We preview the four Mitre 10 Cup games being played between Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th of August.
It was an absolutely stellar start from our rugby writer who collected a full house last weekend as he correctly tipped all seven Mitre 10 Cup fixtures. While a lot of these tips were well under even money tips, he also found some great value in the form of 26/10 shots Tasman and 11/4 shots Bay of Plenty.
Here’s hoping his form continues this weekend.
Canterbury v Wellington
Saturday 25 August
Christchurch Stadium
04:05
To Win (80 Mins)
Canterbury 7/10
Draw 20/1
Wellington 12/10
Canterbury will be looking to bounce back from their 25-17 defeat to local rivals Tasman when they take on a Wellington side, who opened their campaign with a solid 36-14 win over Otago.
The hosts may head into this one as odds-on favourites but they have a lot of work to do if they are going to live up to mantle. The men from New Zealand’s South Island looked a far cry from the side that won last year’s title. The loss of 2017 campaign stars, Richie Mo’unga, Jack Goodhue, and Scott Barrett was evident last weekend, and this could actually prove to be a rather long season for a Canterbury side in transition.
Canterbury’s opponents for this weekend, Wellington, looked a lot more assured of themselves last weekend as they beat Wellington by 18 points. They were my tip to win the Premiership title, and they backed up my words with a clinical opening round display.
Verdict: Wellington 12/10
This has to be the best rugby bet of the weekend. Wellington are a solid side and should have no problems overcoming a Canterbury outfit who seem rather devoid of ideas.
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Waikato v North Harbour
Saturday 25 August
FMG Stadium Waikato
06:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Waikato 18/10
Draw 20/1
North Harbour 9/20
The second and final Saturday fixture will see two sides who experienced contrasting fortunes in Round face off at FMG Stadium. Waikato got their 2018 season off with a somewhat surprising loss as they went down 25-19 to fellow Champions outfit Manawatu.
North Harbour, who play their trade in Premiership, managed to sneak past Championship outfit Northland by one point last week. They will need to up their game ten-fold if they are to get one over a Waikato side who’ll head into this one, devoid of talent, but extremely fired-up.
Verdict: Waikato 18/10
I wasn’t un-impressed with Waikato last week. They looked decent with ball-in-hand in trying conditions. I think they could well spring a surprise here, especially considering they are at home.
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Tasman v Southland
Sunday 26 August
Lansdowne Park
04:05
To Win (80 Mins)
Tasman 1/100
Draw 35/1
Southland 12/1
Tasman come into their second-clash of the season as red-hot favourites and are trading at 1/100 to get the job done against struggling a Championship side, Southland. The hosts got their 2018 campaign off to a flyer as they beat reigning Premiership champions, Canterbury, by eight points.
Southland had a much tougher tie of it during the opening round as they went down 10-31 to Hawke’s Bay.
Verdict: Tasman 1/100
I can’t see anything else bar the hosts taking this one by 30 points or more.
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Northland v Auckland
Sunday 26 August
Toll Stadium
06:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Northland 17/10
Draw 20/1
Auckland 5/10
We round out the weekend’s action with a clash between an impressive Northland outfit and an Auckland side who flattered to deceive during the opening round. The hosts head into this one off the back of an extremely unlucky one-point defeat to North Harbour, while Auckland make the trip having managed to stave off a second-half comeback from Counties Manukau.
The hosts may be priced up at 17/10 but they could well get one over an Auckland side who struggled defensively last week.
Verdict: Northland 17/10
I’m going to have a moderate strike on the hosts this Sunday. They put in a solid shift last week and I really do think they’ll get the better of a hit-and-miss Auckland side.
