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PREVIEW: Derby action delight in Super Rugby Round 3

We had a cracker of a Super Round out in Melbourne last weekend with high scoring fixtures and plenty of drama. A couple of Australian teams made a statement with the Rebels pushing the Hurricanes right to the death and the Brumbies getting one over the Blues.

Steve Haag Sports - Dave Lintott

While there was cross-conference action aplenty this past weekend, this weekend wll serve up a plethora of derby fixtures with the highlights seeing the Hurricanes lock horns with the Blues and the Brumbies and Reds square off.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

Friday 10 March

Chiefs | Draw | Highlanders

We kick things off with an all New Zealand affair as the bang in form Chiefs taking on the struggling Highlanders. 

The hosts followed up their 10-31 victory over reigning champions, the Canterbury Crusaders, with a 29-52 victory over Moana Pasifika. Once again, All Black Damien McKenzie played an absolute blinder, guiding the Chiefs to a 3-38 half-time lead. The men from Waikato seemed to take the foot off the pedal when McKenzie left the field with Moana Pasifika scoring a couple second half tries to make the score line far more respectable. 

The Highlanders suffered their second mammoth defeat at the hands of Kiw opposition as they went down 52-15 to the Crusaders this past Friday. This followed on their 20-60 opening round defeat to the Blues. They are struggling defensively at the minute which is extremely worrying considering how rampant the Chiefs have been on attack. 

The Chiefs are likely to run up a cricket score against a Highlanders defence that are as porous as Man United’s back four were against Liverpool this past Sunday. 

Rebels 17/10 | Draw 20/1 Waratahs 5/10

Handicap
Rebels (+5.5) 9/10 | Tahs (-5.5) 9/10


We cross the Tasman for Friday’s final fixture which will see the Rebels and  Waratahs go head to head in Melbourne. 

The hosts have started their season with two narrow wins tossing away a solid lead to go down 34-27 to the Force in Round 1 and then ran the Hurricanes close as they launched a come-from-behind effort that would ultimately see them go down 33-39 to their Kiwi foes. 

The Waratahs have enjoyed a slightly more fruitful start to their campaign claiming a losing bonus point from their 25-31 opening round defeat to the Brumbies and then following that up with a 17-46 victory over the Fijian Drua. The ‘Tahs showed great patience against the Drua in that fixture as most of their points came late in the second half after they had worn their opponents down. 

I really do think the men from New South Wales will get better and better as the tournament progresses. I can see them making it two wins on the trot this weekend. 

Tahs on the minus.

Saturday 11 March

Drua 7/1 | Draw 40/1 | Crusaders 1/14

Handicap
Drua (+17.5) 9/10 | Crusaders (-17.5) 9/10


The Drua will run out in front of their home faithful for the first time this term when they welcome the exceedingly popular Crusaders to what will be a buzzing Churchill Park. 

The hosts have been pretty competitive in the opening two rounds staging a come-from-behind 34-36 opening round victory over Moana Pasfika and then giving the Waratahs a real run for their money for the majority of their fixture before they ran out of steam with tired legs seeing them conceed a boatload of points in during the final quarter of the game. 

The Crusaders also head into this one off the back of a win and a loss as the reigning champions went down 10-31 to the Chiefs in Round 1 but then returned to form in Round 2 as they took the struggling Highlanders to task beating their domestic opponents 52-15. 

I reckon the Drua will keep things tight in the first half but will not be able to keep up with the Crusaders in the second. As such, I’m on a late surge of points seeing the Crusaders past the handicap. 

Saders on the minus.

Hurricanes 31/20 | Draw 20/1 | Blues 11/20

Handicap
Canes (+4.5) 9/10 | Blues (-4.5) 9/10

A Hurricanes side sans Ardie Savea will be looking to make a real statement when they take on last year’s Super Rugby Pacific runners-up in Wellington. Both sides are in red-hot try scoring form at the minute so we could well see a plethora of tries here. 

The hosts for Saturday made it two wins on the trot ths past weekend as they followed up their 13-47 victory over the Reds with a streaky 34-27 victory over the Melbourne Rebels. That win over the Rebels came at a cost, however, as their skipper Ardie Savea has copped a band for a  throat slitting gesture aimed towards the Rebels. His place in the side wll be taken by 20-year-old dynamo Peter Lakai, who starts at eight this weekend. 

The Blues head into this off the back of an agonizing defeat as they went down 20-25 to the Brumbies this past Sunday. It was an extremely odd fixture with both sides racking up a boatload of points in the first half and then failing to score a solitary point in the second-half of the fixture. 

The absence of Savea is a massive blow for the ‘Canes and I reckon it will be the main reason they don’t get the win here. 

Brumbies 5/10 | Draw 20/1 | Reds 17/20

Handicap
Brumbies (-5.5) 9/10 | Reds (+5.5) 9/10

Our penultimate fixture of the weekend is yet another cracking derby with Australia’s two best sides squaring off at the GIO Stadium. 

The Brumbies made a real statement last weekend as they registered a 20-25 victory over the Blues. Their defensive effort in the fixture was excellent and ths bodes very well for the remainder of the season. The win also follows on from their impressive 25-31 victory over the Waratahs. 

The Reds have endured a more patchy start as they were taken to task by the Hurricanes in Round 1 going down 13-47 to the Kiwi outfit. They did manage to bounce back from that defeat in style, however, as they beat the Force 20-71. 

The recent games between these sides have been won by very narrow score lines and I expect this one to be the same. My money is on the Brumbies winning it by less than five points.

Reds plus here.

Western Force 9/20 | Draw 20/1 | Moana Pasifika 37/20

Handicap
Force (-6.5) 9/10 | Moana (+6.5) 9/10

The round comes to a close out in Perth where the Force will be looking to bounce back from their heab defeat to the Reds when they take on winless Moana Pasifika. 

The hosts would have had high hopes headed into their Australian derby last weekend as they had opened their campaign with a solid comeback beating the Rebels 34-27. Those hopes were short lived, however, as they were given a rude awakening last weekend as they were hammered 20-71 by the Reds. 

Moana Pasifika have endured an even tougher start to the campaign than that of their opponents as they coughed up a solid lead against the Drua in Round one to go down 34-36 and then were hammered 29-52 by the Chiefs this past weekend. 

While they did suffer a heavy defeat to the Chiefs last weekend, there were some positive signs as they scored a number of tries in the second half of the fixture and also sured up their defence. I reckon they may well grab the win this weekend. 

Force on the minus.

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