Chiefs vs Crusaders Prediction: Chiefs to claim bragging rights
There’s a mouth-watering Super Rugby Pacific clash to look forward to on Friday morning (06:05, Sky Sports Mix) as rivals the Chiefs and the Crusaders prepare to do battle at FMG Stadium Waikato.
Alex Jack provides his best bets in his Chiefs vs Crusaders prediction piece, as well as all the essential team news and match odds for the showdown in Hamilton.
Team News
Starting with the Chiefs, the hosts have Aidan Ross, Bradley Slate and George Dyer in the front row, with the second row a pairing of Josh Lord and Tupou Vaa’i.
The back row consists of Simon Parker, Luke Jacobson and Jahrome Brown, with Xavier Roe and Josh Jacomb in the half-backs.
Rameka Poihipi and Anton-Lienert-Brown are in the centres, with Leroy Carter and Emoni Narawa on the wings and Damian McKenzie at full-back.
As for the Crusaders, Tamaiti Williams, Ioane Moananu and Fletcher Newell are at the coalface, with locks Antonio Shalfoon and Scott Barrett in the second row.
The back row sees Cullen Grace, Christian Lio-Willie and Ethan Blackadder start, with Kyle Preston and Taha Kemara in the half-backs.
With David Havili and Levi Aumua in the centres, the backline is complete with Chay Fihaki and Sevue Reece on the wings and Will Jordan at full-back.
The Chiefs are the favourites to claim the win and the bragging rights at 4/9, while the Crusaders are 2/1 to head back to Christchurch with the victory.
A draw in Hamilton comes in at 20/1, while the Chiefs to win both halves is currently 6/4.
Chiefs -10 handicap @ 5/4
Beating last season’s champions the Blues 25-14 in their opening game in Auckland was an early statement win for the Chiefs, who will be confident ahead of their return to Hamilton.
The Chiefs have won 16 of their last 18 Super Rugby home games and they look capable of getting some revenge after a 37-26 defeat in their last meeting with the Crusaders back in March 2024.
Beating the Blues on their own patch takes some doing and this confident Chiefs side can fall on the right side of the -10 handicap against the Crusaders.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
Damian McKenzie anytime tryscorer @ 7/5
Moving McKenzie from fly-half to full-back allowed the New Zealand international time and space to work his magic in the wide channels against the Blues to great effect.
Scoring a brace of tries in that showdown in Auckland, McKenzie will once again wear the No.15 jersey this weekend and cause the Crusaders defence plenty of problems out wide.
Given his brace against a mean Blues defence last week, McKenzie at 7/5 in the anytime tryscorer market makes great appeal here.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
Find more Rugby Union Betting Tips here at Betfred Insights
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