In the final part of this series I’ll be looking at the Australian conference which is looking to be the most competitive it has been in years. Here is all you need to know about the Australian conference for the upcoming Super Rugby season.
Brumbies
Position in 2013: Runners-Up.
2014 Luck of the Draw: The Brumbies will play some strong teams at home including the Stormers, Sharks, Blues and Chiefs. They also have challenging away games against the Crusaders, Cheetahs and Bulls
Players to watch: Sam Carter, Scott Sio, David Pocock, Henry Speight and Michael Dowsett.
Predicted position in 2014: Semi-finalists
No Jake White? No problem. The Brumbies are more than capable of picking up where they left off under Steve Larkham and Laurie Fisher. The return of David Pocock will be good for Australian rugby and should give the Brumbies a little boost to go all the way. After being beaten by the Chiefs in last year’s grand final the Brumbies will have a strong desire to go one better this year.
Force
Position in 2013: 13th
2014 Luck of the Draw: The Force will target their home game against the Lions as one they should win. They have a difficult tour to South Africa facing the Cheetahs and Stormers and they will also play the Crusaders away. The Force will miss out on playing the Hurricanes and the Sharks.
Players to watch: Nick Cummins (look out for his half time interviews as well), Luke Morahan and Ian Prior.
Predicted position in 2014: 13th
Not much has changed for the Western Force in the off season and unfortunately it doesn’t look like things are going to change on the field. The Force had a couple of good upsets last year but they need to string more wins together to become a more dangerous team.
Reds
Position in 2013: 5th
2014 Luck of the Draw: The Reds will have challenging games away against the Sharks and the Blues. Despite their recent success against Super Rugby Champions, The Chiefs, the Reds will not play them in the regular season. The Reds will face the Crusaders at Suncorp Stadium in a mouth-watering clash for the first time since the 2011 Super Rugby final. The Reds will also miss out on facing the Bulls in the regular season.
Players to watch: Curtis Browning and Lachie Turner.
Predicted position in 2014: 7th
This year will be the first year the Reds won’t have Ewen McKenzie. Will it make a difference – perhaps not? The team has strong leadership in the form of James Horwill, Will Genia and Quade Coooper and consists of a large number of squad members from the successful 2011 squad. The loss of Digby Ioane is complimented with the pick up of Lachie Turner who looks to be in good form after two horror seasons with injury. The Reds have a lot of depth this year which they have not had previously. They will be tough to beat.
Rebels
Position in 2013: 12th
2014 Luck of the Draw: The Rebels will not play against the Blues or the Stormers in the regular season yet face the Cheetahs and Crusaders at home and the Lions, Bulls and Chiefs away.
Players to watch: Tom Kingston, Hugh Pyle, Luke Burgess, Tamati Ellison and Sean McMahon.
Predicted position in 2014: 9th
Despite losing James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale, the Rebels have been busy recruiting in the off-season. The Rebels have become known for being entertaining and scoring lots of points. The team will be well led by Scott Higginbotham and should improve from their 12th place position last season.
Waratahs
Position in 2013: 9th
2014 Luck of the Draw: The Tahs face a difficult South African tour against the Sharks and the Stormers and another difficult game against the Chiefs in Hamilton. They should have no trouble defeating the Lions at home.
Players to watch: Jono Lance, Will Skelton, Ben Volavola, Jacques Potgieter and Cam Crawford.
Predicted position in 2014: 5th
Every year, New South Welshmen and the media begin to hype up the Waratah’s chances of winning Super Rugby. Will this be another year where they will fall short of their high standards? Or will they live up to their reputation? I believe they will be an improved team and the potential is certainly there to be Super Rugby champions. Their star studded team includes Wallabies Adam Ashley-Cooper, Kurtley Beale, Peter Betham, Kane Douglas, Bernard Foley, Israel Folau, Michael Hooper, Rob Horne, Nick Phipps, Dave Dennis, Sekope Kepu, Wycliff Palu, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson and Paddy Ryan. It’s hard to go past them but the Tahs but I wouldn’t put all my money on them just yet.
