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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.

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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.

 

Continue reading below…

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

– 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.

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

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– 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.

– 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).

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Nickers 28 minutes ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I thought we made a lot of progress against that type of defence by the WC last year. Lots of direct running and punching holes rather than using width. Against that type of defence I think you have to be looking to kick on first phase when you have front foot ball which we did relatively successfully. We are playing a lot of rugby behind the gain line at the moment. They are looking for those little interchanges for soft shoulders and fast ball or off loads but it regularly turns into them battering away with slow ball and going backwards, then putting in a very rushed kick under huge pressure.


JB brought that dimension when he first moved into 12 a couple of years ago but he's definitely not been at his best this year. I don't know if it is because he is being asked to play a narrow role, or carrying a niggle or two, but he does not look confident to me. He had that clean break on the weekend and stood there like he was a prop who found himself in open space and didn't know what to do with the ball. He is still a good first phase ball carrier though, they use him a lot off the line out to set up fast clean ball, but I don't think anyone is particularly clear on what they are supposed to do at that point. He was used really successfully as a second playmaker last year but I don't think he's been at that role once this year. He is a triple threat player but playing a very 1 dimensional role at the moment. He and Reiko have been absolutely rock solid on defence which is why I don't think there will be too much experimentation or changes there.

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