Super Rugby Saturday serves up five match ups on the 4th of May. The Hurricanes will look to put away the Rebels, the Chiefs face a tough fixture against the Highlanders, and the Stormers will travel to Argentina to tackle the Jaguares. Check out our full preview here.
Hurricanes v Rebels
07h15
Wellington Regional Stadium
To Win
Hurricanes 1/4
Draw 35/1
Rebels 5/1
Handicap
Hurricanes (-13) 9/10
Rebels (+13) 9/10
The Hurricanes will be confident of claiming a comprehensive win over the Rebels in Wellington on Saturday.
Despite the men from Melbourne leading the Australian Super Rugby challenge this season following a number of outstanding performances, it remains to be seen whether they have the ability to best the Canes at home.
John Plumtree’s charges have played consistently solid rugby throughout year and, despite two comprehensive losses to the Crusaders, remain arguably the tournament’s second-best side.
Coming off the back of their 47-19 thrashing of the Chiefs, expect the Hurricanes to gain another important bonus-point win this weekend.
Verdict: Hurricanes by 10 or more
______________________________________
Highlanders v Chiefs
09h35
Forsyth Barr Stadium
To Win
Highlanders 2/7
Draw 25/1
Chiefs 11/4
*Forecast odds
Handicap
Highlanders (-10) 9/10
Chiefs (+10) 9/10
*Forecast handicaps
The Highlanders can advance their cause for a playoff berth when they host the struggling Chiefs in Dunedin on. Saturday.
Aaron Mauger’s side occupy eighth-place – the last remaining wild card spot – and can maintain the pressure for a qualifying berth with another win this weekend.
Last week saw the ‘Landers demolish the Sunwolves 52-0 in Tokyo. In fact, so good were the Kiwi outfit that Sunwolves coach and former Highlander himself Tony Brown commented that his men “were lucky to get zero.”
The Chiefs were outclassed 47-19 by the Hurricanes in Wellington the day after; a result which sees them remain at the bottom of the New Zealand conference. They will come out the blocks firing but don’t be surprised if they fall short by a score or less.
Verdict: Highlanders by seven or less
______________________________________
Brumbies v Blues
11h45
GIO Stadium
To Win
Brumbies 23/10
Draw 25/1
Blues 5/7
*Forecast odds
Handicap
Brumbies 23./10
Blues 5/7
*Forecast handicaps
The Brumbies can keep up the pressure at the summit of the Australia conference with a win over the Blues in Canberra on the weekend.
The hosts are third in Australia but could potentially go as high as first at the conclusion of play on Saturday, albeit having played a game more than their local counterparts. The Rebels and Waratahs both face tricky opposition this weekend, so a big performance by Dan McKellar’s men can give their playoff ambitions a massive boost.
The Blues, meanwhile, come off their bye week with plenty of catching up to do. Victory could propel them into a qualifying spot but, considering their record on the road this season (zero from four), one would think the Brumbies will deliver the goods.
Verdict: Brumbies by seven or more
______________________________________
Bulls v Waratahs
15h05
Loftus Versfeld
To Win
Bulls 5/11
Draw 25/1
Waratahs 7/4
*Forecast odds
Handicap
Bulls (-7) 9/10
Waratahs (+7) 9/10
*Forecast handicaps
The Bulls should be wary of a Waratahs ambush this weekend at Loftus Versfeld.
With both sides blowing hot and cold throughout the season, this one is pretty tough to predict. The Bulls come off the back of a narrow one-point loss to the Stormers in Cape Town while the Australians were beaten 23-15 by the Sharks in Sydney.
While the Bulls will have home ground advantage, Daryl Gibson’s men will be hurting from a severely ill-disciplined showing last time out and will want to hit back with a quality performance.
It will be a close contest, but back the Tahs to pull off an upset win.
Verdict: Waratahs by five or more
______________________________________
Jaguares v Stormers
21h40
Estadio José Amalfitani
To Win
Jaguares 8/13
Draw 22/1
Stormers 11/8
*Forecast odds
Handicap
Jaguares (-3) 9/10
Stormers (+3) 9/10
*Forecast handicaps
The Stormers may come unstuck in Buenos Aires against the Jaguares on Saturday.
The Argentine team has proven time and again in the past that they are a special prospect when playing in front of their home crowd and this weekend will be no different.
The Stormers triumphed 35-8 in the reverse fixture in March, and this will give them some confidence heading into this one. However, the losses of Pieter-Steph du Toit (injury) and Siya Kolisi (rested) may come back to bite them.
The match, as always in South America, will be won or lost at the contact point. The Stormers heavy-men need to stand up against Pablo Matera and company but may fall short this time around.
Verdict: Jaguares by 10 or more
