Both these teams have won their previous games and although the Crusaders won by 17 and the Highlanders only by 1 this game will be closer than you think. In the first few rounds of the competition I read the Crusaders team sheet; it is impossible not to think that they are going to win every game by at least 20 points, but that is not what happened this far. The Highlanders might only have won one game this far, but the team they won is a very well drilled team and the best in Australia. I believe that most of the people have written of the Highlanders even before the season begun, but I also think that they will put up a real fight against the defending champions. The Crusaders will look to get off to a fast start and run the Highlanders into the ground in the early stages of the game so that the defense gets tired and they can then exploit the Highlanders in the final 20. That is why they are that dangerous at the end of the game, it is because they are a very fit team and they are able to more often than not tire the defense. The reason that didn’t work against the Chiefs is because Gatland is know for his teams fitness and they were fitter than the Crusaders. The Highlanders on the other hand will want to slow the game down and try to control the ball with their big forward runners and strong forward pack.
Key Match-ups:
Bryn Hall vs Aaron Smith: This is going to be an enticing battle because I believe that Hall has been the form halfback of the past few seasons in super rugby and we might just see the passing of the guard in this match. Aaron is coming to the end of his career and I know that every one says TJ will take over in the All-Back 9 jersey, but I believe that Hall will give him a run for his money. Bryn is a very lively halfback and plays the same type of game as Aaron and that is why this is going to be such an exiting battle. I believe that if either of these two win the battle and get the upper hand over his opposition they will put their team in the driving seat to win the game.
Cullen Grace vs Shannon Frizell: These are two very different types of players. Cullen who made my team of the week last week is a very defensive type of loose forward. He will make allot of tackles and will be a menace at line-out time trying to disrupt the Highlanders ball. Shannon, another one of the players that made my team of the week is a player who likes running with the ball more than the defensive side of things. He will carry hard and try to get over the gain line as frequently as possible. If he is able to do that he will look to put his team mates into gaps with an offload. The reason I believe that this is going to be a big battle is that the one will try and stop the other and if either of these have a great game and is able to take the other out of the game they will help their team immensely.
Teams:
| Starting XV | ||
|---|---|---|
| David Havili | 15 | Michael Collins |
| Sevu Reece | 14 | Kirisi Kuridrani |
| Braydon Ennor | 13 | Rob Thompson |
| Jack Goodhue | 12 | Josh Ioane |
| George Bridge | 11 | Jona Nareki |
| Richie Mo’unga | 10 | Mitch Hunt |
| Bryn Hall | 9 | Aaron Smith |
| Joe Moody | 1 | Ayden Johnstone |
| Codie Taylor | 2 | Liam Coltman |
| Michael Alaalatoa | 3 | Siate Tokolahi |
| Luke Romano | 4 | Jesse Parete |
| Mitchell Dunshea | 5 | Josh Dickson |
| Cullen Grace | 6 | Shannon Frizell |
| Tom Christie | 7 | James Lentjes |
| Tom Sanders | 8 | Marino Mikaele Tu’u |
| Bench | ||
| Andrew Makalio | 16 | Ash Dixon |
| Isileli Tuungafasi | 17 | Dan Lienert-Brown |
| George Bower | 18 | Conan O’Donnell |
| Ethan Roots | 19 | Jack Whetton |
| Sione Havili | 20 | Teariki Ben-Nicholas |
| Mitchell Drummond | 21 | Kayne Hammington |
| Brett Cameron | 22 | Teihorangi Walden |
| Leicester Fainga’anuku | 23 | Josh McKay |
My prediction:
I believe that this is going to be a good contest, but the crusaders are going to come away with the win. The reason for my prediction is because the Highlanders aren’t fit enough and that showed against the Sharks.
Rugby dissect 
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