What makes the match so potentially dangerous is the current form of the Bulls who have won two straight contests away from Pretoria to open the season. They?ve equaled their victory total from the last two years combined essentially by battering opponents with a huge pack and the boot of flyhalf Louis Koen who has already kicked fifty-five points. This is a clash of two strong teams that like to beat their opponents into submission.

Hurricanes Coach Colin Cooper is obviously already feeling the pressure that comes with his new job as this week he first lashed out at referees and then made nine changes to his starting team for Friday night?s battle for weather phenomena supremacy against the Stormers. The good news is that Jonah Lomu is back on the wing. The bad news is that he can?t go out and find an entirely new tight five and has to go with the young charges that have spent the first two outings getting schooled relentlessly in the scrums.

In a situation reminiscent of the 2002 Super 12, the Stormers have major injury worries already, but this time the problems are in the backline, not the pack. Chris Rossouw has flown home to the Republic after suffering a knee strain, joining his brother Pieter who broke a finger and damaged his hand. Chris will be replaced at flyhalf by the inconsistent Gaffie du Toit and his elder sibling will be spelled in the lineup by Gus Theron at wing. Either way Stormers Coach Gert Smal will be depending on his forwards to starve the Hurricanes backs of possession so that his makeshift backline is not too severely tested.

The Cats are in real trouble. They?ve dropped two home fixtures and now the Brumbies are coming to town. This week they?re at back at Ellis Park after opening their campaign in Bloemfontein. The location, however, will be of little significance unless they can play better defense than they?ve exhibited so far in allowing eighty-two points. The Brumbies had a shocking first half in their loss to the Sharks but at least made a game of it in the second forty. The Brumbies have depth issues and are hoping that outside center Stirling Mortlock will recover from a shoulder knock in time to take his place in the run-on fifteen. If he can?t go, then Joel Wilson will partner Matt Giteau in the midfield as he slots in ahead of Pat Howard.

After getting a thrashing in week one the Sharks got their season back on track by beating the Brumbies at home. Now they meet the Waratahs and have to maintain their momentum in the second of four consecutive matches at the ABSA Stadium. The Sharks will need to create scoring opportunities beyond their reliance on Butch James? boot. If their forwards can manhandle the Aussies and set a good platform they have the talent out wide to score five pointers.

The Waratahs? confidence has been lifted by their first win since April of last year but now face the dual challenge of winning in Durban for the first time ever, and of doing it without flyhalf Duncan McRae. His replacement in the pivot will likely be Mat Rogers who finished the match in Bloemfontein there following McRae?s knee injury. Rogers is a fantastic talent and should cause the Sharks all kinds of trouble containing him but he could suffer from a lack of tactical experience.

Chiefs vs. Reds This match is the opening salvo in Championship Rugby?s televised doubleheader on Friday night. Both teams are in desperate need of a win with a bit more pressure on the Chiefs because they are at home.

The Chiefs were unable to keep the Blues in check last week even though their northern neighbors played with only fourteen men for almost seventy-five minutes. Fijian test hooker Greg Smith, the victim of Troy Flavell?s boot at the bottom of a maul, is a doubtful starter against the Reds as he is still struggling with headaches as the result of the cranial stomping.

The Chiefs need big performances this week from backrowers Stephen Bates, Marty Holah, and Jonno Gibbes. They have to dominate the Reds? loosies and take charge at the breakdown to have any chance of winning. If their backline can get quality ball to work with, the Chiefs should be able to notch their first win, preventing the season from being all but lost at this early stage.

The Reds have lost their Captain Toutai Kefu to an eye socket injury and may also be without the services of wing Ben Tune. Kefu?s captaincy duties have been handed over to Elton Flatley and his place at the back of the scrum goes to John Roe. Coach Andrew Slack is hopeful that fullback Chris Latham will recover quickly from his assortment of ailments and thus be able to fulfill his attacking and defensive responsibilities. The Reds do have a bye next week but 0-3 is definitely not how they want to head into it. It?s make or break time for both these sides, which should make for some very exciting rugby. The match airs LIVE on Friday night, March 7th at 11:30pm ET/ 8:30pm PT on FOX Sports World.

Blues vs. Crusaders Blues lock Troy Flavell has been suspended for the rest of the Super 12 season for his act of foul play in Hamilton and will be docked half his pay during that time. Besides losing a quality player, the Blues will be unable to replace him in their squad which reduces them to just three locks. Troy is gone and they have to move on. On the plus side, winning a match with fourteen men is a tremendous confidence booster that the team will be able to draw upon all year. The Blues have so much talent at their disposal, overcoming Flavell?s absence won?t really affect them as they face they?re biggest hurdle of the competition.

The Crusaders depth is getting a real test this week as centers Nathan Mauger and Mark Robinson are both out of this immense confrontation with the Blues. Flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens is also not being considered for selection. That means a back division that features Daniel Carter at first five, Aaron Mauger outside him, Caleb Ralph at center, Marika Vunibaka and Joe Maddock on the wings and Leon MacDonald at fullback. Still pretty darn good. Just like last year?s Crusaders versus Brumbies clash in week five, this match will set the tone for the rest of the campaign, with one team emerging as the dominant force in the competition. It doesn?t get any more huge than this one, so sit back and enjoy the fireworks

The match airs immediately after the Chiefs vs. Reds battle, early Saturday morning March 8th at 1:30am ET/ 10:30pm PT on FOX Sports World. FOX Sports World is available to homes throughout the US on affiliated cable providers, Dish Network, and DirecTV. Get Your Game on FOX Sports World.

Our WorldRugbyShop.com jersey giveaway continues this week with either a Blues or a Crusaders jersey. Send us your thoughts about this Week Three thriller to rugby@foxsportsworld.com and we?ll select the best one and read it on the air during the LIVE broadcast of the Blues versus Crusaders on Friday night and send you a brand new jersey.

If you have any questions about the Laws of the Game or anything else related to the sport, email me at mattbrown@foxsportsworld.com

Check out our schedule on this website for the dates and times of our coverage of the upcoming week?s action.

Be sure to catch the FOX Sports World Rugby Report, every Tuesday at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT, hosted by yours truly. The Rugby Report is part of the new FOX Sports World Report and will feature match highlights, World Cup Updates, and my Rugbycentric View of the Universe.