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- The Crusaders and Jaguares will clash for just the third time in Super Rugby, the Crusaders picking up a win in each of their last two meetings by an average margin of 22 points per game.
- Only twice in Super Rugby history has the Grand Final been won by a team playing outside their home country (Crusaders def. Brumbies in 2000 & Crusaders def. Lions in 2017).
- Nine of the last 13 Super Rugby Grand Finals have been decided by a margin of fewer than 10 points; though, only one of the last three fits that bill.
- The Crusaders are undefeated in their last 30 Super Rugby games played on home soil (W29, D1); the last time they lost at home to a team from outside New Zealand was in Round 1, 2015 against the Rebels.
- This will be the Crusaders’ 14th appearance in a Super Rugby Grand Final, more than twice as many as any other team (Brumbies – 6); they’ve won nine of their previous 13 including their last two on the bounce.
- This will be the Jaguares’ first foray into a Super Rugby Grand Final; only four teams in Super Rugby history have won the Grand Final on their first attempt (Blues in 1996, Crusaders in 1998, Bulls in 2007, Reds in 2011).
- The Jaguares have won five of their last six Super Rugby games away from home, including their last three on the bounce.
- The Crusaders (33.2) and Jaguares (28.9) have scored more points per game than any other teams in Super Rugby 2019.
- Sevu Reece (Crusaders) bagged a brace of tries against the Hurricanes in the semi-final to take his season tally to 15, just one shy of the Super Rugby record set by Ben Lam last season (16).
- Guido Petti Pagadizaval (Jaguares) stole a brace of lineouts against the Brumbies in the semi-final to take his season tally to 13, three more than any other player in the competition and more than three times the Crusaders’ best (Scott Barrett, Kieran Read, Sam Whitelock – 4 each).
Crusaders Super rugby head coach Scott Robertson has named a team with two injury-enforced changes to play the Jaguares in the Super Rugby final in Christchurch on Saturday.
Head Coach Robertson has named a consistent run-on side from last week’s Semi Final, with the exception of lock Scott Barrett and second five-eighth Ryan Crotty, who have both been ruled out of the Final with hand injuries.
Mitchell Dunshea joins Captain Sam Whitelock as the starting locks, and Braydon Ennor slots into the midfield alongside Jack Goodhue, in the absence of Crotty. 21-year old Will Jordan returns from injury to re-join the match day side.
Robertson said the team has built nicely throughout the week in preparation for Saturday’s Final: “This is going to be a massive challenge against a tough Jaguares side, and there has been plenty of great energy in our environment this week.
“This is the Jaguares first Final so they’ll have plenty of motivation and will be buoyed by the support of their passionate fans. The occasion is something we’ve embraced in our group, it’s exciting and really special to be involved in a Final and to play for our friends, family and the people of the Crusaders region on Saturday.”
Crusaders
15 David Havili, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Braydon Ennor, 12 Jack Goodhue, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Matt Todd, 6 Whetukamokamo Douglas, 5 Sam Whitelock (captain), 4 Mitchell Dunshea, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements: 16 Andrew Makalio, 17 George Bower, 18 Michael Alaalatoa, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Jordan Taufua, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Mitchell Hunt, 23 Will Jordan
Jaguares
15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Matias Moroni, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo De La Fuente (captain), 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Domingo Miotti, 23 Sebastian Cancelliere
Match: Crusaders v Jaguares
Date: Saturday 6 July
Venue: Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch
Kick Off local: 19:35 (ARG 04:35; GMT 07:35; RSA 09:35; JAP 16:35; AUS 17:35)
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant Ref 1: Mike Fraser
Assistant Ref 2: Paul Williams
TMO : Ben Skeen
