What to watch: Six sporting events

Sonny Bill Williams returns to face the Crusaders tonight. Photo / Getty Images

Six sporting fixtures to catch over the next three days.

The Chiefs thrashed the Crusaders 40-16 in their round three clash in Hamilton and a second win in Christchurch could give them a 12-point buffer over their rivals.

Sonny Bill Williams returns to face his old side partnering Charlie Ngatai in the midfield. Todd Blackadder obliged by recalling a quartet of All Blacks in Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Luke Romano and Wyatt Crockett. Game on.
Chiefs v Crusaders - Match page

The Blues are looking for a winning streak, the Highlanders are looking to keep in touch with New Zealand Conference frontrunners the Hurricanes and Chiefs. The Blues haven't won away from home since round 17 last year but did win their last encounter against the Highlanders - a 30-12 victory last March.

Highlanders v Blues - Match page

Townsville has not been a happy hunting ground for the Warriors with last season's victory being the first in eight years at the home of the Cowboys. Once again three-time Dally M winner Jonathan Thurston stands in the way along with Kiwis prop Jason Taumalolo who turned down offers from the Warriors in the off-season.

With two games left in the regular season the Phoenix are still in with a shot of cracking the top two. But they'll need to shake off a goal-scoring fug which has descended upon them during a three-game drought. Tonight's match against the Central Coast Mariners presents the perfect opportunity to consign the last five goal-less hours of football to the memory banks. A win could shoot them up to second, while anything less will likely see their top-two dreams go up in smoke.

If Manchester United have any chance of claiming the Premier League title they'll need to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The London club lead third-placed United by eight points with a game in hand and a further six games remaining. Chelsea face second-placed Arsenal next week making Sunday's match even more important.

The NBA playoffs tip off tomorrow without the likes of the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat and Steven Adams' Oklahoma City Thunder but in turn it means other teams get a shot at glory. The Golden State Warriors are the top seeds in the Western Conference and are looking to make their first NBA finals appearance since 1975. It's been an even longer wait for Eastern Conference top seeds Atlanta who last played in the NBA finals in 1961, when they were based in St Louis.