The 2017 Super Rugby season continues this weekend and it has been a big week for the competition with the announcement it will return to 15 teams in 2018, meaning three sides will be removed at the end of the year. We take a close look at the games of the long weekend in our Super Rugby Round 8 Preview and Betting Tips.
2017 Super Rugby Round 8 Betting Tips
Crusaders vs Sunwolves (Friday 5.35pm AEST)
The Sunwolves will enter this match on the back of their first win of the season, however their celebrations will be short lived as they come up against the undefeated Crusaders on their home soil. The Crusaders enjoyed a week off last week and will hit the field fresh. As expected, the bookmakers are giving the Crusaders a 38.5 point head start on this match and we believe they will surpass that margin. They were whopped in their opening match of the season against the Hurricanes and the Crusaders attack has shown it can be just as deadly at times, even with their injuries. The Sunwolves have improved since then but they won’t be able to stop the onslaught once the home side gets a roll on.
TIP: Crusaders to win at the line (-38.5) – $1.90 at CrownBet
Reds vs Kings (Saturday 3.05pm AEST)
The Reds started the match strongly against the Brumbies and opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a try to Chris Kuridrani. They were competitive for the remainder of the opening forty minutes but that was as good as it got for the away side. The Brumbies opened the flood gates and piled on the points on the way to a 43-10 victory. We are expecting a better Reds side this weekend on their home soil and Quade Cooper will return to the side and be instrumental in their victory.
Meanwhile the Kings were involved in an 87-point thriller against the Force last week. They weren’t able to get the victory but they put up a fight throughout the entire match. They will be looking to put on an attacking display again, and it should be an entertaining match, but the side won’t be able to cause an upset.
TIP: Reds to win at the line (-16) – $1.90 at William Hill
Blues vs Hurricanes (Saturday 5.35pm AEST)
Arguably the match of the round, the two New Zealand sides will go head to head on saturday night and the Blues will be playing for their season. The side has had a strong year but only has three wins from seven games next to their name. A loss here would put them in a tough position for the run home and keep them stranded on the bottom of the New Zealand conference. The Blues once again gave up a lead against the Highlanders and despite Matt Duffie continuing his fine form this season, it wasn’t enough. The return of Sonny Bill Williams was a huge positive for the Blues and he will continue to create attacking opportunities for them with his offloading ability.
The defending champions the Hurricanes were able to hold off the Waratahs in an entertaining 10 try match. Beaden Barrett orchestrated the victory as he showed off his playmaking ability and speed. The Hurricanes have been the team to beat for the last three seasons and while the Blues will be competitive we can’t back against the champions.
TIP: Hurricanes to win at the margin (1-12) – $2.75 at Sportsbet
Rebels vs Brumbies (Saturday 7.45pm AEST)
The Rebels will host the Brumbies this weekend with either good or bad news coming before the match. It has yet to be announced which Australian team will exit the competition at the end of the season but it will either be the Rebels or Force.
The rebels have struggled this season and are the only winless team. Their best match came against the Waratahs a couple of weeks ago but they haven’t put together an 80-minute performance.
Meanwhile the Brumbies will enter the match up on the back of their best showing this season. They were patient in the match against the Reds and it paid dividends as they raced away with the match in the second half and scored 43 point. The youth is beginning to develop and we believe they will cruise to another victory against a weaker Australian opponent.
TIP: Brumbies to win at the margin (13+) – $2.35 at William Hill
Cheetahs vs Chiefs (Saturday 11.05pm AEST)
The Chiefs will enter this match on the back of their first loss of the season, which we predicted. The side didn’t quite adjust to playing in South Africa in time and they suffered an 8-point loss to the Stormers. Chiefs fullback Damian McKenzie continues to show off his ability, despite his size. He practically kept the side in the match single handedly as he set up his teammates for tries. We are predicting another big performance from this weekend, with Aaron Cruden to step up too.
Meanwhile the Cheetahs will host the Chiefs fresh off a bye and with two wins to their name. After starting the season competitive and strong, they have fallen off the pace and have lost their last couple of matches. The Chiefs will want to bounce back strongly in this one and they will pounce on the Cheetahs common mistakes.
TIP: Chiefs to win at the line (-13.5) – $1.90 at Sportsbet
Stormers vs Lions (Sunday 1.15am AEST)
The Stormers have saved their best for the last two weeks and are building nicely. They have made a statement to be the best South African side and they will be out to prove it this weekend. Their forward pack has been strong but they will face one of their biggest tests against the Lions big forward pack. It will be a tight battle and we believe the team to get the advantage in this area, will go along way towards earning the victory.
Meanwhile both sides have crisp backlines, but this season it has definitely been the Stormers who have looked more lethal. They haven’t lost a game this season while the Lions have been inconsistent. They are coming off one of their best seasons in Super Rugby and if they are going to make a statement it will need to come on Sunday morning, however, we are sticking with the inform side and backing them to grab the narrow victory.
TIP: Stormers to win at the margin (1-12) – $2.75 at William Hill
Bulls vs Jaguares (Sunday 3.30am AEST)
The final game of the round will come with the Argentinian side looking to return to winning ways. They suffered a narrow loss last week against the Sharks which has seen them fall of the pace for a finals position.
However, it was the Bulls who had the worst of the two losses as the Sunwolves earned their first win of the season against the Bulls. They have just one win to their name this year and their chances of making an impact in the 201 season is all but gone. We can’t see them troubling the Jaguares in this one as the away side grabs an easy win.
TIP: Jaguares to win at the line (-1.5) – $1.90 at CrownBet
