We’re only a few weeks from the end of the regular season and two exciting games will be contested in Round 8 of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
First-up on Saturday, the Crusaders will look to bounce back from a rare defeat when they meet the Chiefs in Waikato, before the Highlanders and Blues face off in Dunedin on Sunday.
We’ve previewed both games, and you can find our Super Rugby Aotearoa Round 8 tips below.
Old foes the Chiefs and the Crusaders will do battle in the first game of the round at Waikato’s FMG Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Chiefs are still searching for their first win in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
They returned another improved effort against the second-placed Blues in Round 7, but it ultimately wasn’t enough, and they would need to improve noticeably again to even push the Crusaders for the full eighty.
The Crusaders meanwhile suffered their first loss of the tournament at the hands of a resurgent Hurricanes outfit.
That ended an incredible 36-match unbeaten streak at home for the Crusaders, who were slow out of the blocks but ultimately stormed home to make it close and will take big momentum into this match.
The line is set at just 8.5 points and the Crusaders could have that covered by the break.
Back the Crusaders to Cover the Line (-8.5)
A decent contest looks likely to materialise when the Highlanders host the Blues in Dunedin on Sunday afternoon.
The Highlanders enjoyed a well-earned week off in Round 7, having snuck past the Chiefs by just a couple of points the week prior.
They remain well and truly in contention, but a loss this week would make the task extremely difficult as we quickly wind towards the end of the season.
The Blues snuck away with another win, also over the Chiefs, to remain second in overall standings.
It was an exciting contest, not too dissimilar to the one that the Highlanders locked into the week prior, suggesting that this will be a far tighter contest than the head-to-head prices suggest.
I’m going back the Highlanders in an upset.
They have a lot more to play for than the Blues, and the Blues just barely scraped home in front of their own crowd last week. On the road, I think they’ll face a far bigger task.
Back the Highlanders to Win ($2.60)