There’s a titanic Super Rugby Pacific semifinal tussle to look forward to on Saturday as the Chiefs make the trip to Wellington to face the Hurricanes.
The Chiefs are back in the running for the title after finishing runner-up in the grand final last season.
They make the trip down to the bottom of the South Island to face a Hurricanes side have come on leaps and bounds this season and finished top of the ladder at the end of the regular season with 12 wins in 14 games.
A game set to showcase some of the best players New Zealand has to offer, a mouth-watering encounter is set to take place at Sky Stadium this weekend.
. What: Hurricanes v Chiefs
. Where: Sky Stadium, Wellington
. When: 17:05 (AEST), Saturday 15th June 2024
. How to watch: Stan Sports
. Odds: Hurricanes 1.60, Chiefs 2.35
Hurricanes' progress unquestionable
Having lost five games on the bounce against the Chiefs, the Hurricanes have since won their last two meetings with the Hamilton outfit.
It just shows how far this Hurricanes side have come under head coach Clark Laidlaw since last year when they suffered a 37-33 quarterfinal defeat at the hands of the Brumbies in Canberra.
The Canes won nine of their 14 regular season games in that 2023 season and everything about this team in the last 12 months shows they have been moving in the right direction.
They face a huge test this weekend against a Chiefs side that knows what it takes to reach a grand final.
Halfbacks TJ Perenara and Brett Cameron will need big games and must look to play the Canes in the right areas of the field.
The hosts are the favourites at 1.60 to claim the win and reach the final but the -3 in the Line market at 1.91 for the Hurricanes just shows how close this semifinal could be.
Chiefs eyeing final return
The Chiefs suffered a heartbreaking 25-20 defeat to the Crusaders in the grand final last season in Hamilton and are looking to make amends this season.
Head coach Clayton McMillan and his side have not been as formidable as they were last season, where they lost just one of their regular-season games.
However, this is still one of the best teams in the competition and are fully deserving of being back in the semifinals.
Flyhalf Damian McKenzie continues to weave his magic that can win any game, while he has the likes of Anton Lienert-Brown, Emoni Narawa and Shaun Stevenson outside him in the backline.
The Chiefs blew away the Reds in the first 40 of their 43-21 quarterfinal win in Hamilton and they will be hoping to produce a similar start in Wellington.
There's 2.20 for the Chiefs to be leading at halftime on Saturday, with the Hurricanes at 1.72 to be in front at the break.
Looking to the Anytime tryscorer market, Narawa is the shortest price for a Chiefs player to score at 2.50.
Narawa has managed to score 10 tries and provided four try assists across his last eight games and is certainly a player who can light up this semifinal in the Kiwi capital.
