Super Rugby semi-finals preview: Who’s got what it takes from here?

What an absolute treat to have four New Zealand teams in the semi-finals for the first time.

The Hurricanes and Chiefs have been the best teams all year, the Crusaders are starting to show their pedigree at the right time of the season, and the Blues are also there.

Can the Chiefs make it into a fourth final in a row?

Or will the Crusaders continue their march towards a 16th title?

Will it be a cake walk at the Cake Tin for the Hurricanes?

Or can the Blues somehow find some form and produce an upset?

Let’s take a closer look.

CHIEFS v CRUSADERS | Hamilton | Friday 7.05pm

Fieldays and a Super Rugby semi-final.

Does it get any better in Hamilton?

It’s hard to believe that out of all the New Zealand teams, it’s the Chiefs who are enduring the longest drought between titles, having last triumphed in 2013.

In their last four visits to the playoffs, it’s been the Crusaders who’ve ended the Chiefs' hopes in three of them.

Surely it’s their time.

Damian McKenzie plays his 150th match for the Chiefs and will be the key to their chances after making a dominant return from concussion with a 26-point haul against the Reds last week.

Wallace Sititi is a big loss due to concussion but it’s not like the Chiefs are short of loose-forwards with Samipeni Finau, Luke Jacobson, and Simon Parker starting.

There are three All Blacks also opposite them in the form of Ethan Blackadder, Leicester Fainga’anuku, and Christian Lio-Willie.

Whoever wins this battle will go a long way to winning the game.

There’s also mouth-water match-ups between Codie Taylor and Samisoni Taukeiaho, Jamie Hannah and Tupou Vaa’i, David Havili and Quinn Tupaea, and Johnny McNicholl and Isaac Hutchinson.

It’s a game that All Blacks coach Dave Rennie will be watching closely, as should the rest of the country, with fireworks expected between two teams who really do hate each other.

Prediction: Chiefs by two

HURRICANES v BLUES | Wellington | Saturday 7.05pm

The Hurricanes have been the best team all year and are showing no signs of slowing down.

Last week’s demolition of the Brumbies was one of the greatest wet-weather performances the competition has ever seen.

Meanwhile, the Blues are coming off four straight defeats to New Zealand teams, including a 47-26 defeat to the ‘Canes four weeks ago.

Beauden Barrett is back from a quad injury at fullback, and the 144-test veteran has plenty to prove as questions about his place in the All Blacks persist.

For him to get into the game, the Blues forwards need to compete with Anton Segner and Sam Darry, their only consistent performers this season.

The ‘Canes have always had question marks about their engine room but they’ve been well and truly answered this season.

Xavier Numia and Pasilio Tosi are killing it and have All Blacks tighthead Tyrel Lomax to add more power from the bench.

Japanese international Warner Dearns is the best lock in the competition, and then there’s the loose-forwards of Brad Shields, Du'Plessis Kirifi, Peter Lakai backed-up by Brayden Iose in the reserves.

Oh yeah, they’ve also go the best backline in the competition with Fehi Fineanganofo poised to break the Super Rugby try-scoring record as he returns from injury after being stuck on 16 tries.

There’s no way the Blues win this one with the ‘Canes Train rolling like the Shinkansen.

Prediction: ‘Canes by 18