The French have packed their bags and the English have left the land of the long white cloud. That can only mean one thing. It’s Super Rugby time again!
After successful inbound Test Series for both Australia and New Zealand the Super Rugby franchises and fans for both nations will be on a high; nothing quite like winning to boost mood and morale generally. South Africa are still entertaining house guests so the SA S15 teams have another week off.
Tipping after the June Tests is always tricky though as how each team will respond to the break is a big unknown. Teams that were on a roll may have trouble maintaining their momentum and form and others that were struggling may come back from the break a new team. Probably the biggest challenge though is the key injuries that have been picked up over the break.
Round 17
For those tippers that wanted to ease their way back into the game, sorry but you’re fat out of luck. Round 17 is only 5 games but there are simply no easy ones. Four derbies and one trans-tasman match up that will have you scratching your scone up until kick off on Friday afternoon. If you’re not doing some serious cranial callisthenics then maybe ask yourself why not. I’ll whip through them in order of appearance.
Highlanders vs Chiefs @ Dunedin
This is a real tricky one. In terms of momentum, you would have to say the home side is the favourite here. The Highlanders would be looking at where they are at this point in time and they’d be pretty happy considering the last couple of seasons. The Chiefs on the other hand would be very disappointed with the 2014 season, struggling to find that spark that has given them back to back Super 15 titles. Both teams however went into the break on a two game losing streak. Head to head historically has the Chiefs well in front but I can’t go past the home side. I’m hoping for a cracking game of running Rugby but tipping a Highlanders win.
Rebels vs Reds @ Melbourne
Fifth versus fourth in the Aussie conference. The loser of this game is almost assured of the wooden spoon of the conference. When you look at the season as a whole, the Rebels will be your fairly strong favourite. Whilst they haven’t gotten the results they would be hoping for it hasn’t been through a lack of effort.
The Reds on the other hand have been fairly flat all year and for the first time in as long as I can remember, with neither Genia or Cooper in the halves, the back line probably wouldn’t send shivers down many teams spines. The Reds did make a statement before the break though and played the sort of footy that everyone knows they can, putting away a very off Highlanders outfit. I’m expecting both teams to come out and try hard but I’m not sure what sort of game it will be. Tipping the Reds to bring it home in a close one.
Hurricanes vs Crusaders @ Wellington.
The first game of the Saturday night triple header. The Crusaders are a team that I am keen to see how they come back from the break. They were trundling along quite nicely before the English turned up (except for the uncharacteristic loss to the Sharks) and although they are doing what they do each year and that is start slow and peak coming into finals, the manner with which they are doing it this year just doesn’t seem like the Saders of old. They lose a lot without McCaw on the field and if the Canes are on their game they could well jag an unexpected win here.
The Hurricanes are a team that know how to beat the Crusaders winning the last 3 out of 4 games between the two sides. The smart money will be on the Crusaders, but I’ll be tipping the Canes. Make of that what you will.
Waratahs vs Brumbies @ Sydney
When I was talking about teams with key injuries earlier, the Brumbies were at the front of my mind. Injured during the French Tests were Moore, Carter, Toomua and McCabe who are all likely to miss this weekends fixture. With this being a game that will likely decide the conference leader with only two rounds to go, these injuries are going to be a huge hurdle for the Brumbies to overcome by itself. Add to these woes a number of Tahs finding some pretty special form through the three Tests, I think this will be a bridge to far for the men from the Nation’s capital. The Waratahs to win this one fairly comfortably. I’m also quite gingerly letting my Joker ride on this game as well.
Force vs Blues @ Perth.
The Western Force are having their best season to date and after starting very well they seemed to plateau just a touch with a few losses coming in the last 6 games. The Blues on the other hand have been somewhat consistent in their inconsistency losing every single game that they have played away – a trend they will surely want to buck before the season’s end.
Looking through the annals of history wouldn’t be a fun experience for a Force fan. The only win they have gotten over the Aucklanders coming in 2008. This is also a trend the Force will be wanting to buck. I was originally going to play my joker on this match but in the end I decdided against it. I’m going with the bookies and the home side in this one, tipping the Force in an arm wrestle.
So there you have it, round 17 in a nutshell. Now that the tipping is out of the way, you can sit back, grab your drink of choice and enjoy Super Rugby being back because tough tipping usually means cracking Rugby. Bring it on!
