Super Rugby Round 2 Preview: Part 1:

The Crusaders are historically a strong side at home but with a Round 1 defeat to the Chiefs, the Crusaders will already be under pressure to roll Tana Umaga's Blues. The home side have made just one change to their starting line up and the likes of Sam Whitelock and Kieran Read will need to bind the side and give the young backline the freedom they need. Andy Ellis had a fiery start to this season's tournament and he will need to keep it up this week. The Blues have made a number of changes with Jerome Kaino returning from suspension and Rene Ranger being promoted to the starting line up. The Auckland based side impressed last week and have it all to play for against the competitions most successful side

Both these sides are coming off dominant Round 1 wins and are both the favorites in the Australian conference. The Brumbies decimated the Hurricanes in a game where the result may have been expected but the scoreline a big surprise. The home side have the dominating pack and with Pocock and Hooper up against each other, the loose forward battle will be something many supporters are keen to watch.Tomas Cubelli was outstanding on his Super Rugby debut and the Brumbies will be looking to him for more of the same. Both sets of back lines are exciting with the Warathas perhaps having the slight advantage on paper. Wycliff Palu returns for the Sydney based side which will provide them with a good ball carrier through the latter stages of the game.