The Canterbury Crusaders lead the Super 14 field into a weekend dominated by do-or-die local derbies that will effectively determine the true contenders for the play-offs.
Five of the seven matches will have a distinct bearing on the outcome of the competition, and three involve crucial domestic clashes in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
The front-running Crusaders are at home to a desperate Wellington Hurricanes, who still harbour hopes of making the semifinals, despite lying eighth, four points shy of the vital fourth place with three rounds remaining.
There are various permutations between the Hurricanes and a chance for glory, all involving the Waikato Chiefs, Northern Bulls and ACT Brumbies, who are locked fourth-equal, one point ahead of the Western Force.
The Brumbies and Force, who carry Australia’s slim hopes of a semifinal berth, will be looking to knock each other out of contention when they clash in Canberra.
The Bulls’ hopes of staying alive depend on emerging successfully from the Lions’ den in the South African local derby in Johannesburg.
Of the other leading contenders, the Auckland Blues start their arduous three-match tour in South Africa against the Western Stormers while the Chiefs are at home to the third-placed Coastal Sharks.
When the Crusaders and Hurricanes take the field in Jade Stadium, in a repeat of last year’s fog-bound final, the stakes will be high for both sides.
The rampant Crusaders need to finish the round-robin on top to be assured of a home semifinal and the prospect of hosting the final.
For the Hurricanes, who have won just three of their 14 clashes with the Crusaders, another defeat would likely rule them out of the play-offs.
”The game and the position we’re in and the respect we have for the Crusaders is enough motivation to get up for this one,” said Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper.
But he downplayed a warning by flanker Jerry Collins of a titanic ”hammer and tongs” struggle up front, saying they would have to be a ”bit smarter” than just resorting to the physical stuff.
While the Blues lie second to the Crusaders on points differential, their 25-32 wrestle with the Sharks last week showed chinks in their armour.
Their chance to regain momentum comes against the 12th-placed Stormers, with the incentive of knowing that a loss, coupled with a Sharks victory against the Waikato Chiefs, would push them down to third.
The tour only gets tougher for the Blues with a clash next week against the Northern Bulls.
The confident Sharks head to Waikato Stadium, where they are looking to become the first South African side to complete a ”grand slam” against the five New Zealand franchises.
”The key to beating the All Blacks or any New Zealand team is to get into their faces and not to give them respect,” said Springboks psychologist Henning Gericke, who is helping to prepare the Sharks.
”We need to make sure our attitudes are right and the result will take care of itself against the Chiefs.”
The Brumbies-Force match-up is not just important for the two Australian sides but for Australian rugby as a whole, according to the rival coaches.
”It’s important one of us gets a win out of this so that Australia is represented at the business end of the season,” Force coach John Mitchell said, as his side looks for a way out of a slump that has seen them concede more than 100 points in the past two weeks.
Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher described the match as ”like a final for both teams”.
In the remaining matches of the weekend, the Otago Highlanders travel to Sydney to play the New South Wales Waratahs, while the Central Cheetahs are in Brisbane against the Queensland Reds. — Sapa-AFP