Crusaders vs Blues Prediction: This match will go down to the wire

At Orangetheory Stadium, the Crusaders and the Bulls will compete in the semi-final of the Super Rugby Pacific tournament. The Crusaders and their rivals both field teams of world-class caliber, which bodes well for the overall quality of this matchup. Despite this, the Crusaders have a very good record against the Blues, and they recently won a game against them at home by a score of 12 points.

The Crusaders have had a successful season, as evidenced by the fact that they finished in second place in the Super Rugby rankings. After losing four of their total of ten matches in the round robin, they have not been even close to their dominant best. However, two of those four losses occurred in the first three rounds, which means that they have won nine of their most recent 11 matches. Two of those triumphs came at the expense of the Blues, and they came both at home and on the road. Although the Saders lost their last round robin match against the Hurricanes by a score of 27-26, there was nothing more at stake in that match than the Saders' sense of pride because they had already secured second place in the competition. The Crusaders breezed through the quarterfinal against the Fijian Drua, defeating them at home by a score of 49-8 last week, even though earlier in the season, Drua were one of the teams that were successful in defeating the Crusaders; however, the Crusaders did field a weaker side.

This season will leave the Blues with a sense of dissatisfaction. They have been performing below the level of excellence seen in their performances in the prior two years, although they have produced very good outcomes overall. The Auckland side suffered their most recent loss against Blues in the middle of May, when they were defeated 15-3 on this very ground. However, what the Blues do have is some solid form, as seen by the fact that they have won their last four games. The Auckland team was victorious over the Reds, Hurricanes, and Highlanders in the final three games of the round-robin competition. The previous week, they defeated the Waratahs with ease at home in the quarterfinal match, winning 41-12.

The Crusaders have defeated the Blues in 17 of the previous 18 matches that they have played. Additionally, the hosts have won both of this season's meetings against the Blues. The Crusaders have been successful in five out of their last six encounters. The Crusaders have been victorious in their past seven matches played at home. In nine of their previous 12 encounters, the Crusaders were able to overcome a handicap of -4. The Blues have been victorious in their past four encounters. 

Given the stakes involved in this clash, both teams are putting their best foot forward in this contest. However, competitions of this nature demand that both teams perform at their highest possible level and demonstrate a great deal of good play, a desire to win, and the ability to properly execute their game plan. In the meantime, it is just difficult to support a team like the Blues here because they do not have it easy versus the Crusaders and because they play on the road. It is likely that both of these teams will be well-versed in defense; therefore, a wager on few points being scored while the Crusaders are projected to win is one of the major alternatives that should be considered.