PREVIEW: Super Rugby 2024 – Round 2

The first Super Round of Super Rugby 2024 will see the Melbourne Rectangular Ground hosting all of the Round 2 fixtures including the weekend’s two standout games which see the Highlanders square off with the Blues on Saturday and the Chiefs take on the Brumbies on Sunday.

Highlanders v Blues | Friday 1 March | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 09:00

Highlanders 33/10 | Draw 28/1 | Blues 2/9

Handicap
Highlanders (+11.5) 9/10 | Blues (-11.5) 9/10

We’ve got an interesting Kiwi derby first that sees the Highlanders square off with the Blues.

Both sides got their campaigns off to solid starts with the Highlanders beating Moana Pasifika 35-21 while the Blues beat the Drua 34-10.

While both teams managed to get the business done in Round 1 they were far from fluid with the Highlanders trailing Moana Pasifika at the half-time break while the Blues had to bide their time against the Drua, who kept things quiet during the first ten minutes of the fixture but then coughed up some very soft tries through careless handling errors.

In terms of team news, it’s two All Blacks in and two All Blacks out for the Blues with Akira Ioane and Ofa Tu’ungafaasi coming into the run-on pack while Rieko Ioane and Finlay Christie miss out due to All Blacks rest protocols. AJ Lam will take over from Rieko in the centres while young Taufa Funaki replaces Christie.

On the Highlanders side of things, All Black Ethan De Groot comes into the starting front row with lock Max Hicks joining him in the engine room.

Verdict: Blues (-11.5) 9/10

The Highlanders may have won last week but they were given a true test by a Moana Pasifika side that is far weaker than this Blues outfit. I’m expecting a big win for the Aucklanders here.

Rebels v Force | Friday 1 March | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium |11:10

Rebels 9/20 | Draw 20/1 | Force 37/20

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

Our final Friday instalment sees the weekend’s Super Round hosts take on local rivals the Force.

Both teams had poor starts to the campaign with the Rebels hammered 3-30 by the Brumbies, while the Force went down 14-44 to the Hurricanes.

The Melbourne outfit were extremely blunt on attack this past weekend and while they created a few opportunities to bag points, careless errors cost them. These opportunities were few and far between. They will need to sharpen all facets of their game if they are to bury the Force.

While the Force managed to score two tries in Round 1, they also have issues to sort out with their defence just as poor as their opponents for Saturday, letting the Hurricanes bag a handful of tries.

The Force got a massive boost this week with skipper Jermey Williams returning to the run on side just as the Force took yet another hit to their locking stocks. While the Perth outfit have made minimal tweaks to their starting XV, the Rebels have made a few more with Taniela Tupou and hooker Alex Mafi getting starts in the front row. Matt Proctor makes his Rebels debut in the midfield.

Verdict: Force 37/20

This will be scrappy and I reckon the smart plays are hitting the total points unders lines via the Live In-Play platform. Pressed on the pre kick-off stuff, my bet is on the visitors.

Moana Pasifika v Fijian Drua | Saturday 2 March | Melbourne Rectangular Ground | 08:00

Moana Pasifika 22/10 | Draw 25/1 | Drua 7/20

Handicap
Moana Pasifika (+7.5) 9/10 | Drua (-7.5) 9/10

New boys on the block, the Drua and Moana Pasifika open things up on Saturday. Both teams head into this one off the back of defeats but it’s Moana Pasifika who will have taken more from their Round 1 loss.

Tana Umaga’s men gave a really good account of themselves during the first 47-odd minutes of their clash against the Highlanders and held the lead up until this point, which is where fatigue crept in and the Highlanders backline eventually clicked, running out 35-21 victors in Dunedin.

Moana Pasifika did look good with ball in hand during the clash, however, and if they can sort out their defensive issues and work on their fitness levels, they may well cause a few shocks this term.

While their opponents for Saturday made the most of their attacking opportunities, the same cannot be said of the Drua who coughed up several scoring chances during their 34-10 defeat at the hands of the Blues. They were off the boil with their handling skills with unforced errors costing them points. This may however be a slight blip as the Drua have traditionally been one of the better ball-handling sides.

Verdict: Drua (-7.5) 9/10

Most clashes between these sides tend to produce points and with the weather in Melbourne looking decent enough, we could get another high scorer here which would make the totals over points a solid shout when the Live In-Play betting opens up. I also feel things will click for the Drua this weekend and they’ll clear the handicap with a late surge against a tiring Moana Pasifika outfit.

Crusaders v Waratahs | Saturday 2 March | Melbourne Rectangular Ground | 10:35

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

Handicap
Crusaders (-18.5) 9/10 | Waratahs (+18.5) 9/10

The Crusaders square off against their Super Rugby bogey team as they take on Australian outfit the Waratahs, who they have lost against twice in recent season. While this isn’t the worst of records, it must be remembered that the ‘Tahs have not been a force to be reckoned with for a while and the Crusaders hardly ever lose to Australian sides.

The Kiwis come into this one off a narrow defeat to the Chiefs with a late try sinking their hopes of starting the season with a win. The Crusaders did manage to pick up a bonus point from the defeat, however, which was good going considering they trailed the Chiefs 17-10 at half-time.

The Waratahs also started their 2024 campaign with a defeat as they went down 40-22 to the Reds. They really struggled on defence in that fixture and will need to up their defensive effort tenfold if they are to get anything out of Saturday’s clash.

In terms of team news for this one, the Crusaders are facing an injury crisis at fly-half with Rivez Reihana ruled out and young gun Taha Kemara coming into the starting XV, while the Waratahs star winger Mark Nawaqanitawase is a doubt for the clash.

Verdict: Waratahs (+18.5) 9/10

The handicap is high and with the Crusaders fielding a rookie at fly-half, I can’t help but back the ‘Tahs on the plus.

Chiefs v Brumbies | Sunday 2 March | Melbourne Rectangular Ground | 05:00

Chiefs 1/3 | Draw 22/1 | Brumbies 24/10

Handicap
Chiefs (-8.5) 9/10| Brumbies (+8.5) 9/10

The penultimate game of the weekend should be an absolute cracker with two of the most impressive sides from the opening round squaring off as the Chiefs tackle the Brumbies.

As noted above, both sides impressed in Round 1 with the Chiefs getting a four-point win over the Crusaders while the Brumbies hammered the Rebels 3-30 at this weekend’s venue.

While the Brumbies still showed their traditionally strong maul is still a force, they did look a bit more expensive than previous vintages on the opening weekend. It will be interesting to see if they take a more conservative approach to this one with the Chiefs being arguably the best attacking team in the comp.

Speaking of the Chiefs’ attack, talismanic All Black Damien McKenzie has avoided an injury scare and is fit and ready for this one. His clash with young Wallaby Noah Lolosio is certainly one to keep an eye on this Sunday.

Verdict: Brumbies (+8.5) 9/10

I’m expecting this one to go down to the wire. As such, I’m on the Brumbies on the plus handicap.

Hurricanes v Reds | Sunday 2 March | Melbourne Rectangular Ground | 07:30

Hurricanes 2/7 | Draw 25/1 | Reds 11/4

Handicap
Hurricanes (-9.5) 9/10| Reds (+9.5) 9/10

The Round 2 action closes with the free-scoring Hurricanes and Reds squaring off. Both sides were in solid points-scoring form last weekend with the Hurricanes scoring 44 points in their big win over the Force while the Reds wracked up 40 points in their 18-point victory over the Waratahs.

Both looked impressive with ball-in-hand in Round 1 but they also coughed up some soft tries which will be an area both sets of coaching units try and address headed into Sunday’s clash.

The Reds have made just the one change to their run-on side for this fixture with Wallaby Jock Campbell taking over from Mac Grealy of the left wing. On the Hurricanes side of things, All Black Jordie Barrett will make his 100th appearance for the Wellington side. He will be joined in the run-on side by Cam Roigaard, TK Howden, Bradon Iose and Tyrel Lomax.

Verdict: Hurricanes (-9.5) 9/10

The Hurricanes are a big step up in class from the Waratahs and I reckon the Reds will struggle here.