The 2017 Super Rugby season continues this weekend and every team will be in action for a huge nine games of rugby over three days. We take a close look at every game in our Super Rugby Round 14 Preview and Betting Tips below.
Super Rugby Round 14 Betting Tips
Blues vs Chiefs (Friday 5.35pm AEST)
Super Rugby round 15 will kick off with a New Zealand match up and we are predicting a tightly fought contest. The Chiefs were unfortunate to come away with the loss as they outscored their opponents – the undefeated Crusaders – by four tries to three but their ill-discipline cost them as the Crusaders booted their way to 13 straight wins. The Chiefs were crisp in attack but they left a lot to be desired in the critical stages of the match and they will need to improve at the breakdown come the business end of the season.
Meanwhile the Blues continued to be competitive but they fell to the Stormers in South Africa. The side is on the bottom of the New Zealand conference but they could easily be one of the top sides in either the Australian or South African conferences. The side is strong on both ends of the field and they won’t be a pushover. We are backing the Chiefs to win this one by a narrow margin.
TIP: Chiefs at the margin (1-12) – $2.75 at William Hill
Reds vs Force (Friday 7.45pm AEST)
The Force and Reds will face off to cap off the action on Friday night and remarkably both sides can still make the finals despite their records of 3 wins and eight losses. The Reds have an extra three competition points for the bonus points they picked up in matches and we believe they will be able to earn the victory on home soil.
The Force will come out firing though as they look to put the disappointment of a 55-6 thrashing against the Highlanders behind them. It was only 17-6 at the half time break but it was the same old story for the Force as they weren’t able to turn up during the second forty minutes. It was their biggest loss of the season and they will want to make amends.
Meanwhile the Reds will enter this match on the back of the bye and a bonus point victory would put them just two points behind the Brumbies. The side – along with every other Australian team – doesn’t deserve to be in the finals but a victory against the Force could help them build some momentum heading into the final four weeks.
TIP: Reds at the line (-5.5) – $1.90 at Sportsbet
Sunwolves vs Cheetahs (Saturday 3.15pm AEST)
This match should be interesting with both sides having nothing to play for but pride and happy to throw the ball around. The Cheetahs and Sunwolves also have historically high scoring matches with the Cheetahs giving the Sunwolves a schalacking last season but their match earlier this year was relatively close with the Cheetahs pulling away in the final 20 minutes.
We believe this meeting will be again won by the Cheetahs, who are coming off a humilating loss against the Hurricanes. The 61-7 defeat was their worst of the season but leading up to that match they had been competitive. They almost defeated the Highlanders and they pushed the Blues and Crusaders. They are definitely the stronger side and we are backing them to clear the line.
TIP: Cheetahs at the line (-2) – $1.90 at Ladbrokes
Highlanders vs Waratahs (Saturday 5.30pm AEST)
Meanwhile the Waratahs will enter this weekend on the back of their most dominant victory of the season, albeit against the Rebels. The side will take what it can but they will be hard pressed to repeat that effort against a far superior opponent. It took until the final 20 minutes for the side to put the game away as they lead by just six points at that point. However, the eight tries to three victory puts them back in contention for the top spot on the Australian conference.
The Highlanders will enter this match with full confidence after they picked up their most dominant victory of the season. The side had been struggling to get their attack going for the majority of the year but their was no problem at all in the second half against the Force. The commanding win has put them into a comfortable spot on the ladder but they are still far from a certain lock for the finals. They will want their defence to be strong this weekend against the Waratahs and their attack will benefit on the back of that. The side will be able to tear the Waratahs a part but given the size of the line, we are predicting the Waratahs to keep this one close.
TIP: Waratahs at the line (+17.5) – $1.90 at CrownBet
Rebels vs Crusaders (Saturday 7.45pm AEST)
The Crusaders will enter this match undefeated and it would take a miracle for them to come out of the game any different. The side dug deep to retain the title last week against the Chiefs and they should cruise to a big victory in this one. The Crusaders aren’t known for taking their foot of the pedal either so it could be along night for the Rebels.
Meanwhile the Rebels will enter this match after suffering a big loss on the road against the Waratahs. As mentioned above the side stayed in the match but they fell a part in the final 20 minutes. We are expecting them to fall away a lot quicker in this game as their defence won’t be able to stop the rampaging Crusaders.
TIP: Crusaders at the line (-25.5) - $1.90 at CrownBet
Bulls vs Hurricanes (Sunday 11.05pm AEST)
The Hurricanes got their South African trip off to a perfect start and as expected they bounced back with a strong message for the rest of the competition after a loss against the Crusaders. The side had made changes to their backline and they moved the best flyhalf in the world to fullback. It paid dividends but whether that is a long term move remains to be seen. The side crossed for nine tries in total and six in the second half as they blew the Cheetahs off the park.
The Bulls continue to put up a minimum amount of fight this season and it was shown against last week in a 51-14 drubbing at the hands of the Lions. We are expecting a similar score line in this one with the Hurricanes to show their dominance in the second half.
TIP: Hurricanes at the line (-16.5) - $1.90 at William Hill
Sharks vs Stormers (Monday 1.15am AEST)
Arguably the match of the round as the two strong South African sides go head-to-head. The Sharks are only just holding onto the final wild card spot on the ladder while the Stormers are sitting comfortably on the top of their conference.
The Sharks definitely have more to play for and are the favourites on home soil. They earned the maximum amount of competition points against the Sunwolves last week but it wasn’t very convincing. The Sharks led just 21-17 with five minutes remaining in the match before they were able to pile on three late tries to earn the victory. They will need to be more clinical against the Stormers.
The Stormers were able to come from behind and earn the victory against the Blues with a dominant final 20 minutes. The side ran in points and were able to cement their position on the ladder. They will want to continue their momentum and we believe they will earn the victory in this one, but by a small margin.
TIP: Stormers at the margin (1-12) - $3.10 at William Hill
Jaguares vs Brumbies (7.40am AEST)
The Brumbies were able to snap a losing streak and earn a much-needed victory on the road against the Kings last week. It was a narrow victory but the points have seen them remain on the top of the Australian conference. The side will need a similar performance to stand a chance against the Jaguares, especially in the hostile environment. They will take confidence knowing the Force were able to get the job done on the road against the same opponent a fortnight ago. The Brumbies showed fight to overcome a 10-5 half-time deficit.
Meanwhile the Jaguares will enter this match after a bye last week. They will be disappointed in their loss against the Force a week earlier. If they are to stand a chance at reaching the finals they will need to grab a bonus point victory in this one and we are predicting them to do so.
TIP: Jaguares at the line (-5.5) - $1.90 at Sportsbet
Lions vs Kings (Sunday 10.30pm AEST)
The Kings three game winning streak came to an end last week in a grinding match against the Brumbies. The side relinquished their half time lead. They had been at their attacking best for a month leading up to the match but they weren’t able to get going against the Brumbies. They face a much stronger side in defence on Sunday night and it will be tough going for them.
The Lions are coming off their most convincing victory of the season as they thrashed South African opponents the Bulls. They are facing a weaker opponent this weekend and we believe it will be a similar score line. The Kings aren’t known for their defence and the Lions could put a lot of points on this weekend if they attack similar to last week. The Lions raced out to an early lead against the Bulls and didn’t look back, we expect the same on Sunday.
TIP: Lions at the line (-23.5) - $1.90 at CrownBet
