Crusaders vs Highlanders

Following the Crusaders' dominant 52-15 win over New Zealand rivals the Highlanders, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the action.

Whilst Burns did have some neat touches and tried to get his team on the front foot with ball in hand, there was a lot left to be desired. Their attacking play was disjointed, and the only shining light in the performance was Thomas Umaga-Jensen who will become crucial to the team this season. Of course, it must be considered that the Highlanders did not hand the former Leicester Tiger the best platform. Granted, the side started against both of last season’s finalists, but the gap in quality is alarming. In the clash against Crusaders, the side were missing several All Blacks such as Aaron Smith and Shannon Frizell. In typical fashion, the Crusaders punished the error with a converted try. A big turnaround is needed before the season becomes longer than needed. Mo’unga may be going to Japan after the World Cup, but he is certainly a key piece of the jigsaw for the showpiece in France. [Havili](https://www.planetrugby.com/tag/david-havili/) took things into his own hands against the Highlanders and produced a blockbuster performance with a particularly good second half. 60 against the Blues last weekend and 52 today. However, like any great team under pressure, there was calmness and clarity of thought in the Crusaders’ ranks. The most debated position in the All Blacks picture ahead of the World Cup later this year is undoubtedly inside centre.

The Crusaders ran riot, coming close to a record win over the Highlanders in the first match of Super Round.

"More satisfying in the fact that we've got a new Crusader, Noah Hotham, for him to be part of this special club now, is awesome to be a part of and awesome to get the win for him." While the Highlanders will take on the Chiefs in round three on March 10 in Hamilton, the Crusaders will head to Fiji where they will face the Drua. For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by For the Highlanders, it was the second defeat in a row after their 60-20 defeat to the Blues at Forsyth Barr Stadium. It's been a tough draw for the Highlanders, who will face the Chiefs in round three. "The Cheifs played all the footy last week and we wanted to come out and impose ourselves against the Highlanders, so I think we did a good job. [The contenders to be the next All Blacks coach](https://wwos.nine.com.au/rugby/all-blacks-coaching-news-2023-ian-foster-scott-robertson-ian-foster-dave-rennie-joe-schmidt/1e532f02-386a-47f7-9908-a524e0f25d6a) The only saving grace for the Highlanders was that they escaped a record loss, coming close to their previous largest margin of defeat which was set in 2019 at 43 points. [Highlanders](https://wwos.nine.com.au/highlanders) will head home with their tails firmly between their legs after the [Crusaders](https://wwos.nine.com.au/crusaders) delivered a 37-point thumping in the first match of Super Round in Melbourne. It marked a massive turnaround for the Crusaders who suffered a surprise 31-10 first round loss to the Chiefs in Christchurch. The Crusaders stretched their legs to an enormous lead only for the Highlanders to score two late tries. All told, the Crusaders collected seven tries on their way to a 52-15 win in round of

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Join us at 7:05pm, for as the southern derby is fought out across the Tasman at the competition's 'Super Round'.

Crusaders (1-15): Joe Moody, Codie Taylor, Tamaiti Williams, Scott Barrett, Sam Whitelock, Ethan Blackadder, Tom Christie, Christian Lio-Willie, Mitchell ...

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The 2023 Crusaders vs Highlanders broadcast starts on Mar 3, 2023. Stream or cast from your desktop, mobile or TV. Now available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast ...

Watch Crusaders vs Highlanders in Super Rugby on Friday (07:00 GMT) · Highlanders lost their last game by 40 points · Can the Saders' bounce back from their round ...

While last season went relatively well for the Otago-based outfit, they were dreadful in their opener last week. Last week it started well for the Crusaders as they raced into a 10-0 lead against the Chiefs. While the performance was dire, the Crusaders also started last season slowly only to go on and win it in the end. Last season they snatched a 17-14 victory over their southern rivals. The Crusaders and Highlanders have met on 44 previous occasions. The Saders’ have dominated, winning 31 with the Highlanders taking 12 wins.

In this second round of matches for the World Super Ruger, Crusaders and Highlanders will compete against one another at Orangetheory Stadium.

Although we do not foresee a better performance from Highlanders in this game, we do anticipate a victory for the home team, which we also anticipate will score a lot of points and cover the spread. Both of the teams had a rough start to the season, losing their first game in their respective leagues. In this second round of matches for the World Super Ruger, Crusaders and Highlanders will compete against one another at Orangetheory Stadium.