It’s Super Rugby’s game of the year – make no bones about that.
It’s fitting then that Richie McCaw returns to his familiar No 7 jersey for the first time this season for the Crusaders’ visit to the high-flying Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday . Game starts at 17:05.
The All Blacks and Crusaders skipper made his first start of the year last round at No 8 against the Western Force in Perth, but this week as the stakes rise considerably coach Todd Blackadder has had no hesitation in restoring him to the position from where he does the most damage.
The return from his mid-season All Blacks-prescribed rest of powerful No 8 Kieran Read certainly helps in that decision, with outstanding young openside Matt Todd dropping to the bench for the first time this campaign.
McCaw, who missed the first part of the year with foot problems, will form a heavyweight loose trio alongside Read and in-form blindside George Whitelock.
But the Crusaders are going to need all their pieces operating efficiently to have any chance against a Stormers side which has won eight of its nine games thus far – a home defeat to the Reds in Cape Town the only blip on the graph.
The matchup is a juicy one in so many ways.
Not only does it pit second (the Stormers) against fourth (Crusaders) on the overall standings, with just two points sepearating them, but it’s also a clash between the two teams many believe could be fighting it out for the silverware come July 9.
And if the Crusaders have learned anything over the previous two seasons it’s the importance of earning home advantage over the top South African sides. They’ve lost their last two semifinals to the Bulls in South Africa and Blackadder swore that this year they would move heaven and earth to avoid having to travel at the business end of the competition.
Which is where Saturday’s match comes into the equation.
The Stormers are the biggest threats out of South Africa this year and if the seven-time champions are to finish ahead of them on the overall standings, then the result of their head-to-head could have a major bearing on that.
It’s why Blackadder has kept changes to a minimum, despite the taxing nature of last weekend’s 42-30 victory over the Force.