Stats and facts for the Vodacom Super Rugby final between the Crusaders and Jaguares in Christchurch on Saturday.
– The Crusaders and Jaguares will clash for just the third time in Super Rugby, with the Crusaders picking up a win in each of their last two meetings by an average margin of 22 points per game.
– Only twice in Super Rugby history has the Grand Final been won by a team playing outside their home country (Crusaders defeated Brumbies in 2000, Crusaders defeated Lions in 2017).
– Nine of the last 13 Super Rugby Grand Finals have been decided by a margin of fewer than 10 points; though, only one of the last three fits that bill.
– The Crusaders are undefeated in their last 30 Super Rugby games played on home soil (W29, D1); the last time they lost at home to a team from outside New Zealand was in Round 1, 2015 against the Rebels.
– This will be the Crusaders’ 14th appearance in a Super Rugby Grand Final, more than twice as many as any other team (Brumbies – 6); they’ve won nine of their previous 13 including their last two on the bounce.
– This will be the Jaguares’ first foray into a Super Rugby Grand Final; only four teams in Super Rugby history have won the Grand Final on their first attempt (Blues in 1996, Crusaders in 1998, Bulls in 2007, Reds in 2011).
– The Jaguares have won five of their last six Super Rugby games away from home, including their last three on the bounce. The Crusaders (33.2) and Jaguares (28.9) have scored more points per game than any other teams in Super Rugby 2019.
– Sevu Reece (Crusaders) bagged a brace of tries against the Hurricanes in the semi-final to take his season tally to 15, just one shy of the Super Rugby record set by Ben Lam last season (16).
– Guido Petti (Jaguares) stole a brace of lineouts against the Brumbies in the semi-final to take his season tally to 13, three more than any other player in the competition and more than three times the Crusaders’ best (Scott Barrett, Kieran Read, Sam Whitelock – 4 each).
Photo: EPA/David Fernandez
