This weekend’s Super Rugby Aotearoa action brings a top-of-the-table clash between the Crusaders and Blues in Christchurch. Check out the Opta stats and facts before Saturday’s match.
• The Crusaders have won their last 11 consecutive Super Rugby games against the Blues; their last defeat by the Auckland club came in Round 3, 2014.
• The Crusaders are undefeated in their last 35 Super Rugby games played as hosts (W34, D1); their last defeat at home came in Round 17, 2016 by the Hurricanes.
• The Blues have won their last seven Super Rugby games on the bounce; the last and only previous time they won more in succession was a 12-game stretch during an undefeated 1997 campaign.
• The Crusaders have scored (12) more tries and conceded (4) fewer tries than any other team during Super Rugby Aotearoa; in fact, they have conceded just two tries before the 60th minute of games so far this campaign.
• The Blues boast three of the five players to have made multiple lineout steals so far in Super Rugby Aotearoa, with Hoskins Sotutu, Patrick Tuipulotu, and Tom Robinson each snatching two wins against the throw this season.
ALSO READ: Sanzaar set for major shake up?
Photo: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images