THE BIG MATCH (as at February 7th): The Hurricanes take on the Crusaders on May 7th in their final round-robin match. At that stage this match could be very important to both teams in making sure of their place in the 'final four' in the competition. THE BIG MATCH is still 3 months away (at the time of this page being started), and the Super 12 season has yet to kick off. Last year the Hurricanes finished in third place on the Super 12 table, and the Crusaders in second.

We booked tickets early in the piece because there will be a large group of us going in on the train as part of a Club Intermed outing. Last year a total of 65 - kids, parents and friends - went with us to the Hurricanes v Brumbies match, and the previous year 48 of us saw the home team take on the Crusaders. 120 of us will be there this time around to see these two great teams in action!

UPDATE (April 12th): With four weeks to go, the Hurricanes are ninth on the table on 17 points, and the Crusaders are fourth, but just 3 points ahead. Both teams have lost three of the seven matches they've played to date, with the Hurricanes notching up a draw in their recent match against the Blues. The competition is still very close at this stage, with most teams (including the Hurricanes and Crusaders) still hoping to qualify for a semifinal place. Which teams are likely to make it will become much clearer over the next couple of weeks.

FURTHER UPDATE (May 3rd): With just one round-robin match to go (THE BIG MATCH this coming weekend), the Hurricanes have slipped to eleventh place on the table after having lost more than once in recent weeks. The Crusaders are second on the table on 34 points and are guaranteed a semifinal spot along with the Brumbies. The whole competition has been the closest ever, and even at this stage six teams are still in the chase for the two remaining semifinal places, the Chiefs being the most likely to go through. The Crusaders will be hoping to beat the Hurricanes to assure themselves of a home semifinal. The Hurricanes will be playing for pride and the chance of ending their season a further couple of places up the ladder. After all, ninth is always better than eleventh!