Our man, Kaunda Ntunja of SuperSport’s Phaka Powered by Hollywoodbets, gives us his Super Rugby tips for the fifth round of the 2020 edition of the tournament!
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Highlanders vs Rebels
Two teams that have struggled with consistency this season will be desperate for a win. The Rebels have never beaten the Highlanders in New Zealand and they haven’t shown me a reason why they’ll change that.
Phaka Prediction: Highlanders to win by 10 points
Waratahs vs Lions
It looks like Friday is just cursed with bottom-of-the-table clashes. These are always difficult to call because with both teams being poor, you can’t be sure who will be motivated to pick themselves up again. The Lions have got a very explosive and exciting bench and I think they will make the difference.
Phaka Prediction: Lions to win by 7 points.
Hurricanes vs Sunwolves
Both teams have made a number of changes to their lineup for different reasons. The Sunwolves coach is panicking and the Hurricanes coach sees this as an opportunity to have a good look at his depth. Interestingly, former Shark and Stormer, Kobus van Wyk has been named on the wing for the Hurricanes. I’m expecting a convincing victory for the home team but the many changes in the side will mean that there won’t be a lot of flow for it to be a proper try fest.
Phaka Prediction: Hurricanes to win by 25 points.
Reds vs Sharks
The Sharks are on their fourth and final week on tour and I have called every single one of their tour matches incorrectly. This is also another tough one to call. The Sharks squad will be feeling very confident after winning 2/3 match on this tour so far. Last week the Reds ran riot against the Sunwolves in what was their first win of the season. I’m still not sure if the Reds have the goods to compete against strong opposition.
Phaka Prediction: Sharks to win by 5 points.
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Stormers vs Blues
The return of Rieko Ioane will make this clash a little bit more competitive but you can’t help but think that the Stormers won’t be beaten at Newlands this season. The Stormers have suffered from a number of injuries to key players but they still have 8 Boks in their starting lineup and another one on the bench. The Stormers should win this.
Phaka Prediction: Stormers to win by 8 points.
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Bulls vs Jaguares
It is interesting to note that the Jaguares picked a weaker team last week against the Stormers because they wanted to stack their side for this match. The Bulls are desperate for a win but I do feel that this Jaguares outfit will be too strong for them.
Phaka Prediction: Jaguares to win by 5 points.
Final matches of the round to follow.
