A preview of the upcoming matches of the round:
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The battle for the Super 14 play-offs is set to intensify this weekend with the Round 11 of this year's battle for southern hemisphere supremacy.
The Crusaders are currently setting the pace following their hammering of the Cheetahs in Christchurch last weekend and they will be confident of cementing their place on top of the pile against the struggling Western Force who suffered their seventh reverse of the season against the Blues last time out.
The Friday night match at the Perth Oval is the first of a testing run of games for the Crusaders, eight-time winners of the Super Rugby crown, with away trips to the Stormers and Bulls ahead of them but they have been boosted by the return of fly-half Dan Carter after recovering from a hip injury that ruled him out of the win over the Cheetahs.
The Bulls only trail the Crusaders on points difference and will look to reclaim pole position against basement side the Lions at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. The defending champions' bid for glory hit a bump in the road against the Reds last weekend with the Australian side producing a stunning win at the Suncorp Stadium. And the Lions, who are yet to break their duck this year following their ninth successive loss against the Sharks last weekend, are likely to feel the wrath of their South African rivals as a result.
The Reds' victory over the Bulls lifted them into the semi-final picture and underlined their title credentials but they will be under pressure to back up that performance with another of similar class against a Stormers who are looking to further their own post-season aspirations. Back-to-back victories over the Blues and most recently the Chiefs have seen Rassie Erasmus' side climb to third place in the table and their demolition of their Kiwi hosts in Hamilton last weekend was heralded as one of the most impressive displays of the season so far.
Both the Waratahs and the Brumbies remain in the hunt for the post-season and the two Australian rivals will square up at the ANZ Stadium on Saturday. The Tahs have arguably conceded home advantage by switching the game to Homebush rather than use their usual Sydney Football Stadium home but they will be hoping it inspires a return to winning ways having succumbed to the Crusaders a fortnight ago. The Brumbies are also looking to get their season back on track having been beaten on home soil by the Hurricanes last weekend and fact a must-win scenario if they are to remain in touch with the top four.
Victory over the Brumbies in Canberra breathed life into the Hurricanes campaign and they have the chance to further their revival against the Highlanders in Dunedin who are coming off a mauling at the hands of lowly force two weeks ago. But they may have to tackle their South Island foes without captain Andrew Hore who is a doubtful starter due to a knee injury picked up against the Brumbies. On the positive side for Cooper, openside flankers Karl Lowe (illness) and Scott Waldrom (impending fatherhood), along with scrum-half Piri Weepu (family bereavement) are all expected to return after missing the Canberra trip. The Highlanders have injury woes of their own with hooker Jason Macdonald ruled out of the rest of the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
A narrow victory over the Lions last weekend extended the Sharks winning run to four games - having lost their first five games - and a similar result against the Blues will keep their feint play-off hopes alive. But the Blues got their season back on track with a big win against the Force last time out following a drubbing against the Stormers and a victory would see them edge nearer a priceless play-off berth.
The latest action gets underway in Hamilton on Friday night with the wobbling Chiefs tackling the Cheetahs at Waikato Stadium. The Chiefs were handed a lesson by the Stormers last weekend and since then have seen fly-half Mike Delany and winger Leila Masaga sidelined by injury. But coach Ian Foster did receive some good news this week with All Blacks winger Sitiveni Sivivatu ready to return having recovered from a knee injury. Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske has been handed a timely boost with his captain Juan Smith returning to the mix having missed the last three games due to a family bereavement.
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