughest match so far,” Dick Muir said. ”The margin of the win [over the Cheetahs] in Bloemfontein was surprising after the Crusaders had lost to the Lions the week before, but at the same time we knew it was only a matter of time before a team of their pedigree came right.
”The Crusaders are so much more than the half-dozen [rested] All Blacks that are not playing. You don’t win six Super titles simply because of star players.
”Their emphasis has always been on the team, not individuals, and with a shrewd coach such as Robbie Deans heading a management team that has been around for a long time, you have a class act.”
The Auckland Blues kick off the weekend with a New Zealand derby against Otago Highlanders at home on Friday, with winger Rudi Wulf replacing injured Anthony Tuitavake.
Otago, traditionally strong in the forwards, bounced back last week with a 35-24 win over South Africa’s Western Stormers in Dunedin to move into sixth place, level on points with Canterbury.
The Stormers appear to have a job ahead of them against the second-placed Hurricanes in Palmerston North on Saturday.
The Cape Town-based franchise have just one win in four starts and a difficult schedule over the next month, while the Hurricanes snatched victory after the final siren at home last week against Australia’s ACT Brumbies.
The Brumbies will again be without skipper Stirling Mortlock, who is still feeling the effects of high tackle nearly a fortnight ago, against the Bulls in Canberra on Saturday.
Coach Laurie Fisher said Mortlock was ”not quite feeling 100%” and it was not worth risking him.
Wallaby flyhalf Stephen Larkham is also out with a chest injury making way for utility back Julian Huxley.
The Bulls are likely to call on Springbok discard Jaco van der Westhuyzen for winger Akona Ndungane after van der Westhuyzen’s second-half impact in last weekend’s game against the Waikato Chiefs.
South Africa’s Golden Lions are looking for their fourth win on the trot against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Saturday, having dispatched the Highlanders, Crusaders and Western Force to move into fourth spot.
The injury-hit Waratahs will have their first home game of the season on Friday against the Force with hooker Adam Freier taking over as captain after regular skipper Phil Waugh was ruled out for three months with an ankle injury.
The Force had a heartbreaking 25-24 loss to the Lions at home last week after winning two games on the road in South Africa.
In the remaining game, the Cheetahs host the Chiefs in Bloemfontein on Friday. — Sapa-AFP