Ben Smith’s 150 th Super Rugby game for the Highlanders could spearhead the southerners to an upset this week – and the Crusaders know it.
Despite the Highlanders sitting fourth in the New Zealand conference with just two wins in seven matches to their name, the competition-leading Crusaders know that will mean little on Friday night when Smith reaches the milestone.
"It’s pretty emotional for anyone to get to 150," Crusaders coach Scott Robertson said.
"Hopefully a few more Highlanders supporters come up (to Christchurch) and make it a bit more emotional."
Robertson said there’s more to the Highlanders results than purely looking at the win / loss column.
"They’ve had a lot of close losses," he said.
"Sometimes you have those seasons and down there with the injuries they’ve had, that compounds it.
"We know Friday night is a big night for them to turn it around."
The Crusaders and Highlanders square off in Christchurch at 7:30pm.
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