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Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the Highlanders v Crusaders Super Rugby Pacific at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium.
This traditional southern derby carries added spice at this time, with both teams scrambling for the final playoff spots in the top eight. After a five-game losing streak, the home side have cobbled together back-to-back wins to enter the post-season picture.
Everyone has waited for the defending champions to show their true worth and they seemed to be on the verge of recapturing some form, when they thrashed Melbourne Rebels two weeks ago.
Alas, they regressed against Queensland Reds last week and langish four points outside the top eight. More bad news, they've lost captain Scott Barrett for tonight's fixture.
Join us at 7pm for kickoff.
TAB Odds: Crusaders $1.40, Highlanders $2.80
Hooker Taylor hopes to spark Crusaders' Super Rugby turnaround after six-month sabbatical
All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor hasn't played a single game since last year's World Cup final and he hopes his six-month break from the game will help his body hold up to contest the next tournament in 2027.
Taylor, 33, has a far more urgent priority though, helping the Crusaders make the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs.
When he makes his first return in the southern derby against the Highlanders, it will be do or die for the defending champions.
With their season hanging by a thread, Taylor is surely a sight for sore eyes among Crusaders fans.
"Yeah, a little bit nervous, but also really excited to be back out there," he said.
Taylor hopes his non-playing sabbatical will have long term rewards, not only for the Crusaders, but also the All Blacks.
"The idea of potentially going to another World Cup is an exciting one, especially after falling just a bit short last year," he insisted.
His job now is to make sure the Crusaders don't fall short of the post-season.
"We're well aware of the repercussions, if we don't win," he said.
A loss against the Highlanders would all but end their season and with just two wins to date, watching from the sidelines wasn't easy.
"There's obviously been a lot of success and you've felt those good times," said Taylor. "What those boys have probably felt is a lot of tough times and that was the only hard thing, not being a part of that."
Taylor could be the perfect man to turn things around. He'll bring a wealth of leadership and just three years ago, he finished as Super Rugby's top tryscorer.
"Oh, we love a maul in this team, but who knows, mate," he said. "I bloody wouldn't mind getting on the statsheet on Saturday."
If he's able to that, the Crusaders might not be written off just yet.
