Rugby: Canes ready to KO Crusaders' campaign

Ma'a Nonu of the Hurricanes makes a break during the round eight Super Rugby match between the Hurricanes and the Stormers at Westpac Stadium Stadium. Photo / Getty Images

On the weekend of boxing's biggest fight in years, the Crusaders look weak at the knees.

They're there to be finished off like a fighter who has taken one too many blows and the Hurricanes could go a long way towards delivering the knockout punch to the Crusaders' 2015 campaign at Westpac Stadium in Wellington tonight.

Without getting too dramatic, this game could be part of a changing of the guard at Super Rugby level in New Zealand given the Crusaders are set to endure a notable turnover of talent after this year's World Cup, while the Hurricanes are a team on the rise.

The Hurricanes have spoken constantly this week of how the Crusaders are the yardstick of this competition and can never be written off but an emphatic win in the capital tonight would signal change.

Chris Boyd's Hurricanes are a youthful lot and even the impending departures of midfielders Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu can't take away from the fact that this team is built to thrive for the next few years.

The Crusaders look ragged. They're 5-5 and have been limited on attack this year. They were upset in the opening game of the season by the lowly Melbourne Rebels, while the Chiefs hammered them on their home patch in round 10.

"We've got a lot of respect for the Crusaders," Smith said. "I think all teams do in Super Rugby so we know how difficult the game's going to be."

Difficult is an apt word for the challenge that Manny Pacquiao will face when he meets pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas tomorrow but Smith has overstated the mountain his Hurricanes face.

Smith's men have won eight from nine and have proven to be the best team in Super Rugby during the first half of the season.

The playoffs seem a formality but they know there is plenty of hard work in front of them given home-and-away matches with the Chiefs are still on the agenda.

Those Kiwi derbies are never easy and six of their seven remaining games are against opponents from these shores.

But the Hurricanes have started 2015 with enough gusto to get the locals excited and Smith has noticed the change.

"There's a buzz around town and [when] you see a few more people in the stands it helps get the energy levels up and we are certainly excited about it."

The Hurricanes have beaten the Crusaders in three of their past four matches and the aura around the men from Canterbury has helped the Hurricanes lift to another level when they meet.

"It's a challenge we enjoy because they've been a benchmark of Super Rugby for so long, so it's going to be a good battle and that's the way we've been preparing for it," Smith said.

The Crusaders will be without Richie McCaw but are otherwise at full strength.

The Hurricanes have welcomed back hooker Dane Coles who will play from the bench.