Super Rugby Pacific Round 12 | Tips & Preview

It was once again the Fehi Fineanganofo last week, with the star winger scoring four tries to help the Hurricanes record a 45-12 thumping of the Brumbies. It’s not often that the men from Canberra are made to look that ordinary, but the Hurricanes were able to regularly slice through their defence, with their wingers Fineanganofo, Josh Moorby and substitute Jone Rova combining to score all seven of the side’s tries. Not many of them were gimmes, either, requiring beating the last couple of defenders before crossing the chalk, but Fineanganofo often made it look easy, such is his form in 2026. It was far from a flawless performance from the Canes, with a whopping 23 turnovers lost, with their handling and ruck security leaving a lot to be desired, but Cam Roigard and Ruben Love ensured the team were going forward when on attack, continuing to see their chemistry in the halves grow, with the running and kicking game of both giving the Brumbies even more to think about in defence. It was also a solid display from the Canes’ big men, with Du’Plessis Kirifi getting stuck into everything, with a game-high 19 tackles, Warner Dearns having another menacing, physical performance and Raymond Tuputupu working hard.

The Crusaders got off to a good start at their new home, beating the Waratahs 35-20 to kick off Super Round. There were a few exciting tries from Rob Penney’s men, helping produce what was an excellent weekend of footy in Christchurch, but this was a win that was largely won up front. The defending champions were really able to dominate the set piece, winning all of their own throws and feeds, while their forwards’ dynamism in open play set them apart from that of the Tahs. Leicester Fainga’anuku was one of the standouts in a strange-but-effective start in the #7 jersey, while fellow flanker Dom Gardiner had perhaps his best game of the season, thriving in the contact on both attack and defence to make a real difference. He played a key role in one of Dallas McLeod’s two tries, collecting a cross-kick and drawing in defenders before letting McLeod free to run in for the five-pointer. Macca Springer also got in on the try-scoring action and David Havili was as reliable as ever in the win.

The Hurricanes have reshuffled their forward pack, bringing Xavier Numia, Asafo Aumua and Pasilio Tosi back into the starting front row, while Peter Lakai comes in at No.8 at Devan Flanders’ expense. For the Crusaders, Sevu Reece is being rested which sees McLeod join the starting team and Ethan Blackadder’s return from injury sees last week’s star, Gardiner, move to the bench. It’s a star-studded pack from both teams but the difference will be the prowess of the Hurricanes’ back line. All seven of their starting backs have the ability to break play open at any point and that’s going to end up being too much for the visitors to handle.

Best
Hurricanes -12.5 ($1.90)

Value
Power Plays — Fehi Fineanganofo 2+ Tries & Hurricanes Win by 11 – 30 ($7.00)

Try Scorer
Fehi Fineanganofo ($8.50 First, $1.64 Anytime)

Same Game Multi
Fehi Fineanganofo Try / Codie Taylor Try / Leicester Fainga’anuku Try ($14.57)

The Waratahs were again outclassed by a New Zealand team last week, losing the Super Round opener against the Crusaders 20-35. It was a promising start from the visitors, as Sid Harvey knocked over a couple of penalty goals for a 6-0 lead inside the opening 10 minutes. Harvey then scored NSW’s first try of the game, claiming a pin-point cross-field kick from Jack Debreczeni for put the Tahs up 13-7 just minutes before the break. Their lead was short-lived, however, as the Crusaders replied immediately from a lineout maul and that set the tone for the second half, in which the Waratahs were outscored 7-21 to leave Christchurch without any competition points. New South Wales definitely gave themselves the opportunities to at least be competitive in this contest, but their set piece really let them down, often conceding possession or penalties on their own ball. Debreczeni and Jake Gordon played their roles, putting NSW in good field position often with their kicking in open play, but the team’s lack of incision in the carry often saw them come up fruitless.

The Force pulled off another impressive victory in Round 10, beating the Crusaders 31-26. It was an undermanned Crusaders team, but that didn’t make the win any less significant, especially due to how they pulled it off, coming back from a rough 0-19 start in the opening 25 minutes to outscore the visitors 31-7 in the game’s final 55 minutes. Scoring one try and dominating the aerial contests, it was Zac Lomax’s best game in a Force jersey and his ability to regather kicks gave the hosts good field position with regularity, which set up the win. It was also another elite showing from Vaiolini Ekuasi, tallying carry after carry, and Jeremy Williams had another workhorse performance with 22 tackles, closely followed by Nick Champion de Crespigny’s 17.

The big news heading into this clash is Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i’s return from injury, playing in his first game since Round 2. Lawson Creighton comes back into the #10 jersey and Angus Blyth comes in at lock, while, for the Force, Hamish Stewart’s return to the starting lineup for Bayley Kuenzle is the only change. That sets up an intriguing Australian derby that has the Waratahs as favourites, but I fancy the Force in this spot. I do not rate this New South Wales forward pack and the work rate of that of the Force’s will continually give the visitors an advantage, making the Force real value here.

Best
Force +4.5 ($1.90)

Value
Force 1-12 ($3.80)

Try Scorer
Dylan Pietsch ($12 First, $2.10 Anytime)

Same Game Multi
Force +4.5 / Dylan Pietsch Try / Jeremy Williams Try ($21.51)

The Fijian Drua simply didn’t show enough polish in a 22-42 loss to the Chiefs last week. It was a good display from Glen Jackson’s men, as they enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and racked up carry after carry to put a lot of pressure on the Chiefs’ defence. However, a few crucial moments cost the Drua this game, namely Ilaisa Droasese’s brain explosion, which saw him attempt a grubber kick to escape his own in-goal, only for Jared Proffit to comfortably fall on the ball and score for the Chiefs just minutes before halftime. The Drua then conceded two more tries in quick succession for a 10-35 scoreline, and that put the game out of their reach in what was otherwise a highly competitive and entertaining clash. Etonia Waqa was a real standout on attack, while Maika Tuitubou worked hard defensively and was effective at the breakdown for a centre, and Kitione Salawa had another busy night.

The Highlanders were far from their best against Moana Pasifika last week but emerged from Super Round with a 27-17 win. Things were looking dicey for the Landers at the break, trailing 7-10 despite dominating the opening 25 minutes and forcing a sin-binning to Semisi Paea. However, Jonah Lowe was yellow-carded himself shortly afterwards for a late hit and that allowed Moana to head into the break with the lead, but the Landers had a response in the second half. It started with a penalty goal off the boot of Cameron Millar, before Angus Ta’avao powered over for a five-pointer. Adam Lennox then showed good pace to race away for a 24-10 lead at the 60-minute mark and that was enough of a buffer for victory despite a shaky finish. There were real ups and downs from Colin Cooper’s men, but the fact that they failed to put away a lowly Moana team will leave them feeling disappointed. They had just 42% possession and had plenty of issues at lineout time, and although the likes of Lowe, Timoci Tavatavanawai and Lucas Casey had their moments, this was a forgettable Highlanders performance.

Waqa, Taniela Rakuro and Ilaisa Droasese are all out for the Drua this week in what is a blow to their firepower, with the most intriguing replacement being Frank Lomani on the wing for the first time since 2021. Isikeli Rabitu and Issak Fines-Leleiwasa also come into the starting team to add some excitement, while Cooper has also made some changes to his lineup, recalling Jack Taylor, Angus Ta’avao, Te Kamaka Howden and Folau Fakatava into the starting team. Jona Nareki also returns from injury to bolster the back line, but I can’t see him getting a heap of ball in what I am picking to be a dog fight. The under is 7-3 in the Landers’ 10 games this season and is 7-2 in the Drua’s last nine.

Best
Under 55.5 ($1.90)

Value
Fijian Drua 1-12 ($2.80)

Try Scorer
Elia Canakaivata ($17 First, $2.55 Anytime)

Same Game Multi
Elia Canakaivata Try / Isikeli Rabitu Try / Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens Try ($19.85)

Moana Pasifika showed good courage against the Highlanders last week but came up short with a 17-27 loss. Moana were in the fight for much of the way, but a sloppy start to the second half was their undoing, conceding 17 points in 20 minutes to slip into a 14-point deficit, and there was no coming back. Outside of this passage, MP’s largely defence held firm and they looked like the more confident team, making regular surges upfield and causing some havoc at the lineout. Israel Leota showed excellent athleticism to open MP’s scoring, soaring into the sky to take a cross-kick and dot down, before Glen Vaihu scored a try of his own to put Moana in front 10-7. The ensuing hot run from the Landers put the game to bed though, ensuring Tana Umaga’s team left Christchurch with another loss. Vaihu was the pick of the bunch again, while Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa had some bustling runs and was tireless on defence, with 12 tackles.

The Blues squeezed out a golden point victory over the Reds last week, with Beauden Barrett nudging over a penalty goal for a 36-33 win. It was a very tight game but it was the Blues who were often the ones in control, at least on the scoreboard, never trailing across the 80 minutes. Some good running lines from Zarn Sullivan saw him score two of the Blues’ first three tries for a 21-7 lead in the opening 25 minutes, but Queensland had levelled the scores by halftime. The second half followed the tit-for-tat flow, with the Reds coming back from 33-21 down to force golden point. It was all the Aucklanders in crunch time, holding onto the ball and racking up the phases to make their way down the field before winning a penalty in front of the sticks for Barrett to knock over. It was a monster shift from Dalton Papali’i, Sam Darry and the forward pack that got them the win, often going on charges up the field and performing flawlessly at set piece to consistently deny Queensland the lead. In the backs, it was Sullivan and Barrett who were the picks, with the latter recording a couple of try assists and nice touches.

Patrick Pellegrini and Lalomilo Lalomilo have both been ruled out (concussion protocol) this week for Moana, with William Havili this week taking the reins at first five-eighth. The Blues will also bring in a new #10, with Stephen Perofeta getting the honours this week, forming a new halves pairing with Sam Nock. Caleb Clarke returns from injury and Torian Barnes, Xavi Taele and Kurt Eklund come into the starting lineup in what is another strong Blues lineup, and that’s troubling for Moana. This is also effectively a home game for Vern Cotter’s side, and the 28.5-point line is not high enough here. The Blues are 6-3 ATS in their last nine games and Moana are just 3-6 ATS in their last nine.

Best
Blues -28.5 ($1.90)

Value
Power Plays — Stephen Perofeta 1st OR 2nd Try Scorer & Blues Win by 21 – 40 ($15)

Try Scorer
Caleb Clarke ($7.50 First, $1.44 Anytime)

Same Game Multi
Caleb Clarke Try / Stephen Perofeta Try / Hoskins Sotutu Try ($7.69)

The Reds came agonisingly close to another big win on Saturday but came up just short in golden point, losing 33-36 to the Blues. Queensland were playing catch up for the majority of the contest, often falling behind before finding a response to keep within arm’s length of the Aucklanders, but their leaky defence ended up costing them this game. It strated early on, with the Blues getting out to a 7-21 lead inside the opening 30 minutes, before the Reds drew level before the break. The second half followed the same pattern, with the Blues getting ahead 21-33 only for the Reds to come back to tie the game in the dying moments, courtesy of Louis Werchon, setting up golden point. However, the Reds gave themselves no chance in the extra period, as the Blues held the pill and worked their way up the ground, before Fraser McReight conceded a penalty at the ruck to see Queensland fall in frustrating fashion. Despite this blunder, McReight was again among QLD’s best, with 21 tackles on the night, and Harry Wilson was relentless in the carry again. Hunter Paisami, Jock Campbell and Tim Ryan all had their moments, but Les Kiss’ side never looked fully comfortable in this contest.

The Brumbies slipped out of the top four last week with a crushing 12-45 defeat to the Hurricanes. It was an error-riddled performance from Stephen Larkham’s outfit, as they coughed up 18 turnovers and were often put on the back foot in defence. That often left them scrambling and resulted in a shocking 51 missed tackles, finishing with a tackle completion of just 75%, while their set piece did them no favours, especially in the lineout where their own throws were often picked off. Rory Scott worked hard again defensively and Corey Toole was rewarded for his constant carries with an intercept try late on, while Tane Edmed added a bit of attacking spark off the bench, but there were few positives for the Brumbies in Christchurch.

The Reds’ 23 is unchanged this week, while Larkham has made a few changes in the pack, with Billy Pollard, Allan Alaalatoa (concussion) and Tuaina Taii Tualima moving to the bench and Lachlan Lonergan, Rhys van Nek and Toby Macpherson taking their spots. That’s a blow for the visitors and will be a big difference maker in this clash against a good Queensland pack. As just 3.5-point favourites, the Reds are the clear bet to me.

Best
Reds -3.5 ($1.90)

Value
Reds 13+ ($3.30)

Try Scorer
Filipo Daugunu ($11 First, $1.96 Anytime)

Same Game Multi
Filipo Daugunu Try / Harry Wilson Try / Lachlan Lonergan Try ($16.84)