The Crusaders and Blues both claimed bonus point wins but with only two weeks left, the Blues are running out of time for a late run at the title. The Crusaders just have to win at home next week against the Highlanders to wrap it up, if they lose then it comes down to the final Blues v Crusaders match.
The Crusaders were hit with their first loss this weekend but are still in the driver’s seat. Blues in second have 17 points with only two games left, Hurricanes in third have 16 points with 2 games left. The Crusaders at 19 points have three games left so their magic number is 28 points to win the competition, that’s 9 points from 3 games. They’re still clear favourites.
The Crusaders, even though they had a bye, took a step closer to clinching the title as the Blues, their closest competitor, faltered on the weekend. Now the Crusaders are 5 points clear with a game in hand. The remaining teams have 3 games left so Crusaders only need 11 points from their 4 remaining games to clinch the title.
The Crusaders continue to roll and Clay’s unshakeable faith in the Blues has allowed Mark and AaronT to close the gap on him in the prediction contest.
Clay was the only one to get 2 for 2 on the predictions this week and has an impressive 88% accuracy rate so far this season. Compare that to the @Rugby4Cast account on Twitter who do a detailed statistical analysis of the games, they are at 50% so far this season.
Canada will have three pro rugby teams operating in 2021 and all of them are in Ontario. In Rugby Union it’s the Toronto Arrows, in Rugby League it’s the Toronto Wolfpack and the new team, the Ottawa Aces.
Blues 27 – Highlanders 24
The Blues led 22-10 at HT with winger Caleb Clarke stealing the show with one try and an assist on the second. Pressure through the kicking of Otere Black forced an error which led to the third try for the Blues in the half. The Highlanders scored one through the forwards, the Highlander forwards were steady throughout the half and their lineout may be one of the best in the competition.