Crusaders and Stormers to reach Super Rugby final

Home advantage has not counted for much in the two previous meetings between the Chiefs and the Crusaders this season and the away team is likely to come on top again when the Kiwi franchises meet in Hamilton for a place in the final.

The Chiefs won 24-19 in Napier in March and the Crusaders won 28-21 in Hamilton earlier this year so the away sides took out both of the battles during the regular season.

Bookmakers have installed the Crusaders, the most successful team in Super Rugby history with seven championships, as the 8-13 first semi-final favourites, with the handicap line set at around three and a half points in favour of the visitors.

The Crusaders, laden with Rugby World Cup-winning All Blacks forwards and backs, were triumphant at Waikato Stadium three weeks ago and that form line is much more relevant than the one in Napier that is more than four and a half months old.

In the early stages of the Super Rugby season, which kicked off in late February, the Crusaders were under strength by their high standards, lost three of their first four games and, even after a bye, went close to losing their fifth match at home to the lowly Cheetahs from South Africa.

The Crusaders came home strongly, however, including being far too good for the Super Rugby ladder-leading Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday 6 July 2012, scoring three tries to one and dominating the all-important fight between the forwards.

The Chiefs pack struggled for parity at scrum time and they were blitzed in the line-outs by their Crusaders opponents, irrespective of which team`s hooker was throwing the ball into the contest. The seven-point margin at the end of the 80 minutes did not reflect the gap between the two sides.

The Crusaders are a team built for the big occasion so, with recent form also pointing towards the Christchurch-based outfit, back them to win straight up and against the spread.

South African franchises the Stormers and the Sharks meet in the second semi-final, with neither side yet to win the most prestigious competition in international club rugby union.

Home advantage has been critical in this year`s Super Rugby duels between the Stormers and the Sharks, with the Stormers winning 15-12 in Cape Town in March and the Sharks winning 25-20 in Durban in May. And home advantage is likely to be the critical factor in Saturday`s knockout tie as well.

The Sharks have drawn the shortest straw of the teams left in the Super Rugby title race. They have had to travel to and from Australia in the past seven days while their opponents have not left their coastal home city.

It is a well known fact that travelling across the Indian Ocean, particularly in both direction in a short space of time, takes its toll on Super Rugby sides and the Sharks are going to have to beat the odds to qualify for the final.

Bookmakers have gone up with the Stormers as the 4-7 second semi-final game favourites and set the handicap line at around four points. They are expecting a close match.

Back the Stormers straight up but refrain from backing them against the spread because there is considerable potential for the Durban sudden-death game to go down to the wire.

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25/07/2012     © Frixo 2024