Out of the last six Super Rugby matches between the Sharks and the Crusaders the men from Christchurch have won six and the Sharks none.
The Sharks have a dismal record against the Crusaders as they have played them 16 and lost 14 times or 87.5% of these matches.
The last time the Sharks tasted victory against the Crusaders as way back in 2007 and they reached the final. Ruan Pienaar slotted a late conversion to edge the Sharks one point ahead.
The Sharks and the Crusaders missed out on playing each other last year due to the draw so the last time they met was in the elimination play off in 2011.
On average when the Sharks play the Crusaders the score is Sharks 22 Crusaders 33.
The Sharks have hosted the Crusaders 6 times in Durban and won twice. That translates to the Crusaders winning 67% of their matches in Durban.
The average score when the Sharks play the Crusaders in Durban is Sharks 24 Crusaders 28.
The Sharks had a bye last week but before the bye they played the Rebels and won 64-7. A week before that they were hammered themselves 10-29 by the Brumbies.
It would be foolish to think that the Rebels victory was any evidence that the Sharks had solved all of their problems.
The Crusaders will be playing their fourth South African franchise this weekend so they should be familiar with the style of game.
Last week the Crusaders surprised many by beating the Stormers in Cape Town which has led to them being tipped this week. However it must not be forgotten that the Crusaders are in their second week on tour which many players say is when the fatigue kicks in.
The Crusaders have made four changes (one was a late change) for this match. Corey Flynn injured his eye so he had to withdraw and Codie Taylor had to fly out an join the replacements bench which is hardly ideal.
The Crusaders have been in top form lately but we are concerned about the fatigue. The Sharks can be expected to start slowly given last week's bye but as the match wears on they should get stronger.
Last week the Crusaders shocked the Stormers but at the same time they also helped the Sharks preparations as they gave them an idea what to expect this week and they won't be able to pull a surprise like that again.
This match is a tough one to predict but we think the Sharks will edge this by one point.
This Match will be shown on TV in NZ, Aus, SA and in the UK on the Sky Sports website and Red button on SS2.
Average score: Sharks 22 Crusaders 33
Last five results
25 Jun 2011 (playoff) Sharks v Crusaders 8-36 Nelson
27 Mar 2011 Sharks v Crusaders 28-44 Twickenham
26 Feb 2010 Sharks v Crusaders 6-35 Christchurch
18 Apr 2009 Sharks v Crusaders 10-13 Durban
02 May 2008 Sharks v Crusaders 10-18 Christchurch
overall record against the
Played 16Wins 2 Losses 14 Draws 0
Match No.45.: Sharks v Crusaders
Date : Friday 5 April
Venue : Kings Park, Durban
Kick Off local: 19:10
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe
Assistant Ref 1:Marius Jonker
Assistant Ref 2:Reuben Rossouw
TMO : Deon van Blommestein
Teams
Sharks
1. Tendai Mtawarira , 2. Kyle Cooper , 3. Jannie du Plessis , 4. Pieter-Steph du Toit , 5. Franco van der Merwe , 6. Jacques Botes , 7. Marcell Coetzee , 8. Keegan Daniel (Captain) , 9. Cobus Reinach , 10. Patrick Lambie , 11. JP Pietersen , 12. Meyer Bosman , 13. Paul Jordaan , 14. Odwa Ndungane , 15. Francois Steyn
Replacements , 16. Craig Burden , 17. Wiehahn Herbst , 18. Anton Bresler , 19. Ryan Kankowski , 20. Charl McLeod , 21. Riaan Viljoen , 22. Louis Ludik / Bura Sithole
Crusaders
1. Wyatt Crockett 2. Ben Funnell, 3. Owen Franks 4. Luke Romano 5. Samuel Whitelock 6. George Whitelock (c) 7. Matt Todd 8. Luke Whitelock 9. Andy Ellis 10. Tyler Bleyendaal 11. Zac Guildford 12. Ryan Crotty 13. Robbie Fruean 14. Adam Whitelock 15. Tom Marshall
Replacements : 16.Codie Taylor 17. Joe Moody 18. Dominic Bird 19. Jordan Taufua 20. Willi Heinz 21. Telusa Veainu 22. Israel Dagg.
