Reds vs Crusaders super rugby final 2011

The Reds and the Crusaders have already played each other once this year at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and that match was won 17-16 by the Reds.

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Right back to the Super Rugby Final preview.

When the Reds beat the Crusaders in their last clash it was a close shave as the Reds were awarded a late penalty which Cooper kicked.

The Reds have won the last two matches against the Crusaders and both of those matches have been in Brisbane where the Reds have home advantage. Last year's 41-20 Reds victory over the Crusaders ended a 10 match losing streak for the Reds against the Crusaders.

The Reds lost every match they played against the Crusaders between 2000 and 2009. Admittedly during that period the Reds were not as good as they are now under coach Ewen McKenzie.

McKenzie will be hoping that it will be a case of third time lucky against the Crusaders this weekend as he coached the Waratahs to finals in 2005 and 2008 and both were against the Crusaders. On both occasions the Crusaders had home advantage and they won both.

This week the Reds have home advantage and the stadium is sold out so support for the Reds will be fierce in the stands. If everyone turns up a new Super Rugby attendance record will be set in Australia and tickets sold out in 45 minutes.

Last week against the Blues the Reds were a lot better than most fans expected. Quade Cooper on attack was outstanding but the match also exposed one of his weaknesses as his kicks from the right had side of the field fade across the posts.

Dan Carter doesn't have a weak spot when it comes to kicking for posts and it has also been in the news this week that Dan Carter has been practicing his drop goals.

Selections

Both teams have named unchanged selections for this week but there is some doubt over Andy Ellis who went off early against the Stormers. Chris Jack and Luke Romano have been bracketed due to Romano's chickenpox.

Travel.

There has been much talk of the Crusaders travel but what has been talked about a lot less is that the Reds had a bye two weekends ago while the Crusaders have not had a weekend off for a month.

With all of the travel and the lack of rest the Crusaders will have to suffer from fatigue at some point and it is most likely to come in the final quarter.

Referee

While SANZAR does not worry too much about neutral referees the fans certainly do. Bryce Lawrence didn't have his best game when he was in charge of the Crusaders vs Sharks play off (remember the dangerous play scrum call ?) but he was heavily criticised after that match and he will be so mindful of every call he makes in favour of the Crusaders in this match that it may turn out that he slightly favours the Reds.

The Reds have played the Crusaders 10 times in Brisbane and won just four times. On average they score 27 points and the Crusaders score 24 points on average. Their average score away from Brisbane is 24-30 to the Crusaders which shows how much the Reds enjoy playing in Brisbane.

Prediction

This has been without doubt the hardest prediction to make as the two best teams are in the final and they both thoroughly deserve to be there. Ironically both teams have been hit by natural disasters through floods and earthquakes. The Crusaders have spoken more about winning this for Christchurch but whether they win it or not they have done their city proud.

In the ten matches that the Reds have been leading this season at half time they have won every one so the Crusaders will want to make sure that they are leading at half time.
Match Officials
Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Stuart Dickinson (Australia), Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
Television match official: George Ayoub (Australia)

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Super 15 Rugby - The Final
The Super 15 is the largest rugby union football club championship in the southern hemisphere, consisting of provincial teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.