The Super Rugby continues this weekend with the undefeated Hurricanes entering their second bye of the season whilst the winless Blues will be hosting the Brumbies who are sitting on the top of the Australian Conference. The other big match of the round has the Crusaders hosting the Highlanders. Continue reading for this week’s Super Rugby previews and predictions.
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Blues vs Brumbies (Friday 5.35pm AEST)
The Brumbies travel to New Zealand with a full strength side to take on the winless Blues. They are coming off a win last week against the Cheetahs and will look to continue their good early season form and knock off the Blues with style. However, it may not be as easy as it seems for the Brumbies as the Auckland side has been in most matches and only lost by narrow margins. The Canberra side should prove too strong though and find a way to win.
TIP: Brumbies -2 @ $1.90 with Sportsbet
Crusaders vs Highlanders (Saturday 5.35pm AEDT)
The Crusaders return home this week after they smashed the Sharks last week in South Africa. The Highlanders are coming off a bye and will be fresh and ready to go but with the Crusaders beginning to find they attacking prowess that evaded them at the start of the season, I can’t see it going in the Highlanders favour. The Crusaders also have a solid record against the Highlanders as they have won the majority of their matches and also never lost in three matches at Christchurch Stadium.
TIP: Crusaders -9 @ $1.92 with Palmerbet
Waratahs vs Stormers (Saturday 7.40pm AEDT)
This is a very important match for both sides. The Waratahs and Stormers both find themselves in the middle of the ladder and just outside finals contention. A win for either side will likely shoot them back up into the top 6 and could be the trigger for a middle of the season surge. The Stormers won their opening four matches and have now suffered their losses on the trot. The Stormers are away from home but have a good record at Allianz Stadium as they have won three of the seven matches played.
TIP: Stormers +8.5 @ $1.92 with Luxbet
Western Force vs Cheetahs (Saturday 9.40pm AEDT)
The Force hosts the Cheetahs in a match that shouldn’t have any real implications on the finals. After starting the season well the Cheetahs have fallen away in the race for the finals and the Force never had a chance, despite their opening round upset against the Waratahs. This one is hard to predict because neither side has consistency and on some occasions they don’t turn up to play.
TIP: No Bet
Lions vs Sharks (Sunday 1.05am AEDT)
The Lions are coming off of an impressive victory last week against the Bulls. The Lions have pushed most sides to the limit this season and it paid off last week as they scored a try after the siren. The Sharks on the other hand were embarrassed at home against the Crusaders. They lost by a whopping margin of 42 points. They will have to be fired up for this match to make amends for last week.
TIP: Sharks @ $1.90 with Palmerbet
Bulls vs Reds (Sunday 3.05am AEDT)
The Bulls suffered a loss last week to the Lions in a match they should have won. They failed to close out the match and in the end it cost them the victory. The Reds have had a disappointing season in almost every aspect so far this season and it will only get worst this weekend as they face a Bulls outfit looking for redemption and the Reds are again without James O’Connor.
TIP: No bet
