| Blue Skies for Pink Bulls |
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The forecast is for blue skies, sunny and hot in Auckland on Sunday - a perfect forecast for afternoon footy at Eden Park. Blues
fans have pleaded for afternoon footy for years so this is their
chance to get behind the 4.05pm kickoff against the South African Blue
Bulls who will actually play in their pink alternative strip. That
means ref Garratt Williamson will have to leave his new Pink Batts
strip at home, as he'll be in the plain old black and white. Meanwhile this week, the Blues have been out facing their fears with a SKYwalk challenge, which reminded us that the Bulls recently posted a video demonstrating how they faced their worst fear .... singing. |
Important Stuff
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Check this out!
The Highlanders were on 'cougar' alert this week as they put their bodies on the line for a special Ladies' Lunch fundraiser for charity. The boys wowed the ladies, helped to serve lunch, and raise $5000 for charity.
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But everyone knows the Crusaders were the original Ladies Lunch charmers. The Crusaders Ladies' Lunch
is an annual event that has become very popular in Christchurch and
this year, the boys suited up and they arrived bearing flowers ....
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All Blacks and Hurricanes duo Victor
Vito and Dane Coles will run out for their 50 Investec Super Rugby
matches tomorrow night against the Crusaders. Meanwhile the Crusaders's latest video ad campaign calling on fans to be the difference, is enough to pull at the red and black heart strings.
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NEWSFLASH! Former Taranaki skipper Paul Tito is
working with our referees this year alongside former
Test
ref Bryce Lawrence in helping the refs perform better.
Whistle-man Nick Briant makes his Super Rugby debut in
Invercargill on
Saturday just as former Chief Glen Jackson heads off on Six Nations
duty. | 
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Coming up this weekend
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Hurricanes v Crusaders: Friday 8 March, Westpac Stadium, Wellington
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It's
game 23 for these two sides and the ledger currently sits at 15 wins to
the Crusaders, five for the Hurricanes and two draws. The Crusaders
also have a healthy lead on points, with 613 (27.9 per match) compared
to 429 (19.5 per match). In 2012, each side one one match - the
Crusaders 42-14 and the 'Canes 23-22.
The last time the Crusaders
lost their first two matches was in 2004 (they still made the Final)
while the Hurricanes have never lost their first three matches.
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| Compare the two teams |
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| Highlanders v Cheetahs: Saturday 9 March, Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill |
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The
Highlanders have won all seven of their matches over the Cheetahs in
Super Rugby, including last year's 36-33 win and have 192 points to the
Cheetahs' 143.
When
it comes to Invercargill, the Highlanders have a pretty good record:
they've hosted 16 Super Rugby matches and won 10, drawn one and lost
five - since 1996. The last loss was in 2009 to the Chiefs. They beat
the Cheetahs there in 2007, recorded wins over the Cats in 2006 and
1998 and lost to Free State there in 1997.
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| Compare the two teams |
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| Stormers v Chiefs: Saturday 9 March, DHL Newlands Stadium, Cape Town |
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While
the Stormers topped the table and the Chiefs took the title in 2012,
these two sides didn't play in 2012 and you have to go back to 2011's
30-23 win to the Chiefs for a previous result.
From
their 14 encounters so far, the Stormers are ahead on wins, with eight
to the Chiefs' six and there's just 14 points separating the two of
them: the Stormers have 359 to the Chiefs' 345.
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| Compare the two teams |
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| Blues v Bulls: Sunday 10 March, Eden Park, Auckland |
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There
have been 16 not-so-sweet encounters between these two sides, with the
Blues taking a clear lead. The home side has a nine win to five
advantage on the ledger, and a 121-point lead (491 to 370). It is
likely to be a high-scoring affair - traditionally matches between the
Blues and Bulls see an average of over 61 points scored in total. The
Blues have a high score of 64 against the Bulls and on three other
occasions have scored over 50 points. Last year the Blues were 29-23
victors in Pretoria.
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| Compare the two teams |
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| Illustrations: Getty Images |
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Copyright © 2013 New Zealand Rugby Union
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