S15 Preview: Round Six, Part One
There is nowhere to hide in Super Rugby as some of the sides in Round Six must test the depth of the squads as the gruelling Southern Hemisphere competition is packed full of surprises at every turn.
There are no local derbies in the first three matches of the weekend, with all three games on New Zealand soil.
In Friday's only game the Highlanders entertain the Rebels for their first ever visit to Invercargill on New Zealand's South Island.
The action on Saturday kicks-off with the Hurricanes tackling the Cheetahs in what promises to be a match full of excitement and running rugby.
Then the Chiefs rejoin the party - fresh off their bye and eager to take on the Waratahs at their fortress in Hamilton.
Friday, March 30:
Highlanders v Rebels
(Rugby Park, Invercargill - kick-off: 19.35; 06.35 GMT)
The Rebels will make their first appearance outside of Australia this season, and their Invercargill debut in Super Rugby after going down 40-18 to the Highlanders in Melbourne last season.
The Melbourne side will be in high spirits following their victory over the Western Force last weekend, and the return of their star signings Kurtley Beale and James O'Connor adds some much needed potency to their attacking options.
The Highlanders will be glad to return home following a disappointing loss to the Brumbies in what was a below par performance from Jamie Joseph's men.
Injuries to flyhalf Colin Slade and hooker Andrew Hore are a setback for the Highlanders, but in Chris Noakes and Jason Rutledge their have more than adequate replacements. The big team news is the return of Adam Thomson to the side of the scrum, as he is crucial to the Highlanders' cause and was sorely missed last weekend in Canberra.
The Rebels have an impressive backline that will test the Highlanders' defence, but with Thomson back in the mix the home side will want to bully the breakdown and secure the lion's share of possession.
The challenge for the Rebels will be to get clean ball out to their backs, while the Highlanders know it doesn't matter who is standing in the opposition backline if they never see the ball in space.
Recent results:
2011: Highlanders won 40-18, Melbourne
rugby365.com Prediction: The Rebels are likely breath some excitement into the match with some attacking backline play, but ultimately the Highlanders will be efficient up front and on the ground. Highlanders by about 10.
Teams:
Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Tamati Ellison, 12 Shaun Treeby, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Chris Noakes, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Nasi Manu, 7 James Haskell, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Jarrad Hoeata, 4 Josh Bekhuis, 3 Chris King, 2 Jason Rutledge, 1 Jamie Mackintosh (captain).
Replacements: 16 Brayden Mitchell, 17 Ma'afu Fia, 18 Culum Retallick, 19 Doug Tietjens, 20 Jimmy Cowan, 21 Phil Burleigh, 22 Buxton Popoali'i.
Melbourne Rebels: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Mark Gerrard, 13 Lachlan Mitchell, 12 Lloyd Johansson, 11 Cooper Vuna, 10 James O'Connor, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Gareth Delve (captain), 7 Tom Chamberlain, 6 Jarrod Saffy, 5 Hugh Pyle, 4 Luke Jones, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Adam Freier, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Ged Robinson, 17 Rodney Blake, 18 Alister Campbell, 19 Michael Lipman, 20 Nic Stirzaker, 21 James Hilgendorf, 22 Julian Huxley.
Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Vinny Munro (New Zealand), Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)
TMO: Kane McBride (New Zealand)
Saturday, March 31:
Hurricanes v Cheetahs
(Westpac Stadium, Wellington - kick-off: 17.30; 04.30 GMT)
The match pits the two most exciting backlines in the competition against one another in a mouth watering affair.
Both the Hurricanes and the Cheetahs boast star-studded backlines that don't fear running the ball for inside their own half, and are willing to risk leaking points by bravely putting faith the flair of the backs.
Both sides have recorded victories this season in the dying moments of a match by running the ball from into their own 22m and scoring a match-winning try with time up on the clock.
The Hurricanes might have the a slight ascendency with a little more international experience in the backline playing on home ground, but any team who underestimates the Cheetahs does so at their peril.
Up front the Cheetahs should have the edge in the scrums with props WP Nel and Coenie Oosthuizen back in the mix, while Karl Lowe will have his hands full in first Super Rugby match in more than a year up against Heinrich Brüssow.
The 'Canes will miss the services of Victor Vito in the forwards, and Brad Shields has very big boots to fill against a very mobile Cheetahs back row.
Two of the competition's most exciting flyhalf prospects will also go toe-to-toe in this match, with Beauden Barrett and Johan Goosen both tipped for higher honours as their careers develop.
Recent results:
2011: Hurricanes won 50-47, Bloemfontein
2010: Cheetahs won 28-12, Bloemfontein
2009: Hurricanes won 29-12, New Plymouth
2008: Hurricanes won 38-10, Bloemfontein
2007: Hurricanes won 37-15, Wellington
rugby365.com Prediction: The 'Cane have the advantage of playing on home ground, but the Cheetahs should be able to give their backs more ball to play with and could be dangerous. Cheetahs to snatch a tight victory by a couple of points.
Teams:
Hurricanes: 15 Andre Taylor, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith (captain), 12 Charlie Ngatai, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Brad Shields, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Faifili Levave, 5 Jeremy Thrush, 4 James Broadhurst, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Tristan Moran.
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu'u, 17 Michael Bent, 18 Mark Reddish, 19 Jack Lam, 20 Chris Eaton, 21 Daniel Kirkpatrick, 22 Jayden Hayward.
Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Ryno Benjamin, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Willie le Roux, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Justin Downey, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 George Earle, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Coenie Oosthuizen.
Replacements: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Andries Ferreira, 19 Ashley Johnson, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Philip Snyman.
Referee: Ian Smith (Australia)
Assistant referees: Chris Pollock (New Zealand), Richard Kelly (New Zealand)
TMO: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)
Chiefs v Waratahs
(Waikato Stadium, Hamilton - kick-off 19.35; 06.35 GMT)
The Chiefs come back into the action off the back of a bye and will be refreshed and ready to tackle the Waratahs in Hamilton.
The 'Tahs claimed just their second victory of the season in a bruising encounter with the Sharks last weekend and will need a much stronger defensive performance to keep the Chiefs off the scoreboard.
Nippy 'Tahs scrumhalf Brendan McKibbin keeps the No.9 jersey and is likely to take up the kicking duty, with Berrick Barnes able to concentrate on his playmaker responsibilities from flyhalf.
The introduction of Sarel Pretorius when the game has opened up in the second half could help the 'Tahs to launch an attack, while Chiefs' scrumhalf Tawera Kerr-Barlow is always on the attack.
The big Waratahs loose trio will have a vital job to keep the more mobile Chiefs back row from dominating the breakdown, while impressive young tighthead Ben Tameifuna can test himself against wallaby star Benn Robinson at scrum-time.
The big difference between the two sides is in the backs, where the Chiefs midfield containing Sonny Bill Williams and Richard Kahui is the envy of almost every side in the competition and the 'Tahs will need more than Tom Carter's ego and Rob Horne's 1950s crew cut to keep them quiet.
Recent results:
2011: Waratahs won 23-16, Sydney
2010: Waratahs won 46-19, Hamilton
2009: Waratahs won 11-7, Sydney
2008: Chiefs win 20-17, Hamilton
2007: Chiefs won 28-23, Sydney
rugby365.com Prediction: The Chiefs should be able to bash some holes in the 'Tahs defence as the game goes on and pick up the win. Chiefs by about 15.
Teams:
Chiefs: 15 Robbie Robinson, 14 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Tim Nanai-Williams, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Kane Thompson, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Craig Clarke (captain), 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Arizona Taumalolo.
Replacements: 16 Mahonri Schwalger, 17 Josh Hohneck, 18 Michael Fitzgerald, 19 Sam Cane, 20 Augustine Pulu, 21 Andrew Horrell, 22 Lelia Masaga.
Waratahs: 15 Bernard Foley, 14 Tom Kingston, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Tom Carter, 11 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Brendan McKibbin, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Chris Alcock, 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson (captain).
Replacements: 16 John Ulugia, 17 Paddy Ryan, 18 Sitaleki Timani, 19 Lopeti Timani, 20 Jono Jenkins, 21 Sarel Pretorius, 22 Daniel Halangahu.
Referee: Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Jonathon White (New Zealand), Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
TMO: Shane McDermott (New Zealand)
By Timmy Hancox