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- The Crusaders have won five of their last six completed Super Rugby matches against the Highlanders (L1), coming from behind at half-time to win two of those matches.
- The Highlanders have lost six of their last seven Super Rugby matches on the road (W1), conceding an average of 33 points per-game in those defeats.
- The Crusaders have won all 21 of their Super Rugby finals matches on home soil, only three times in that span has the full-time margin been in the single figures.
- The Highlanders have lost their last three Super Rugby finals appearances, after winning four consecutive finals matches prior to that span.
- The Crusaders have won 12 of their last 13 completed New Zealand derbies in Super Rugby (L1), but lost in their most recent such fixture to the Chiefs (27-40).
- The Highlanders are undefeated in their last two Super Rugby matches against fellow New Zealand teams (W1, D1), they haven’t had a longer run of such matches without losing since a three-game stretch through March-May 2016 (W3).
- The Crusaders have averaged 510 metres per-game in Super Rugby 2019, the most in the competition and 78 more than the Highlanders (432).
- The Highlanders have conceded just 7.1 penalties per game on average in Super Rugby this year, fewer than any other side.
- The Crusaders’ Sevu Reece has made 34 clean breaks in Super Rugby this year, six more than any other player, while he’s also scored the most tries in 2019 (13).
- Aaron Smith (Highlanders) has provided 11 try assists in Super Rugby 2019, the most of any player in the finals series and the second most overall (Quade Cooper – 12).
The Crusaders have played the Highlanders 36 times in Super rugby since 1996 and the Crusaders have won 24 matches, lost 11 times and drawn once.
The Crusaders 24 wins out of 36 matches gives them a record of winning 67% of their matches against the Highlanders regardless of venue.
This weekend the match will be played in Christchurch which is home for the Crusaders and the city in which the teams have met 18 times.
In those 18 matches played in Christchurch, the Crusaders have won 15 matches and lost 3. This gives the Crusaders a record of winning 53% of their matches against the Highlanders at home.
The average score when the Crusaders play the Highlanders in Christchurch is : Crusaders 33 Highlanders 20.
The Crusaders have won the last four matches against the Highlanders in Christchurch and the Highlanders have not won in the city since 2015.
The Crusaders have played three elimination matches in Christchurch against
the Highlanders and they have won all three.
Average score: Crusaders 28 Highlanders 20
Last five results
Fri, 12 Apr 2019 Crusaders 43 v 17 Highlanders @Christchurch
Sat, 16 Mar 2019 Crusaders 0 v 0 Highlanders (Game was called off due to the events in Christchurch – Match was declared a draw)
Fri, 06 Jul 2018 Crusaders 45 v 22 Highlanders @Christchurch
Sat, 17 Mar 2018 Highlanders 25 v 17 Crusaders @Dunedin
Sat, 22 Jul 2017 Elim: Crusaders 17 v 00 Highlanders @Christchurch
Crusaders overall record against the Highlanders
Played 36, Wins 24, Losses 11, Draws 1
Teams
Crusaders
15 David Havili, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Matt Todd, 6 Whetu Douglas, 5 Sam Whitelock (captain), 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements: 16 Andrew Makalio, 17 Tim Perry, 18 Michael Alaalatoa, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Jordan Taufua, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Mitchell Hunt, 23 Braydon Ennor
Highlanders
15 Ben Smith (co-captain), 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Rob Thompson, 12 Tei Walden, 11 Sio Tomkinson, 10 Josh Ioane, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Luke Whitelock (co-captain), 7 James Lentjes, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Tom Franklin, 4 Jackson Hemopo, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 1 Liam Coltman, 1 Daniel Lienert-Brown
Replacements: 16 Ash Dixon, 17 Ayden Johnstone, 18 Siate Tokolahi, 19 Josh Dickson, 20 Shannon Frizell, 21 Kayne Hammington, 22 Marty Banks, 23 Elliot Dixon
Match Officials and details
Date: Fri 21 June
Venue: Orangetheory (AMI) Stadium, Christchurch
Kick Off local: 19.35
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant Ref 1: Paul Williams
Assistant Ref 2: Brendon Pickerill
TMO: Ben Skeen
