Crusaders v Highlanders - The Hard Numbers

The Crusaders slipped up for the first time all season in their final round robin match against the defending champion Hurricanes last weekend but they wont be too concerned this week when they consider their record against the Highlanders.

The numbers all point to a Crusaders victory at home, even if Naholo bags another double...

• The Crusaders have won eight of their last 10 games against the Highlanders, including each of their last two on the bounce.
• This will be the first time these teams have met in the Finals since a 34-23 win for the Crusaders in the 2002 semi-finals; in fact, the Crusaders boast a 100% win rate from three Finals fixtures against the Highlanders overall.
• The Crusaders will again hunt for a 15th win for the season after falling short in the final regular season round; a win would equal the record for the most wins by any team in a single Super Rugby season (Reds, 2011 & Hurricanes, 2015), a record the Lions could also equal with a win against the Sharks.
• The Crusaders (92%) boast the best lineout success rate of any team so far this season, and are the only team in the campaign to lose fewer than one lineout per game on average.
• Waisake Naholo has scored eight tries in his last four games against the Crusaders, bagging a brace in each of those fixtures.