Super Rugby Pacific has returned. Chiefs crush Crusaders 31-10 in Super Rugby Pacific opener in Christchurch. It’s the home league of the top clubs from New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands.
This week marks the return of Super Rugby Pacific, the home league of the top clubs from New Zealand, Australia, and the adjacent Pacific Islands. The 15-round gauntlet, plus knockout rounds leading to a final, boasts some of the greatest and brightest players playing rugby anywhere in the globe.
Those who aren’t guaranteed spots in their national teams have a significant opportunity to shine against Super Rugby opposition during the coming months and impress enough to deserve selection because the club scene is in the midst of a Rugby World Cup year.
Crusaders Vs Chiefs
Friday, 7.05pm, Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch
In the opening round of DHL Super Rugby Pacific, the Gallagher Chiefs have selected a seasoned lineup against the Crusaders that totals more than 1000 club appearances.
The starting front pack has an average of 65 Chiefs appearances, while the starting backs have an average of 72 Chiefs appearances. On Friday in Christchurch, the Chiefs will face the Super Rugby Champions.
Five of the Gallagher Chiefs’ ten Super Rugby victories have come away from home, so they are eager to travel south after last season’s lauded victory at Orangetheory Stadium.
Crusaders vs Chiefs Head-to-Head
In their last eight Super Rugby matches, the Crusaders have defeated the Chiefs six times. The Saders’ last match resulted in a 20-7 victory during the 2022 semifinal.
In 2022, the Crusaders came in second place in the Super Rugby standings. They finished six points behind the Blues despite winning 11 of their 14 games.
Yet, they managed to defeat the Blues in the championship game. With a 20-7 home victory over the Chiefs in the semifinal, the Crusaders defeated them.
The Crusaders finished the season on a high note, going on a seven-match winning streak that included a victory over the Blues.
Crusaders – home team to win.
To effectively defend the trophy, they won the previous season is the Crusaders starting goal for this one. With victories over Reds in the quarterfinals and Chiefs 20-7 in the semifinals, Crusaders demonstrated their playoff potential. Crusaders demonstrated their potential in the playoffs despite coming in second place in the World Super Rugby standings with 52 points from 14 games, 6 points behind Blues, who took the top spot.
But the excellent play and high caliber performance they delivered provided them the advantage they required to defeat Blues in the championship match by a score of 21-7. We anticipate that they will play at a high level in this game as well, leading to an easy win for them.
Moana Pacific vs. Drua Fiji
It is perhaps understandable that Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua, the two Super Rugby teams representing the rugby-crazy Pacific islands, had underwhelming debut seasons in 2022 given that they occupied the bottom two slots in the league standings.