7 stats you should know around the 2018 Super Rugby final

The Crusaders face the Lions in a Super Rugby final rematch this weekend as the New Zealand side look to defend their title.

Scott Robertson’s Crusaders ran out 25-17 winners last year at Ellis Park and the league’s outstanding team have the opportunity to go back-to-back in Christchurch.

The odds look to be firmly in the Crusaders’ favour – the Lions finished 17 points behind Saturday’s opponents in the regular season – but the whole campaign now boils down to one match.

Ahead of the crunch clash, we have picked out the best Opta facts.

FINALS FOOTY! Can the BNZ Crusaders​ make it 2️⃣ #SuperRugby titles in a row? Or can the Lions who are in their third final in three years claim a Super Rugby title❓🤔#DontMissAThing pic.twitter.com/0HBy0FQ8Sc

— Super Rugby NZ (@SuperRugbyNZ) July 29, 2018

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1 – This game will mark the first time in Super Rugby history that consecutive finals have been contested by the same teams.

2 – Two of the last three Super Rugby finals have been won by the away team on the day, including the Crusaders’ victory in the 2017 edition.

4 – The Lions have lost their last four games in New Zealand, scoring an average of just 16 points per game.

6 – The number of victories from the Lions’ last eight play-off games in Super Rugby; however, they have finished as runners-up in each of the last two campaigns.

9 – The Crusaders have won nine of their last 10 games against the Lions, including their last two in succession.

14 – The length of the Crusaders’ winning run. The last time they won more consecutively was a 16-game streak from April 2005 to April 2006.

87 – The amount of tries scored by the Lions this season is greater than any other team in the competition, but just one more than the Crusaders (86).