Chiefs brace for Hurricanes in windy Wellington
MELBOURNE, May 1 (Reuters) - The Wellington Hurricanes left wreckage in Canberra last weekend and will hope to inflict more damage on the Waikato Chiefs on their return home to New Zealand's windy capital on Saturday.
The fifth-placed Hurricanes reignited their Super Rugby Pacific season with the 35-29 win at the third-placed ACT Brumbies, putting the stamp on a successful tour of Australia after holding Western Force to a 17-17 draw in Perth.
The leading Chiefs will be a step up for Clark Laidlaw's men but the visitors have been depleted by injuries to key players, including All Blacks playmaker Damian McKenzie and centre Anton Lienert-Brown.
"We're excited for the game this weekend, Chiefs are the top of the table, and we know what sort of challenge that will present," Laidlaw said.
"It'll be a good opportunity to test ourselves .... and build a bit of momentum."
Victory for the Chiefs would mean breathing space from the second-placed Canterbury Crusaders who are level on 37 points but sit out the round with a bye.
Eight points adrift, the third-placed Brumbies host the New South Wales Waratahs, who return from a bye following an away loss to Fijian Drua.
The Waratahs, who have slipped out of the top six, broke a 13-match losing streak against the Brumbies in March but have not beaten anyone outside of Sydney this season.
The Stephen Larkham-coached Brumbies, meanwhile, have won their last seven at home against the Waratahs and will expect to rebound on Saturday in the run-up to the playoffs.
With five rounds left in the regular season, the Queensland Reds are two points behind the Brumbies and challenging their traditional standing as Australia's best Super Rugby outfit.
REDS TO SUVA
The Reds head to Suva hoping for a first away win over bottom-placed Drua on Saturday and with coach Les Kiss free to focus purely on the team.
Kiss was confirmed on Wednesday as Joe Schmidt's successor as Australia coach from mid-2026 after months of speculation.
"We go to Fiji on Saturday and do a job there," Kiss said.
"I'll just be going back and doing what I can on a weekly basis, on a daily basis, to build something that's special (at the Reds)."
The Auckland Blues' title defence is all but over following their 35-21 defeat by the Reds last weekend but the defending champions will bank on keeping their mathematical playoffs hopes alive when they host the Force at Eden Park on Friday.
The Blues' sole defeat to the Force was back in 2008 at North Harbour Stadium, and the Perth team have been lamentable in New Zealand this season.
Thrashed 56-22 by the Chiefs last week, the Force will hope the return of 36-year-old veteran Kurtley Beale from injury can lift them.
Beale said he pondered retiring during his rehab from a ruptured Achilles.
"But there was something burning inside of me, deep down, to continue to play," said the 95-cap Wallaby.
"Not every player gets to finish on their terms."
Moana Pasifika will hope the Blues beat the Force as they prepare to meet the 10th-placed Otago Highlanders in Dunedin on Sunday.
Eighth in the table, Moana have never beaten the Highlanders in five matches but a breakthrough win coupled with a Force loss could see Moana leap into the top six sides who will contest the playoffs.
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