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After 17 long rounds and two extra of playoffs, we’re finally here. The Super Rugby final, which was projected as soon as the draw came out to be at Ellis Park, ended up being at the home of the Lions – despite the best attempts of the Sharks and not so best of the Hurricanes in the last couple of weeks.
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Meanwhile the Crusaders have efficiently gone about their business to dispatch the Chiefs and Highlanders, but have had to endure a trip all the way to Johannesburg to contest the final.
Here’s some other things about Super Rugby’s showpiece you should know:
- It could be a track meet. Apart from the record-setting Hurricanes, these are the two top-scoring teams of the 2017. While both have mostly trounced the lesser teams in the competition, they both have experience with winning high-scoring shootouts – the Crusaders against the Highlanders in round two, and the Lions against the Sharks in round six.
- The battle of the up and coming coaches. Scott Robertson will be desperate to show the world some more of his breakdancing moves, while Johan Ackermann would be right at home commanding a WW2 U-Boat with that beard. It’s not unlikely to ascertain that both men will have roles to play in their national sides’ coaching futures at some stage in the future.
- Spare a thought for Warren Whiteley. The man who has been at the heart of the Lions’ rise to prominence has been ruled out of the whole finals campaign with a groin strain, with his place at number eight taken by Ruan Ackermann (yes, that’s the coaches son).
- Mitch Hunt is waiting to come on and win the game. The Crusaders have pulled off the three best thrilling finishes of 2017, and Hunt’s boot has been responsible for two of them. First he nailed a pressure kick in Brisbane, then sent over a stunning drop goal in Christchurch to beat the Highlanders. It’s fair to say he’ll be fancying his chances from even further out at the altitude of Ellis Park.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwPGL9NT07w
- Have the Lions learned from last year? The Lions stunned everyone by making their first Super Rugby final last season, but then were undone by sub-zero temperatures and a sudden desire to go into their shells. At home in front of their fans on a warm afternoon though, it should be a different story.
