The stats don't lie: Week Eight preview

ONE TO WATCH: Kade Poki of the Highlanders makes a break during last weekend's Super rugby match against the Brumbies. Photo / Getty Images

Byes this week for the Blues and Chiefs. In Dunedin the Highlanders take on the Cheetahs, Timaru hosts the Crusaders and Bulls, while the Hurricanes travel to Canberra to play the Brumbies.

HIGHLANDERS v CHEETAHS

- The Highlanders have won all 5 of the games played between these two sides, but the Cheetahs are no longer the easy-beat team having pushed the Blues hard last weekend.

- Keep an eye out for two of the top linebreakers and try scorers in Highlander's winger Kade Poki and Cheetah's halfback Sarel Pretorious. Both have scored 3 tries this season, while Poki has made 7 clean line breaks and Pretorious has made 6.

- The Highlanders have the best lineout of all the NZ sides, currently running at 89 per cent on their own throws. Last week their lineout ran at 100 per cent on their own ball.

- Adam Thomson is only second behind the Crusaders' Matt Todd at winning ball at the breakdown, currently with 7 steals to his name.

- Colin Slade will be making his second start and no doubt hoping to last longer this week and not leave the field injured again. Last week he kicked 1 conversion, and 1 penalty from 2 attempts.

CRUSADERS v BULLS

- The Bulls have won the last 3 games these teams have played, which includes the 2009 and 2010 semifinals, but all 3 of those games were played in South Africa.

- Overall the Crusaders have won 11 of the 19 games played between the two, and on average score 10 more points a game.

- This will be the 4th match the Crusaders have played in Timaru, and to date they are unbeaten there. The last game in Timaru was in 2006 when the Crusaders beat the Sharks 22-10.

- The Crusaders will be without Dan Carter for the first time this season, and have also lost lock Sam Whitelock to injury.

- The Crusaders boast the two top try scorers of the competition in Sean Maitland (7) and Israel Dagg (4). The Crusaders are averaging 39 points for and 19 points against in games this season, while the Bulls are only averaging 24 points for and 23 points against.

BRUMBIES v HURRICANES

- The Hurricanes have only won 2 games so far, but that's one better than the hapless Brumbies who have only won a solitary game from their 6 games played.

- Aaron Cruden returns to the number 10 jersey, replacing Dan Kirkpatrick. Cruden's goal kicking this season has him sitting on a 75 per cent success rate (Kirkpatrick is on 52 per cent).

- The Hurricanes and Brumbies have played 16 times for 8 wins each. Last year the Hurricanes won 23-13 in Wellington but while games played in Canberra tend to be closer affairs, the Brumbies haven't beaten the Hurricanes since 2006.

- The Hurricanes have the worst lineout of all NZ sides, only winning 73 per cent of their own throws.

- Last week the Hurricanes maintained their record of conceding 70 per cent of their penalties at the breakdown and were duly punished by the boot of Morne Steyn.