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).