There are two Round 12 Super Rugby fixtures taking place on Friday the 3rd of May with the Crusaders and Sharks locking horns in the opener and the Reds and Sunwolves closing the day out.
Friday throws up two rather intriguing Super Rugby affairs with the Sharks making the daunting trip to Christchurch to take on reigning champions the Crusaders and the Reds playing host to a wounded Sunwolves outfit.
Crusaders v Sharks
Rugby League Park
09:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Crusaders 1/33
Draw 30/1
Sharks 10/1
Handicap
Crusaders (-21.5) 9/10
Sharks (+21.5) 9/10
The visitors will arrive in Christchurch in high spirits having beaten the Waratahs 15-23 last weekend. The game was balanced on a knife-edge up until Waratahs loose forward Jed Holloway decided to take the law into his own hands and elbow Sharks prop Thomas du Toit. Holloway saw red for the infringement, and after he left the field the Sharks took complete control of the game.
The Crusaders also enjoyed a solid Round 11 as they notched up a 35-10 victory over the Lions. The bonus point win saw them move seven points clear on the overall standings and it looks as though they are well on their way to securing yet another first-place regular season finish.
In terms of this weekend’s team selections, it will be interesting to see if the Sharks continue with Curwin Bosch at fly-half. The young gun had a solid outing against the Waratahs but he isn’t the most physical of flyhalves, which means the Crusaders are likely to target his channel if he does get a start.
For the Crusaders, we could see a few changes as a number of the All Blacks are due a rest.
Verdict: Crusaders (-21.5) 9/10
This is a really big ‘cap but one the Crusaders could surpass. I’m going to keep my stake to a minimum here as I’m not overly confident.
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Reds v Sunwolves
Suncorp Stadium
11:45
To Win (80 Mins)
Reds 3/10
Draw 25/1
Sunwolves 5/2
Handicap
Reds (-10.5) 9/10
Sunwolves (+10.5) 9/10
The Reds will be looking to inflict more woe on to the beleaguered Sunwolves when the two sides meet in Queensland this Friday. The hosts enjoyed a bye week during Round 11 so they will come into this one fresh and ready for the challenge, while the Sunwolves suffered their eighth defeat of the season going down 0-52 to the Highlanders.
The two sides currently occupy the last two places on the Australian Conference with the Reds in fourth and the Sunwolves last. A bonus-point win for the Reds could see them move back into play-off contention as they are only six points off the first-placed Rebels.
The two sides have already met one this season with a last-minute penalty seeing the Reds win 31-34.
Verdict: Sunwolves (+10.5) 9/10
I’m expecting the Sunwolves to give a good account of themselves here. They have been decent on the road this term and I can see them running the Reds close.
Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets
