Super Rugby Preview - Round 15
The Form Guide
Hallelujah, the streak is dead! After 40 straight defeats to New Zealand Super Rugby sides, finally an Aussie team grabbed a win, with the Waratahs trouncing a very disappointing Highlanders in Sydney. The Tahs were well overdue to put a performance like that together, and their fans will be ecstatic that their undoubted potential may finally be being realised. Despite it being the only Aussie win, it wasn’t a disastrous weekend for Australian teams, with the Reds putting in an excellent effort to narrowly go down to the Hurricanes in Wellington. The revival under Brad Thorn is real, but a team this young will always have bad days like they did against the Sunwolves. The effort against the Canes was outstanding, but the focus now will be on eliminating some of the schoolboy errors that even the most experienced players in the team are still producing. The Brumbies also had their noses in front of the Lions in South Africa, before being overrun in the end. All in all, not the worst weekend we’ve ever had.
The Crusaders were too good for the Blues in atrocious conditions in Auckland, and they still look like the team to beat this year. The Chiefs fell a little further off the pace by going down to the Sharks, but are still well in the hunt for a wildcard spot. The best results of the weekend, though, went to two teams who have had their fair share of struggles in Super Rugby. The Jaguares piled on the points to annihilate the Bulls, and they stay in second place in the South African conference thanks to their current winning streak. The Sunwolves are out of finals contention, but produced a desperate effort to sustain play for what seemed like a lifetime after siren, work their way downfield and pop a clutch field goal to beat Stormers. The crowd in Hong Kong loved every minute of it, and so did the Sunwolves players, who celebrated back to back victories over the past fortnight. They may be playing for pride, but they are great to watch at the moment.
The Big Games
The big games don’t get much bigger the Crusaders hosting the Hurricanes on Friday night. While both teams are clearly ahead of the pack, it’s fair to say they would both like to see some improvement from their past couple of games. We will surely see these teams meet again in the finals in a couple of months’ time, and both will want bragging rights ahead of any possible future match ups. Can’t wait for this one. The Rebels return from the bye to host the Sunwolves, and this will be an interesting one. Can the Sunwolves take their home form on the road? Can the Rebels find their early season form again to stay on the Waratah’s tail and hold off the Reds behind them? They will have to do it without skipper Adam Coleman, who will be on the sidelines with suspension. With so much to play for, this will be great to watch.
The Queenslanders will be hoping to inflict more pain on the Highlanders in Brisbane, and they will fancy themselves an upset in this one. The Reds’ defence out wide must improve from last week, as the Highlanders have multiple strike weapons on the flanks. The Waratahs will be over in New Zealand to face the Chiefs, and they too will back themselves to knock over the road weary boys from Waikato. Can they get themselves up again after the elation of last week? They just have to.
The Sharks face the Jaguares in a crucial battle that will go along way towards determining second spot in their conference, while the Lions will expect to maintain top spot with a win over the Stormers. Should be a great weekend.
Predictions
The Hurricanes will return to form after last week to surprise the Crusaders with a win in Christchurch, in a cracker of a match. The Rebels will end the Sunwolves’ streak at two, but the Jaguares will march on by beating the Sharks. It will be two wins for the Aussies over the Kiwis on Saturday, with the Waratahs beating the Chiefs, and the Reds getting home in a nailbiter against the Highlanders. The joy for the Auusies will end there, though, as the Brumbies will go down to the Bulls, while the Lions will convincingly beat the Stormers.
Best Bet
We couldn’t have contemplated this a week ago, but the Waratahs and Reds both offer huge value against Kiwi opponents that they are a genuine chance of knocking off. NSW are at $3.42, while the impressive Reds are $4.60 against a Highlanders team that looked lost last weekend. Perhaps it’s overconfidence, but the NSW-QLD double at $15.73 is our best bet of the week.
For the latest Super Rugby odds, click here.
Words: Cameron Stokes
