Super Rugby Week Round 16
The Form Guide
Some fascinating results in last week’s Super Rugby action, highlighted by an understrength Crusaders leaving no one in any doubt that they are the team to beat this year by knocking off the Hurricanes. Despite being undermanned, the Crusaders had a sense of purpose to their game that the high flying Hurricanes couldn’t razzle-dazzle their way past, particularly in wet conditions. The Crusaders have now opened up a gap on all comers, and look incredibly hard to stop.
Despite both NSW and Queensland holding leads late into their respective contests against the Chiefs and the Highlanders, neither of the two Aussie teams could hold on for the win. This will be terribly frustrating for both sets of fans, particularly those of the Waratahs, who are clearly still in the hunt for finals. Their inability to close out games against the Chiefs and Crusaders would come back to haunt them. The Reds put themselves into a position to break their NZ losing streak, but shocking kicking in general play and from the tee cost them any shot at victory. Persisting with their underperforming halves combination will continue to alienate fans, who can see the shortcomings in the Reds’ attack.
There were a couple of bright spots for Australian fans, though, with the Rebels smashing a weakened Sunwolves, and the Brumbies pulling off a miracle to beat the Bulls with 14 men. The Rebels are now only 1 point behind the Waratahs, and still have Will Genia to return after the Test series. The Brumbies season is over, but they showed they still have some fight in them, and can pull off an upset when they want to.
The Big Games
The final round before we break for the June internationals has some cracking matches for us to enjoy. The Highlanders and the Hurricanes meet on Friday in what should be a highly entertaining clash if nothing else. The Hurricanes will be hurting from their loss to the Crusaders, while the Highlanders were anything but convincing against the Reds. The battle between Waisake Naholo and Ben Lam might be worth the price of admission alone. The Chiefs and Crusaders provide the other NZ derby of the weekend, and you would expect the Crusaders to get the job done again, though it would be foolish to ignore the attacking threats of the Chiefs.
The Rebels head to Auckland with a real chance to steal an upset over the Blues. A big victory over the Sunwolves last week will have them full of confidence, but the Blues, despite struggling in the New Zealand conference, are a different beast altogether. This would be a huge moment for this young team if they can get the job done. The Brumbies are raging favourites at home against the Sunwolves, and should be too good.
The big one, though, is the Australian derby between the Reds and the Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium. Both teams will be desperately disappointed that they let leads slip against Kiwi teams last week, and victory in this age old battle is a must for both. The added spice of the battle for selection in the first Wallaby XV of the year will add an extra dimension as well. There will plenty of players with a point to prove to selectors, and there is no doubt a big performance could get someone over the line. First and foremost, though, this will be about getting the win. The Reds must improve their woeful kicking from last week, or the NSW playmakers will have a field day. It will be a huge clash up front, and the Reds pack will look to dominate at scrum time. Despite the Waratahs starting strong favourites, this is a real toss of the coin, the type of match Brad Thorn targets for his players to get up for. Don't expect the prettiest game to watch, but it will be a cracker.
Predictions
The Hurricanes will bounce back from their loss last week to beat the Highlanders, while the Rebels will run close against the Blues but come up just short. The Crusaders will get home against the Chiefs to maintain their spot at the top of the table, while the Brumbies will put some points on to smash the Sunwolves. In the big one, expect it to go close, with the Reds forwards taking it to the Waratahs early, but the boot of Bernard Foley will prove the difference down the stretch, with NSW grabbing the win in a cliffhanger.
Best Bet
While the Tahs might be too good in the end, this will be a close one, so take the Queenslanders +5.5 at $1.92 as our best bet of the week.
For the latest Super Rugby odds, click here.
Words: Cameron Stokes
