Super Rugby Pacific Round 8 | Tips & Preview

The Crusaders picked up a 50-21 demolition of Moana Pasifika before heading into their bye last week, in what was an ideal performance before a week off. The Crusaders were made to work for the win, leading just 17-14 halftime, but when they got going, they looked unstoppable. Leicester Fainga’anuku scored just minutes after entering the game and his try seemed to ignite the visitors, as they scored 28 points in just 15 minutes to make it a bloodbath on the North Shore. It was a fast-paced and ruthless performance in the second 40, as their backs carved up Moana’s defence and their forwards controlled the tight contests. The Crusaders recorded 12 line breaks and Chay Fihaki had three of them in a good performance out wide, while Fainga’anuku was a real threat in the second half and Will Jordan had his usual dangerous runs. Up front, Jamie Hannah and Johnny Lee were workhorses and Manumaua Letiu and Antonio Shalfoon had good stints off the bench.

The Drua impressed for 50 minutes in Auckland before completely letting their foot off the gas in the final 30 in a 15-40 defeat last week. The Blues were clinical in the second half and the Fijians simply could not match their quality, especially up front where the Drua started to get pushed around, losing plenty of crucial contests. Their attack was also underwhelming, scoring just two tries despite having their fair share of chances and despite a few standout performers. Iosefo Namoce was their most dangerous on attack, with some impactful carries in the midfield, and he also defended with plenty of vigour. Frank Lomani had another inspired performance and Virimi Vakatawa tried to inject some life into his team off the bench, but it was all in vain, in what was another underwhelming effort from the Drua on the road.

Codie Taylor and Taha Kemara are the big ins for the Crusaders here, while Corey Kellow makes his first start of the season. Fainga’anuku joins the starting lineup while, for the Drua, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa and Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula rejoin the starting team to form the halves pairing and Manasa Mataele and Virimi Vakatawa for a new wing duo. This Crusaders team is stacked and their forwards are going to clean up the Drua pack, setting the foundations for a blowout win. The Drua have lost their last 24 road games and have covered just four of their last 21 on the road.

Best
Crusaders -25.5 ($1.90)

Value
Power Plays — Sevu Reece 2+ Tries & Crusaders Win by 21 – 40 ($5.50)

Try Scorer
Sevu Reece ($7.50 First, $1.48 Anytime)

Same Game Multi
Sevu Reece Try / Will Jordan Try / Noah Hotham Try ($4.92)

The Chiefs dug deep for a 24-14 win in Perth last week to get back to winning ways. Their 24-33 loss to the Brumbies the week prior was a rough start to their two-game road trip, but they made sure to be leaving WA with the win in what was a tight and tense 80 minutes of footy. The Hamiltonians were able to withstand plenty of defensive pressure and came up with some huge, timely turnovers, especially late on when they were a man down for 10 minutes, while their attack was patient enough to keep the points coming, with a late penalty goal from Damian McKenzie sealing the result. It was a deserved win for the visitors, who looked like the better team for much of the contest and put the Force into plenty of tricky situations. That started up front, with big shifts coming from Luke Jacobson, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Samipeni Finau and Simon Parker, while Josh Jacomb and McKenzie both had important contributions in the back line.

The Waratahs pulled off a highly impressive 30-28 win on the road against the Brumbies last week to inject some life back into their season. With three losses on the bounce, a trip to Canberra was a daunting prospect for New South Wales, but they took the game to Brumbies and never trailed in the Australian capital. It started with a Clem Halaholo try in the opening minute, before Andrew Kellaway and Joey Walton scored before the 30-minute mark, capping off an exciting and counter-attacking opening half-hour from the Tahs to make it a 21-7 lead. The lead didn’t last long, as the hosts scored tries on either side of halftime to make it 21-21, but a trio of Sid Harvey penalty goals saw the hosts score nine consecutive points to build enough of a buffer for a famous win in Canberra. There were more than a few shaky moments from NSW, especially at set piece, but their defence was determined and their attack often looked dangerous, thanks to Kellaway, Max Jorgensen and Harvey.

Tupou Vaa’i is back from injury for the Chiefs, and his return headlines seven changes to the starting lineup. For NSW, young gun halfback Teddy Wilson gets his first start of the season and Charlie Gamble and Triston Reilly join the starting team from the bench. It’s a very strong Chiefs team, with the likes of Cortez Ratima and Simon Parker forming an elite bench, and I expect the hosts to run away with a big win. The Tahs are just 4-19 in their last 23 road games and are just 7-16 ATS in those games, and they will be comfortably outclassed in this showdown.

Best
Chiefs -19.5 ($1.90)

Value
Chiefs 21-30 ($3.70)

Try Scorer
Leroy Carter ($12 First, $1.87 Anytime)

Same Game Multi
Leroy Carter Try / Quinn Tupaea Try / Tupou Vaa’i Try ($18.20)

The Force fell to another loss in Round 7, dropping their season record to 1-5 as their chances of a finals appearance continue to diminish. It was another spirited performance from the hosts, pushing a good Chiefs team to the brink, but their inability to convert their 22 entries into tries really hurt the Force. Down 14-21 with 17 minutes to play, the Force enjoyed the next 10 minutes with a man advantage but they couldn’t capitalise, before the visitors iced the game with a late penalty goal. It was again a case of so close, yet so far away for Simon Cron’s team, but they didn’t deserve to win this game, being made to defend for large chunks of the game and giving up too many good scoring opportunities to the visitors. Max Burey was one of the standouts and was rewarded with a five-pointer, Darby Lancaster had some dangerous touches and, up front, Nick Champion de Crespigny had a typically industrious outing and Vaiolini Ekuasi was a workhorse in his return from injury, as were Jeremy Williams and Brandon Paenga-Amosa.

Carter Gordon returns to the #10 jersey for the Reds, while young wing Treyvon Pritchard gets the first start of his career, but the biggest news for this clash is the potential debut of former NRL star Zac Lomax. The former Parramatta player has been named on the Force’s bench, while Dylan Pietsch will make his season debut on the right wing and Irish flanker Jack Daly will earn his first Force appearance. That adds a few unknowns for WA, but they have shown plenty of ticker this season and as double-digit underdogs in this clash, they’re the bet. Their defence will prove to be tricky for Queensland to get past and a good bench will ensure they stay in the fight.

Best
Force +12.5 ($1.90)

Value
Reds 1-12 ($3.30)

Try Scorer
Dylan Pietsch ($13 First, $2.25 Anytime)

Same Game Multi
Dylan Pietsch Try / Carter Gordon Try / Josh Nasser Try ($19.96)