Clash of the loose forwards crucial for Canes

Victor Vito of the Hurricanes dominates the lineout ball. Photo / Getty Images

First into the Super Rugby ring are the Hurricanes, heavyweight winners of the round robin competition, burning favourite to deliver a knockout blow at the Cake Tin and advance to their second tournament final.

Barring the way are the Brumbies, a group who are used to travel but will be sorting out bodies and minds scrambled from journeys between Canberra, Sydney, Johannesburg, Cape Town and return, then scooting over the Ditch to Wellington.

They will feel the pinch somewhere, perhaps at the start when they are not in the zone or at the end when the pressure heats up even more. When they are half a step out of synch, the Hurricanes will hurt them.

Not that we have any data to judge them this season as the tournament draw removed that contest.

The last time they met in 2014, the Brumbies travelled to Wellington and triumphed 29-21. They've lost trump wing Henry Speight to suspension but have got Christian Leali'ifano and Matt Toomua to direct their backline.

Where will the match turn, what can we look for to see who's getting some traction? Let's settle on the loose forwards as a measure.

The Hurricanes have Victor Vito, Ardie Savea and Brad Shields to do that work up against Ita Vaea, David Pocock and Scott Fardy.

The Hurricanes trio are all ball players, men who look to cross the ad line and offload or in Savea's case use his extreme pace to embarrass defenders. They are not one-dimensional showponies who switch off when they don't have the ball, they have learned to work hard across the park and all deliver better defence and lineout options too.

Pocock may be the best at the breakdown on the park, a limpet on the ball if he gets set for a turnover, Vaea brings the thumping leg-drive and Fardy is a strong lineout operator and busy man on defence.

Verdict: Hurricanes by a TKO.

Back across the Ditch, the Tahs, Highlanders and referee Craig Joubert will all return for a repeat of their round-robin match in Dunedin where the hosts won 26-19.

Strong defence married to the Highlanders' cut-and-run tactics left their bigger rivals stalking shadows.

A version of those Rope a Dope tactics against George Foreman will get another run in Sydney tomorrow but it's hard to think a team with the widespread talent of the Waratahs will sink to a repeat defeat.

Their warning will come about mental rust from a week off while the Highlanders will be trying to get banged-up bodies in shape for this semifinal. Ben and Aaron Smith and Malakai Fekitoa are classy test men who ice their teammates' unrelenting labour yet the Tahs have even more men with international clout.