The wait continues for Australia’s Super Rugby teams as they have continued to struggle against New Zealand opposition.
The Hurricanes will be looking to continue their good form when they take on the Blues to kickstart the action for Round 13. The Reds get the opportunity to notch a win against the Sunwolves while the Waratahs will have to contend with the Crusaders.
The Brumbies will square off with the Rebels in what promises to be an exciting local derby in the Australian Conference and the Highlanders will be wanting to get a win on the board in their clash with the Lions.
The action finishes with the Chiefs looking to rebound from their shock loss to Jaguares when they take on the Stormers and the Bulls will be wanting to put the bite on the Sharks in the local derby in the African Conference.
While the Blues were able to maintain New Zealand rugby’s impressive record over the Aussies, they face a tough assignment this week against the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes have won their last five games against the Blues with three of those victories coming in Auckland.
The Blues troubles against local rivals have been well documented and have failed to win their last 15 games against New Zealand opposition.
The Hurricanes have won their last four games against New Zealand opposition and will fancy their chances of making it five for the first time since 2015.
The Blues have been under pressure for some time now and a loss will bring the attention back on the methods of Blues coach Tana Umaga.
Beauden Barrett has been instrumental for the Hurricanes this season and expect them to get across the line to record a comfortable win.
The Reds will be looking for nothing less than a big win against one of the minnows of the competition when they take on the Sunwolves. It’s been another tough year for the Japanese side and they’ll be out to spring an upset on Brad Thorn’s young side.
The Sunwolves have yet to beat any of the Australian sides in their last eight attempts and the Reds inexperience on the road could play into the Japanese side’s hands.
The Reds have lost 20 of their last 22 games outside of Australia and they’ll be wanting to improve their record on the road as the competition heads towards the business end of the season.
Queensland currently sit in third position in the Australian Conference, two-points ahead of the Brumbies and will be wanting a win against to Sunwolves to keep in touch with the top two and a chance at Finals football.
After a promising start to the competition, the Reds struggled on the road and a match against the winless Sunwolves gives them an opportunity to improve on their performance from 2017. These two sides have only played once before at Suncorp Stadium, with the Reds running out 35-25 winners on that occasion.
The Japanese side has struggled all season and the Reds should be able to run out comfortable winners.
Things don’t get easier for the Waratahs after a disappointing loss to the Blues last weekend, they know do battle with the Crusaders.
The New Zealand side have been the benchmark in the competition for a number of years and the Waratahs must defy history if they’re wanting to pull off the upset of the round.
The Crusaders have spent the last two weeks laying waste to the Australian Conference, with consecutive wins against the Brumbies and Rebels.
NSW lost their last two games at home to the Blues and the Lions but sit on top of the Australian Conference table with a four-point buffer.
The Waratahs last tasted victory over the Crusaders in 2004 in New Zealand and will struggle to turn things around on current form. While the Crusader’s injury woes have been well-documented they have the depth in their playing group to record a win against the Waratahs.
The Highlanders will be happy to return home after a tough tour of South Africa that saw the NZ side split their two games.
The Lions play the fourth match of their tour of Australia and New Zealand and will be hoping to end things on a positive note. After smashing NSW in Sydney, the Lions were upset by the Reds in Brisbane and then lost to the Hurricanes in Wellington.
The Highlanders have an imposing record at home and have won five of their last six games against the Lions.
The last time the South African side tasted victory against the Highlanders in New Zealand was back in 2011 and on current form, you have to back the Highlanders to get the win.
The Rebels sit in second spot in the Australian Conference despite being outplayed by the Crusaders last week at home and will be wanting a win to keep their chances of finals football alive when they clash with the Brumbies.
The Brumbies sat out round 12 with the bye and are currently sitting in fourth place in the Australian Conference and are 10-points off the Waratahs at the top of the table. The Rebels will be feeling confident have won three of their last five meetings and with the injection of fresh talent in their squad.
The Rebels beat the Brumbies in Melbourne in their last meeting, but with the home sides dominating the Australian derbies this season, the Brumbies will be warm favourites to return to form at home in the nation’s capital.
The Rebels have struggled with their defensive line in recent weeks and the Brumbies should be able to take advantage to record a valuable win
The Chiefs will be looking to rebound from the disappointment of losing their round 12 fixture to Jaguares. The loss to the South Americans last week sees the Chiefs slip to fourth place in the New Zealand Conference and they’ll be wanting to turn things around in their clash with the Stormers.
The Stormers have been travelling nicely and come into this match with some good form under their belt, after accounting for the Bulls last week at Newlands.
The Chiefs have won four of their last five clashes with the Stormers and will be confident of putting a dent in the Stormers perfect home record this season.
The Stormers will be hard to beat at home and they should be able to grind out a close win against the visitors, who struggled last week.
Despite coming off a loss last week to the Stormers, the Bulls will be feeling confident entering their clash with the Sharks. The Bulls are unbeaten in their last five outings against the Sharks, who have a history of struggling at Loftus Versfeld.
The Sharks were impressive last week, comprehensively outplaying the Highlanders to record a 38-12 bonus point victory to move into third place in the South African Conference. Sharks flyhalf Robert du Preez has been in outstanding form for his side this season and leads the competition in total points scored.
The Bulls have dominated the Sharks in recent times and should be able to grind out a tough win in what looms as an intriguing encounter for both sides.