The Waratahs have the opportunity to finally end Australia’s Super Rugby blues when they take on Auckland. The Blues have struggled this season and were shocked by Jaguares in the previous round at Eden Park.
Jaguares will clash with the Chiefs while the Melbourne Rebels will look to cause an upset against the Crusaders.
The Hurricanes will go up against the Lions in the clash of the round and the Stormers will be wanting to get a win against local rivals the Bulls.
The Highlanders will do battle with the Sharks to close out the action for this round.
The South Americans surprised everyone in the competition when they completed a 20-13 victory over the Blues in Auckland.
Jaguares have won their last three games on the road, that includes wins over the Rebels and Brumbies.
The South Americans outstanding form on the road has seen them rise to second in the South African Conference standings on points difference over the Bulls.
The Chiefs are coming off the bye and have a perfect record in the three matches that they have played in Hamilton this season.
The Chiefs have question marks over a number of senior players with Brodie Retallick, Sam Cane, Damien McKenzie and Anton Lienert-Brown all struggling with injuries this season.
The Chiefs are sitting in fourth place in the New Zealand Conference and will be counting on a win at home before heading off on a tour of South Africa.
The Rebels return to Melbourne after failing to win a game on their tour of South Africa.
Melbourne have lost their last four games and were trounced by the Hurricanes at home in round seven in their only clash with New Zealand opposition this season.
The Rebels remain in second place in the Australian competition and are three points off NSW who lead the Australian Conference.
The Crusaders are on a five-match winning streak and are coming off a comprehensive 21-8 win over the Brumbies in Canberra.
The Crusaders haven’t been beaten by Australian opposition in the last 12 months and should have no issues recording a comfortable win in Melbourne.
The Rebels are in danger of losing momentum and will be wanting an improved performance in front of their home fans.
The Hurricanes have been one of the form teams of the competition and are coming off an outstanding 43-15 victory over the Sunwolves in the previous round at the Cake Tin.
The Lions have been the form team of the competition and are enjoying an eleven-point gap on their closest opposition at the top of the South African Conference.
The South Africans were stunned by the Reds in an upset loss last week and will be looking for an improved performance against one of the best backlines in the competition.
The Hurricanes are packed with a backline that includes the Barrett brothers, Julian Savea and Ben Lam and should be too strong for a Lions side that failed to match the Reds enthusiasm for a contest last week.
While the Lions won’t be a pushover, the Hurricanes should be able to do enough to tame the opposition as they push towards another Super Rugby Finals appearance.
The current 36-match streak enjoyed by New Zealand super rugby teams over their rivals across the Tasman is under serious threat this week when the Blues travel to Sydney to take on the Waratahs.
The pressure will be on Auckland to defend New Zealand’s stranglehold over Australian sides when they take on the Waratahs this weekend.
The Blues were upset by Jaguares in round 11 to give the South Americans their first ever win in New Zealand and Blues coach Tana Umaga is under real pressure to turn around his side’s fortunes.
It’s now or never for Australian rugby and if the Waratahs can’t get a win against the Blues here, you get the feeling that the Australian fans may endure another season of misery against the Kiwis.
NSW will be looking to put the distractions surrounding Nick Phipps to one side as they focus on a morale-boosting victory for Australian Super Rugby sides against the Blues this weekend. The Waratahs have the form and the confidence to get the jobs done and they should come out on top in a hard-fought victory.
The Bulls travel to Cape Town to take on a Stormers side that will be hoping to climb back into finals contention after struggling for consistency this season.
The Bulls went down to the Highlanders in a thriller last week at Loftus Road, while the Stormers are coming off a big win against the Rebels at Newlands.
The Stormers picked up their fourth consecutive victory last week and have shown sides of improving after a slow start to the competition.
The Bulls will struggle to stop the Stormers at home and the Stormers should be able to continue their climb up the standings with a tough win over their conference rivals.
The Highlanders were able to steal victory from the Bulls last round thanks to a penalty from fly-half Lima Sopoaga. He was able to collect 19-points as the Highlanders grabbed a valuable victory on the road.
The Sharks outplayed the Stormers at Kings Park in Round 11 to record a 24-17 victory and will fancy their chances of making it back to back wins against the visitors.
The Highlanders will be desperate to close the gap on the Hurricanes in the New Zealand Conference while the Sharks have the opportunity to get off the bottom of the ladder if they can add to their three victories this season.
The visitors have more to play for and expect the Highlanders to edge the Sharks in an exciting encounter.