Chiefs and Hurricanes face off for top spot in Super Rugby Pacific

Chiefs players celebrate. Photo / Photosport

The match on Saturday between the Chiefs and Hurricanes will bring together the two best teams in Super Rugby Pacific but not, apparently, the best players in New Zealand.

Few of the players who take part in the match in Wellington, which will feature a rare mid-afternoon kick-off, are likely to be part of the All Blacks team which plays at the World Cup in France later this year.

Most of those places will go to players from the Blues and Crusaders who are fourth and fifth on the championship table but carry more clout than other New Zealand teams.

Ardie Savea, Jordie Barrett and Tyrel Lomax for the Hurricanes and Sam Cane, Brodie Retallick, Samisoni Taukeiaho and Tupou Vaa’i for the Chiefs are All Blacks regulars. Chiefs midfielders Anton Lienert-Brown and Quinn Tupaea might be chosen if fit and both teams have outside selection chances.

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The Hurricanes (6-1) and Chiefs (6-0) are tied atop the table on 27 points. The Hurricanes lead with a marginally better points differential but have played one more game. The Brumbies also are 6-1 in third place and play the Fijian Drua on Friday.

Moana Pasifika play the Reds in Apia, Samoa on Friday and the Waratahs play the Force Saturday in other matches in the shortened eighth round.

Many fans will be delighted that the match between the Hurricanes and Chiefs will have a 2.35pm kick-off, by accident rather than design. Upgrade work on the floodlights at Wellington’s Sky Stadium has been delayed by high winds which means the match has to go ahead in a daytime slot.

Fans generally prefer daytime matches because in New Zealand’s autumn and winter, the dew that affects ball-handling is less of a factor.

The Hurricanes are the top point-scorers in this season’s tournament with 272 and top try-scorers with 39. The Chiefs are the best defensive team in the competition, having conceded only 98 points, 46 points better than the next best team, the Hurricanes.

“We need to be physical and accurate in everything we do to enable us to play our style of rugby to win this weekend,” Hurricanes coach Jason Holland said. “It’s a brilliant opportunity to play in the afternoon and looking forward to seeing a big crowd and lots of kids.”

Hurricanes v Chiefs, Saturday 2.30pm: Live coverage on nzherald.co.nz/sport, iHeartRADIO and GOLD SPORT; Alternative Commentary Collective on iHeartRADIO and Sky Sport 9