With three weeks left in the Super Rugby season, the Hurricanes will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to the Crusaders last week when they take on the Highlanders in the opening game of the round.
The Blues will be looking to rebound from a disappointing season when they battle the Melbourne Rebels. The Chiefs will be looking to find some form against the Super Rugby champs when they take on the Crusaders.
In the match of the round, state of origin rivalries will start early with the Reds looking for a win against the Waratahs. The Brumbies will get a chance at back-to-back wins when they take on a dangerous Sunwolves side at GIO Stadium
The local New Zealand derby sees the Highlanders host the Hurricanes at home. The Highlanders were able to capitalise last week on the inexperience of the Queensland Reds to escape with a 3-point win in Brisbane.
The Hurricanes 10-match streak came to an emphatic end on the road at the hands of the Crusaders.
The Hurricanes have dominated their local derbies and will be looking to continue their impressive run over the Highlanders.
The Highlanders have won all five of their games at home this season and went down to the Hurricanes in Wellington 29-12.
The Hurricanes will be looking to get back in the winner’s circle and expect them to bounce back with a emphatic win against the Highlanders.
The Auckland side will be searching for their first home win of the season when they take on the Melbourne Rebels at Eden Park.
The Blues sit on the bottom of the ultra-competitive New Zealand Conference and will be looking for some redemption against the Rebels in what has been a disappointing season.
The Blues have lost to all of their local rivals and also went down to Jaguares and the Sharks this season. In their only game against Australian opposition this season, the Blues were able to edge the Waratahs in Sydney. Melbourne were able to enjoy a bonus point victory against a weakened Sunwolves team last week and will be hoping to break their duck against New Zealand sides this season.
The Melbourne side are one-point behind NSW in the Australian Conference and if they can get some points against the Blues, they will have the opportunity to lead the Conference heading into the international break.
The Chiefs face a tough assignment coming up against the Super Rugby champs at home this week.
The Crusaders are coming off an impressive victory against the Hurricanes in Round 15 and will be confident of upstaging their local rivals.
The Chiefs have had a solid season and will be looking to push their case for a finals berth and make ground on the Hurricanes, who are in second place in the New Zealand Conference.
The Crusaders recorded a comfortable 45-23 win over the Chiefs in the second round of the competition and the Super Rugby champs should be able to repeat the dose in Waikato with an emphatic victory.
Both of these sides are coming off close losses to New Zealand opposition last round and these two sides will be desperate to grab the points in one of Australian rugby’s oldest rivalries.
Queensland sits in third place in the Australian Conference and the Waratahs have dominated the Reds in recent times, winning their last six games.
The Reds have had issues stringing together consecutive wins this season and will be looking for a positive performance in front of the Suncorp Stadium faithful.
The Waratahs were left to rue another loss against a New Zealand rugby side after dominating their early exchanges with the Chiefs. While NSW were able to break through with a win against the Highlanders in Round 14, coach Darryl Gibson will be expecting his side to dominate the exchanges with the Reds forward pack.
With a backline dominated by Wallabies players, the Waratahs have the quality to edge the Reds in an entertaining contest.
The Brumbies will be aiming to notch consecutive wins for the first time this season after defying the odds to edge the Bulls in round 15 (38-28).
The Brumbies were further boosted by the news this week that Crusaders Australian lock Pete Samu will play for the Brumbies in 2019.
The Sunwolves left out a number of key players last week and were made to pay by the Rebels who pulled off a bonus point victory. The Brumbies will be desperate to seize their chances at home leading into the international break. The Canberra side sits 10-points off the Rebels in third place in the Australian Conference.
This will be a high-scoring affair and expect the Brumbies to have too much class for the Japanese side.