Kings vs Crusaders preview

The Crusaders will welcome the Kings to Christchurch for Round 6 of the 2013 Super Rugby tournament.

The Crusaders have seen four changes to the team that played the Bulls last week.

Willi Heinz takes the number 9 jersey while Luke Romano returns from injury moving Andy Ellis and Dominic Bird respectively to the bench.

Zac Guildford has returned to the Crusaders and takes a seat on the bench, but the All Black speedster should make his first appearance in the 2013 Super Rugby season later in the game.

The Kings, despite the past and recent controversy, have shown that they do fit into the Super Rugby mix and have impressed with their dedication and perseverance throughout matches.

The Kings have recalled  Tomas Leonardi and Virgile Lacombe from the touring squad, but have replaced the two with Edgar Marutlulle and Devin Oosthuizen to replace them.

Big Kenyan forward Daniel Adongo will start at lock and partner with David Bulbring.

The backline remains unchanged from last week, which is a good thing, seeing as the combinations are beginning to click within the Kings backs.

Rugby Informers prediction: The Kings have shown that they’re not intimidated by big-name opposition, as they showed a lot of guts against the Chiefs. That said, the Crusaders will be adamant to secure a home win and the experience in the squad should see the Crusaders take the win. Crusaders by 20.

The match kicks off at 08:35 (SA time) on Saturday, 23 March 2013, in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Crusaders team:

15 Israel Dagg, 14 Tom Marshall, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Johnny McNicholl, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Willi Heinz, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Matt Todd, 6 George Whitelock, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett.

Replacements: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 Joe Moody, 18 Dominic Bird, 19 Luke Whitelock, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Tyler Bleyendaal, 22 Zac Guildford.

Southern Kings team:

15 George Whitehead, 11 Marcello Sampson, 13 Ronnie Cooke, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Jacques Engelbrecht, 7 Wimpie van der Walt, 6 Cornell du Preez, 5 David Bulbring, 4 Daniel Adongo, 3 Kevin Buys, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 Schalk Ferreira (captain).

Replacements: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Jaco Engels, 18 Rynier Bernardo, 19 Devin Oosthuizen, 20 Nicolas Vergallo, 21 Waylon Murray, 22 Elric van Vuuren.

Want to know more about what’s happening this weekend? Check out more Super Rugby previews.