Highlanders vs Crusaders Prediction: Another tough weekend for the road team

Forsyth Barr Stadium will host game 12 of the Super Rugby Pacific encounter between the Highlanders and Crusaders. Both teams have not been the best this season, but the road team, the Crusaders, are favored to win, according to the bookies. Let’s preview this game and make a prediction. 

Highlanders made it consecutive wins last weekend against Moana Pasifika, as this side secured a 17-28 victory. In the meantime, their first of that run was against Western Force, a game they won 7-6 on home turf. However, except from those wins, Highlanders lost five of their last seven games, as other games saw this side lose to Brumbies, Chiefs, Hurricanes, Rebels, and Reds. This season, Highlanders accumulated 19 points from 10 league games, positioning them 7th in the standings.

Crusaders are coming off a defeat at the hands of Reds, a game that ended 28-33. In the meantime, the Crusaders have lost as many as eight of their first ten games of the season, a disappointing one for a side that won the league last season. In their only two wins this season, Crusaders secured a 37-26 win against toughest rival, Chiefs, while they also got the best of Rebels in a 39-0 fashion. However, Crusader's encounters against Western Force, Waratahs, Blues, Fijian Drua, Hurricanes, and the like ended in defeats.

I will still lean in favor of Crusaders in this game, regardless of their poor form this season. This team has weaken so much and it is understanding due to the transition after winning the league last season. On the other hand, the Highlanders are not consistently performing well, but the fact that they have won their last two league games will be a confidence boost for them. Regardless, Crusaders are bookies’ favorite, and looking at their quality in the squad, provided they can maintain top level, I am taking them to win each half of this game.