Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd has tipped the Crusaders to beat the Lions in next week's Super Rugby final.

Boyd saw his own side surrender a 22-3 lead to lose 44-29 during their semi-final encounter with the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday, a result that has left a bitter taste in the mouth for the New Zealand-based team.

The defending Super Rugby champions will now have to watch on as the Crusaders and the Lions will contest the showpiece event on August 5, although Boyd has tipped the former to secure overall glory.

"They [the Lions] opened up pretty easily in the first 20 minutes; we created five or six clear, and fairly simplistic, opportunities and I think the Crusaders can do that as well," said Boyd.

Crusaders booked their own place in the final with a hard-fought 27-13 victory over the Chiefs and Boyd concedes those efforts may have an impact on them during the final, but he believes they have enough quality within their squad to cope with any signs of tiredness.

"That was a physical battle, that Chiefs-Crusaders one, and the Crusaders had to get through a lot of work defensively and I'd say that they'd be out on their feet a little bit," Boyd added.

"It's not a bridge too far for them but it's going to be a big challenge and probably the number of forwards in their forward pack is potentially going to stand them in reasonable stead."