The Coastal Sharks are to put their Super Rugby competition lead on the line this weekend against the red-hot Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch, where they have never won.
The Durban-based Sharks lead the southern hemisphere provincial series by just one point from defending champions the Waikato Chiefs, with the ACT Brumbies a further point away.
Jake White’s Sharks went down 16-9 to the Brumbies in Canberra last week and face the seven-time Super Rugby champion Crusaders fueled by the momentum of five straight wins.
A bonus-point victory could put the Crusaders level with the Sharks, while the Brumbies could go top if they beat the Central Cheetahs in Bloemfontein tomorrow.
The Chiefs, along with the Northern Bulls and Auckland Blues, have the weekend off with a bye.
White knows what confronts his team tomorrow with the Crusaders unbeaten in their past 50 matches against South African and Australian opposition in Christchurch.
Only two South African teams have beaten the Crusaders in New Zealand in 18 years of Super Rugby — the Cats (now the Lions) in 2001 and the Bulls in 1996.
“We knew this period of the season was going to be really tough, the Brumbies are the top Australian side and got to the final last year,” White said.
“The Crusaders are always contenders, and the Sharks haven’t won in Christchurch. The nice thing is that we’re still in control of our own destiny and there’s a lot more rugby to be played,” he added.
The Crusaders are the hottest side currently in Super Rugby following their 57-29 demolition of the Queensland Reds in Brisbane last weekend.
With flyhalf Colin Slade in career-best form and inspirational All Black skipper Richie McCaw back from injury, the pieces are falling into place for the Crusaders after a sluggish start to the season.
Number eight Kieran Read is again sidelined with the effects of concussion, and coach Todd Blackadder has brought in Tom Taylor at fullback and rested Israel Dagg.
“Kieran hasn’t been able to fully participate in contact training for a little while so we’re better off giving him more space and time to get back to 100 percent,” Blackadder said.
The Brumbies are to begin a two-match tour of South Africa against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, where they have lost on two of their three visits.
The Brumbies were beaten in a nine-try thriller in their last trip to the town in 2011.
Winger Henry Speight is set to return from a fractured jaw if he gets through training this week, while Joe Tomane has been forced out of the trip after fracturing his eye socket in the win against the Sharks.
The Western Force, in fifth spot overall and trailing the Brumbies by three points in the Australian conference, can celebrate their most successful campaign with a win over bottom-placed Western Stormers in Cape Town this weekend.
The Force’s previous best season was in 2008 with seven wins, but they can make it eight with victory over the Stormers.
South African flyhalf Sias Ebersohn is in doubt after injuring his knee in last week’s 23-16 win over the Cheetahs.
In the weekend’s remaining games, sixth-placed Wellington Hurricanes are scheduled to play at home against the Otago Highlanders, the troubled Reds are looking for their first win in six games against the Melbourne Rebels in Brisbane, and on Sunday the NSW Waratahs are to host South Africa’s Golden Lions.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
VALUABLE POINT: Relegation-threatened Valencia snatched a thrilling 3-3 draw at CA Osasuna thanks to a remarkable backheel volley by Umar Sadiq Barcelona on Sunday secured a comfortable 4-0 win over Real Sociedad to move back top of La Liga. Aritz Elustondo’s early red card gave Hansi Flick’s side a comfortable afternoon, with Gerard Martin, Marc Casado, Ronald Araujo and Robert Lewandowski on the score sheet. Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao on Saturday to temporarily knock the Catalans from their perch, while Real Madrid, third, lost at Real Betis Balompie. Flick was able to rotate his side a little ahead of the UEFA Champions League round-of-16 visit to face SL Benfica tomorrow and still move one point above Atletico. “There were a lot of things that
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
RSS