It’s the last round before the June Test window. As if to make sure we don’t forget about it over the next three weeks, Super Rugby has lined up some bell ringers this weekend. You’re gonna need all the help you can get.
I get the feeling that this round will shake up the finals contenders one way or another. I reckon it will do the same with the tipping ladder which so far has remained reasonably consistent. The Rhummdoggs has maintained their position at the top of the log yet again and has extended their lead by 1 point with Lindommer having an off week and slipping a couple of places.
The Aussie Blitzkrieg
From an Australian Rugby fan, there are two games this weekend that have me supremely interested. Both make for interesting tipping but for different reasons.
The first is the first game of the round and sees the Crusaders hosting the Force. There is no disputing the Crusaders current form but equally there is no disputing that the Force have been performing very well in what has become their best season since their inception in 2006. They will have earned their finals berth should they make it but week in week out they continue to get no love from the bookies. Although the Saders are coming good as they always do, they still don’t look like a true Crusaders outfit. Whilst they are getting the job done, their performances have sometimes left plenty to be desired.
The Force however, have built a season on grit, determination and relentlessness. Just the sort of things that can pull up a stuttering Cantebury mob. This will be a true test of where the Force are at. About 90% of you have backed the home side and the bookies are offering in excess of $5 for a Force win depending on where you go for a punt. I’m going to be all over that like a much younger and much chubbier me would’ve been over a cup cake. With a loss being enough to send them toppling out of the top 6, I’m tipping the Force by just enough.
The second game that has me hanging out for the weekend is the Chiefs vs the Waratahs. The Chiefs are desperate for a win to get their season back on track and will be looking to this game up in New Plymouth to make a statement. The Tahs have started to string a few wins together and will be eyeing off a wounded Chiefs to add another feather to their cap.
The Chiefs are ever so slight favourites and probably only due to the home ground advantage. Leading in the Chiefs have only managed wins over the Blues, Lions and Rebels with losses to the Canes, Brumbies and Crusaders. The Waratahs form is slightly better with their losses coming from the Sharks, Force and Blues and wins over slightly stronger teams like the Hurricanes. The tippers and bookies are split. In the recent head to heads the Waratahs have the upper hand and I’m going to back the Aussies again. Tahs by 10.
Both of these games will be litmus tests for the top Aussie and Kiwi teams, and will give a clear indication of where they stand leading up to the run home. Can’t wait!
The NZ Derby
The last of the tough tips for this week is the Saturday afternoon fixture between the Blues and the Hurricanes. Last week I tipped the Blues to win and the Canes to lose and was wrong on both fronts. This week I’m going to play it safer and go with the favourite, but really with derbies like this one, it really could go either way. The head to head between the two franchises don’t help us either as it’s pretty even in recent years. The Hurricanes will score points, of this I am sure. It all depends on how many the Blues can find to determine the victor and I’m not convinced they will be able to put together enough. Hurricanes by 12.
The Easy Ones
Apart from the Reds vs Highlanders game, which doesn’t really fit into the easy or tough category strangely, there are three clear stand outs for the Joker this week. All of them are derbies which makes me feel a little uneasy.
Take your pick from the Bulls to smash the Lions, the Sharks to subdue the Stormers or the Brumbies to shut down the Rebels. Personally, I can’t go past the Bulls for my Joker. Both the Rebels and the Stormers on their day can do more than enough to worry their opponents but the Lions sadly, on a 7 game losing streak and playing at Loftus will struggle against a Bulls outfit that is on a roll. Lock it in tippers!
