Canterbury Crusaders coach Robbie Deans has recalled all his available top players to protect his team’s unbeaten record in what promises to be one of their biggest Super 14 tests this season against the Waikato Chiefs today.
The six-time southern hemisphere provincial rugby champions are on a run of eight wins and lead South Africa’s Coastal Sharks by seven points after nine rounds.
Deans had the luxury of fielding a second-string outfit in last week’s 31-6 win over the lowly Golden Lions at home, but this time Canterbury confront the Chiefs, coming off three successive victories.
The Chiefs have only beaten the Crusaders three times in Super rugby but Deans is wary of their threat in Hamilton.
Chiefs coach Ian Foster has named an unchanged 15 from their last outings against the Highlanders and Brumbies.
The unbeaten Sharks will be keenly awaiting the Crusaders’ result as they attempt to reel in some of their lead against the ACT Brumbies in Canberra tomorrow.
The Sharks have scrambled to a 13-13 draw against the Wellington Hurricanes and a 19-17 win over the Otago Highlanders so far on their Australasian tour, but the two-time champion Brumbies will be tough to beat at home.
The ninth-placed Brumbies are also expected to be fired up after this week’s announcement that coach Laurie Fisher’s contract will not be renewed next season and he will be replaced by Andy Friend, the Australian coach of English premiership club Harlequins.
The Durban team are preparing themselves for a massive effort on defence as well as on attack after having analysed the Brumbies’ last two games.
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