This Preview covers the rest of the weekends games on Saturday. All the teams playing on Saturday is under the tag above named , “TEAMS”

Crusaders vs Highlanders

It’s very rare to go against the Crusaders – particularly on home soil against the Highlanders.

Crusaders

The Crusaders are notoriously strong at the AMI Stadium with the Highlanders only having won their twice in nine attempts.

The home team go into the game with a depleted looking team.

• Captain – Kieran Read
• Richie McCaw rested for opening weeks
• Brad Thorn benched due to insufficient preparation time
• Flynn, Crockett, Jack, Crotty and Poki all out injured

Highlanders

Glenn Moore’s Highlanders team did get the better of the Crusaders last season with a dour 6-0 win in Dunedin

The Highlanders are looking to build on some solid pre-season form to improve on their lowly 11th place finish back in 2009

The Highlanders picked up a number of Canterbury players in the offseason with Bronson Murray, Jason MacDonald, Nasi Manu and James Paterson included in their ranks for the upcoming campaign.

• Captain – Jimmy Cowan
• Manu and Paterson set for Highlanders debuts

Reds vs Waratahs

A Reds’ victory, despite playing at home, would be considered an upset.

Reds

McKenzie has opted to play captain James Horwill at blindside flanker following the Wallaby lock’s strong performance in the No 6 jersey in the pre-season hit-out against the Western Force last week.

Exciting Wallaby utility back Digby Ioane has been named on the wing with Morgan Turinui – also a former Waratahs star – starting at outside centre. The experienced Peter Hynes adds more Wallaby flavour to the Reds backline.

Captain – James Horwill

Waratahs

The major talking point in this one is the homecoming of former Reds ace Berrick Barnes. The young Wallaby tactician will face his former teammates for the first time in his new Tahs colours and is sure to be the target of a fired up crowd’s fury.

The Tahs have six new faces in their matchday 22 with internationals Drew Mitchell and Sosene Anesi joining Barnes in the backline. Former Brumbies scrumhalf Josh Holmes starts on the bench as does uncapped duo Kane Douglas and Rory Sidey.

Captain – Phil Waugh

• Berrick Barnes and Drew Mitchell start after moving from the Reds and the Force respectively
• Josh Holmes on the bench following move from the Brumbies

Lions vs Stormers

Can not see how the Lions without match practice as a team take this game, in fact a ugly wake up is waiting.

New Lions coach Dick Muir on Thursday sprung a few surprises.

With ten new faces in the squad – seven in the starting side – they have not had game time together as a team.

Lions

Also interesting is the choice of Jacques Lombaard ahead of Jannes Labuschagne and Nico Luus.

On the bench Jacques Coetzee, the Pumas scrumhalf, who wasn’t even in the original training group, will back up new signing JP Joubert.

Some omissions include former Boks Henno Mentz and Lawrence Sephaka, last season’s hooker Hans van Dyk, flyhalf Herkie Kruger and scrumhalf Chris Jonck.

• Captain – Cobus Grobbelaar
• Nine new faces in matchday 22
• Franklin starts at hooker
• Lombaard, Mokuena bolster pack
• Joubert and Spencer halfback pairing
• Youngster Mjekevu on the left wing
• Chavhanga on the right wing
• Emslie, Coetzee and Francis on the bench

Stormers

Allister Coetzee has decided to stick with what worked in pre-season warm-up matches against the Western Force and Sharks

Stormers Super 14 debuts for the two Springboks lured to the Cape since last year, Bryan Habana and Jaque Fourie

• Captain – Schalk Burger
• Duvenage gets the nod ahead of Januarie at 9
• Grant at 10 with de Jongh partnered with Fourie in midfield
• Steenkamp beats van Zyl to partner Bekker in second row
• De Waal left out altogether with Cronje included on the bench

Sharks vs Chiefs

The Chiefs will have to contend with some unfriendly February weather conditions on Saturday – far removed from the temperate comfort zone of New Zealand’s premier dairy farming region – as well as a Sharks team who have faced a fair amount of criticism during their preseason.

This will be a close game, in fact I recon the most difficult one to pick this weekend.

Sharks

• Captain – John Smit
• Smit at tighthead
• Dumond at No 10
• Mostert, Alberts named on the bench
• Pienaar and Jacobs also on the bench

Chiefs

“If you look at the Chiefs, they’ve always had brilliant backs, very entertaining to watch even when the team isn’t doing well.

They are pretty good all round, missing a couple of players but plenty to back them up.

Despite the Chiefs often being slow starters, they will come in to the 2010 competition with a different sort of mindset and plenty of motivation.

In the backs Foster has opted for the midfield combination of Jackson Willison at second five-eighth with Richard Kahui at centre. Dwayne Sweeney gets to start on the right wing, Fijian speedster Sitiveni Sivivatu on the right wing and Mike Delany at fullback

• Captain – Liam Messam
• Stephan Donald at No 10