SYDNEY, April 9 (Reuters) - Wellington Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw reckons his team will need to produce their best rugby of the season when they host Auckland Blues in a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday, the highlight of round nine of Super Rugby Pacific.
The Hurricanes and Blues both sit on 25 points but the explosive quality of rugby Laidlaw's side have produced so far this season is amply illustrated by their points difference tally -- 166 to 95 for the Blues.
Aside from the one blip, a loss to the Fijian Drua in the steamy heat of Lautoka, the Hurricanes have been scoring tries for fun with points tallies of 50 or more in four of their six games.
The last came two weeks ago against the Queensland Reds, who arrived in the New Zealand capital on a winning streak of their own but departed crestfallen after conceding eight tries -- three to winger Fehi Fineanganofo -- in a 52-14 loss.
"We're refreshed and re-energised from the bye, so we're really looking forward to playing at home against a top side in the Blues," Scot Laidlaw said after naming a largely settled team.
"We're certainly well aware of the challenge the Blues are going to come with, so we're probably going to have to play our best rugby of the year to get the result."
The Blues, who also had a bye last week, come into the clash on a four-match winning streak and have won on three of their last four visits to Wellington Stadium.
"It's a top-of-the-table clash for that number one spot and that's exactly the sort of challenge we want at this stage of the season," said coach Vern Cotter.
The Waikato Chiefs moved into third place on 22 points after thrashing the NSW Waratahs last weekend and will look to back that up against bottom club Moana Pasifika on Saturday and move up another notch at the expense of the Wellington loser.
The reigning champion Canterbury Crusaders doled out a thrashing to the Drua in Christchurch last week and will be out to do the same when they visit the Reds in Brisbane for the final match of the round.
Australia's challenge has again fallen off this season with the Reds having slumped to back-to-back losses at the hands of the Hurricanes and Western Force to drop to a precarious sixth in the standings.
The fourth-placed ACT Brumbies were stunned by the Waratahs in their last outing and need to get back to winning ways against the Otago Highlanders in Dunedin on Friday if they are to sustain a challenge for a home playoff.
Inspirational Brumbies prop Allan Alaalatoa makes a welcome return from injury for his first match of the season in that clash and Wallabies fans will also have a keen eye on the Force's match against the Drua in Lautoka on Saturday.
Rugby league international Zac Lomax was a late withdrawal from last week's match against the Reds and looks set to play his first professional rugby union match off the bench in Fiji.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
