Darry Worthington takes a look at the four Round 15 Super Rugby fixtures that are taking place on Saturday the 26th of May.
With only two weeks to go until the June internationals get underway Saturday’s four Super Rugby fixtures will have a massive bearing on how each of the three conferences shape up headed into the final run-in.
The action gets underway with a cross-Tasman affair which sees the Chiefs host the Waratahs while the Stormers and Lions will bring the curtain down on the round when they lock horns in Cape Town.
Chiefs v Waratahs
FMG Stadium Waikato
09:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Chiefs 3/10
Draw 25/1
Waratahs 5/2
Handicap
Chiefs (-10.5) 9/10
Waratahs (+10.5) 9/10
The Waratahs will be looking to claim another New Zealand scalp when they travel to Waikato this weekend to take on a Chiefs side that just concluded their tour of South Africa. The visitors managed to break Australia’s horrid record against New Zealand franchises as they overcame a 14-man Highlanders side 41-22 last Saturday.
The Chiefs didn’t fare as well in Round 14 as they went down 28-24 to the Sharks in Durban. They did manage to take a losing bonus point from their game against the Durbanites which ensured they came away from their tour of South Africa with five points to their name.
Verdict: Waratahs (+10.5) 9/10
The early plus line in Europe has opened up around the 10.5 mark which is not bad value considering the Waratahs have stayed within that margin against both the Crusaders and Blues already this season. As such, a small play on the plus is my move here.
Reds v Highlanders
Suncorp Stadium
11:45
To Win (80 Mins)
Reds 7/2
Draw 25/1
Highlanders 1/5
Handicap
Reds (+11.5) 9/10
Highlanders (-11.5) 9/10
The second game of the day is also a cross-Tasman affair with the Highlanders travelling to Australia to take on a Reds side who bounced back from their heavy defeat to the Sunwolves a fortnight ago by picking up a losing bonus point against the Hurricanes last week.
The Highlanders were far less impressive than their hosts in Round 14 as ill-discipline from rookie winger Tavita Nabura saw the Highlanders contest the majority of their clash against the Waratahs with just 14 men. The numerical disadvantage insured they were never really in the running as the Waratahs outside backs tore them to shreds, with the game ending 41-12 in favour of the Australians.
Verdict: Highlanders (-11.5) 9/10
I’m expecting a big response from the Highlanders here. They really need to bag the full five points to keep themselves in the running for a playoff berth. I also think the Reds may be rather fatigued from their exertions against the Hurricanes.
Bulls v Brumbies
Loftus Versfeld
15:05
To Win (80 Mins)
Bulls 3/10
Draw 25/1
Brumbies 24/10
Handicap
Bulls (-10.5) 9/10
Brumbies (+10.5) 9/10
We hit our third country of the day as we hop over from Australia to South Africa for a clash between the Bulls and the Brumbies. Both teams head into this one off the back of chastening defeats with the Bulls going down 54-24 to the Jaguares in Buenos Aires and the Brumbies going down 42-24 to the Lions in Johannesburg.
The visitors will be without the services of lock Rory Arnold who will no doubt cop a very long ban for his sickening tackle on Elton Janjties. This is good news for the Bulls as their strong lineout is likely to be even more dominant with Arnold missing.
Verdict: Bulls (-10.5) 9/10
I can see the Bulls reverting to a 10-man game, which sees them keep thing extremely tight. This tactic should reap great dividends against a Brumbies side whose tight five is hardly the strongest.
Stormers v Lions
DHL Newlands
17:15
To Win (80 Mins)
Stormers 29/20
Draw 22/1
Lions 11/20
Handicap
Stormers (+4.5) 9/10
Lions (-4.5) 9/10
Our final game of the day will see the Stormers and Lions go head-to-head at DHL Newlands. The hosts come into this one off the back of an embarrassing last-minute defeat to the Sunwolves, while a late blitz saw the Lions claim a bonus point victory over the Brumbies last week.
The Stormers will need more from recently returned pivot Jean-Luc du Plessis, whose goalkicking and kicking out of hand was extremely suspect last weekend. The talented youngster was coming off a very long injury break, so we should see a better display from him here.
Verdict: Lions (-4.5) 9/10
I have a feeling that the Stormers midfield will struggle to contain the Lions. Rohan Janse van Rensburg was solid last week and I can see him giving Damien de Allende all sort of problems.
Written by Darry Worthington for @Hollywoodbets.net
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