Super Rugby predictions …

Tank Lanning

Not a single Aussie derby this weekend … Bring on the beers!
Blues vs Lions to start the weekend … Bring on the arsenic!

Seven games to work your way through this weekend … But with a 2,4,1 split, it’s actually relatively doable … So to the predictions, then, which, as always, come with a severe warning … Use them for your SuperBru pics at your peril!

FRIDAY, MAY 11
 
Blues v Lions, Auckland – 09:35
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
AR’s: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand), Sheldon Eden (New Zealand)
TMO: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

I speak quite freely about the dullness of the Aussie derby so often forced upon us in this monstrosity that is the Super Rugby format, but my oath, does it come much worse than a 2012 Blues vs Lions encounter. Both teams have been beyond dire! Pat Lam’s position as head coach was rightfully advertised this week, and that might have the home boys hopping a little – either in support of Lam, or to impress whoever they bring in next, so I am going Blue on this. If wanting to get an early rosy glow, take a sip of the good stuff every time one of these hookers misses a lineout … You will have your best Friday at work ever. Sure, it might be your last, but what a way to go …

My prediction:  Blues by 13

Blues: 15 Hadleigh Parkes, 14 David Raikuna, 13 Ma’a Nonu, 12 Michael Hobbs, 11 Benson Stanley, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Daniel Braid, 6 Luke Braid (captain), 5 Ali Williams, 4 Liaki Moli, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Tevita Mailau
Bench: 16 James Parsons, 17 Angus Ta’avao, 18 Filo Paulo, 19 Steven Luatua, 20 Alby Mathewson, 21 Lachie Munro, 22 Sherwin Stowers

Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Deon Van Rensburg, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Jaco Taute, 11 Michael Killian, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Joshua Strauss (captain), 7 Grant Hattingh, 6 Derick Minnie, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Franco Van der Merwe, 3 Patric Cilliers, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg
Bench: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 CJ Van der Linde, 18 Cobus Grobbelaar, 19 Jaco Kriel, 20 Tian Meyer, 21 Ruan Combrinck, 22 James Kamana

—–
Waratahs v Bulls, Sydney – 11:40
Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand)
AR’s: Ian Smith (Australia), Francisco Pastrana (Argentina)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)

Snoreathon alert! The battle of the light blue jerseys has never been about basketball rugby, and I do not see it changing this year. A proper arm wrestle in the making I reckon as the Tahs play for survival, and the Bulls for that top spot in the SA conference. And it could all come down to how referee Chris Pollock blows the breakdown … And with penalty machine Deon Stegmann back in the mix, this game might be over before it begins. But if he gets away with a few, then the Hougaard and Steyn vs Super Sarel and Barnes battle will decide the match, and I am backing dead eye dick Steyn … Palu vs Spies should be fun …
 
My prediction:  Bulls by 1
 
Waratahs: 15 Daniel Halangahu, 14 Tom Kingston, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 11 Atieli Pakalani, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Chris Alcock, 6 Rocky Elsom (captain), 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 John Ulugia, 1 Benn Robinson
Bench: 16 John Mann-Rea, 17 Jeremy Tilse, 18 Sitaleki Timani, 19 Lopeti Timani, 20 Dave Dennis, 21 Brendan McKibbin, 22 Tom Carter

Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 CJ Stander, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dawie Steyn
Bench: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Rayno Gerber, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 JJ Engelbrecht

SATURDAY, MAY 12
 
Highlanders v Hurricanes, Dunedin – 09:35
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
AR’s: Keith Brown (New Zealand), Matthew Muir (New Zealand)
TMO: Vinny Munro (New Zealand)

Pretty tough one to call. The last seven games between these two have been decided by seven points or less. Highlanders at home, but having travelled after an ugly loss to the Sharks in Durban (after getting out of jail against the Cheetahs), while the Canes will be pretty fresh after what is like an extra bye against the Blues. The odds suggest a Highlanders win, but I think the “Such a joy to watch” Taylor, Jane and Smith trio will come good. Heart above head warning!!

My prediction:  Canes by 3

Highlanders: 15. Ben Smith, 14. Siale Piutau, 13. Tamati Ellison, 12. Phil Burleigh, 11. Hosea Gear, 10. Mike Delany, 9. Aaron Smith, 8. Nasi Manu, 7. Nick Crosswell, 6. Adam Thomson, 5. Jarrad Hoeata, 4. Josh Bekhuis, 3. Ma’afu Fia, 2. Andrew Hore (captain), 1. Chris King
Bench: 16. Jason Rutledge, 17. Bronson Murray, 18. Culum Retallick, 19. Tim Boys, 20. Jimmy Cowan, 21. Chris Noakes, 22. Kenny Lynn

Hurricanes: 15 Andre Taylor, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith (captain), 12 Charlie Ngatai/Tim Bateman, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Faifili Levave, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Ben May, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Reg Goodes.
Bench: 16 Motu Matu’u, 17 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 18 Brad Shields, 19 Jack Lam, 20 Chris Eaton, 21 Tusi Pisi/Daniel Kirkpatrick, 22 Tim Bateman/Alapati Leiua.

—–
Rebels v Crusaders, Melbourne – 11:40
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
AR’s: James Leckie (Australia), Will Houston (Australia)
TMO: Matt Goddard (Australia)

Told you they would be more Rebel than Rabble without Cipriani, and so it proved to be against the Bulls. This while the Saders hacked a little against the Reds. McCaw is back at the helm on the side of the scrum, but they have chosen this game to give one of the men of the tournament so far, Kieren Read (together with Ellis and Dagg), a rest. Not sure the home side will be able to live with the Saders scrum, which mostly destroyed the Reds last week, and Robbie Fruean is in superlative form.
 
My prediction: Crusaders by 7
 
Rebels: 15 Julian Huxley, 14 Mark Gerrard, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Lachlan Mitchell, 11 Cooper Vuna, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Gareth Delve (c), 7 Michael Lipman, 6 Tim Davidson, 5 Hugh Pyle, 4 Cadeyrn Neville, 3 Rodney Blake, 2 Ged Robinson, 1 Nic Henderson.
Bench: 16 Adam Freier, 17 Jono Owen, 18 Al Campbell, 19 Ryan Hodson, 20 Nic Stirzaker, 21 James Hilgendorf, 22 Stirling Mortlock.

Crusaders: 15 Tom Marshall, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Dan Carter, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Tom Taylor, 9 Willi Heinz, 8 Luke Whitelock, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 George Whitelock, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett
Bench: 16 Ben Funnell, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Tom Donnelly, 19 Kieran Read, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Ryan Crotty, 22 Israel Dagg

—–
Sharks v Force, Durban – 17:05
Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)
AR’s: Joey Salmans (South Africa), Christie du Preez (South Africa)
TMO: Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)

John Plumtree wins an ugly one against the Highlanders, spots that the sides with the best defensive records are higher on the log than the Sharks, and suddenly sees the light: “We aren’t talking about scoring tries, we’re putting a plan in place and hopefully the boys will play to that plan. And if it means kicking more, then that’s what we’ll do”. This as the Force come off an equally ugly loss to the Cheetahs. I see the Sharks continuing their metamorphosis after a shaky start.
 
My prediction: Sharks by 13
 
Sharks: 15. Louis Ludik, 14. JP Pietersen, 13. Paul Jordaan, 12. Tim Whitehead, 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 10. Patrick Lambie, 9. Charl McLeod, 8. Keegan Daniel (c), 7. Marcell Coetzee, 6. Jacques Botes, 5. Anton Bresler, 4. Steven Sykes, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 1. Tendai Mtawarira.
Bench: 16. Craig Burden, 17. Wiehahn Herbst, 18. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 19. Jean Deysel, 20. Ryan Kankowski, 21. Frederic Michalak, 22. Meyer Bosman

Force: 15 Alfie Mafi, 14 Sam Wara, 13 Nick Cummins, 12 Winston Stanley, 11 Napolioni Nalaga, 10 David Harvey, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Matt Hodgson, 7 David Pocock (capt), 6 Richard Brown, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Salesi Ma’afu, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan.
Bench: 16 Elvis Taione, 17 Salesi Manu, 18 Phoenix Battye, 19 Lachlan McCaffrey, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Ben Seymour, 22 Rory Sidey.

—–
Stormers v Cheetahs, Cape Town – 19:10
Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)
AR’s: Stuart Berry (South Africa), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

Jebb Sinclair! Who the hell is Jebb Sinclair, and why do one of the best rugby franchises in the Southern hemisphere have to recruit a Canadian loose forward? I can almost picture Danie Craven doing summersaults in his grave! Remember when the Stormers decided to bring in Schalk Brits as loose forward cover last year? Yep, it was all downhill from there … But that was then, and this is slightly different, yet I still find it disturbing. Back come De Villiers, Aplon and Etzebeth, while Cheetahs travel to the Cape sans Johan Goosen. Battle of the front rows will be fantastically beer inducing, but it will be a side show to the actual event …
 
My prediction: Stormers by 11
 
Stormers: 15. Joe Pietersen, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Juan de Jongh, 12. Jean De Villiers (captain), 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Peter Grant, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Nizaam Carr, 7. Rynhardt Elstadt, 6. Siya Kolisi, 5. Andries Bekker, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Deon Fourie, 1. Steven Kitshoff
Bench: 16. Tiaan Liebenberg, 17. Frans Malherbe, 18. De Kock Steenkamp, 19. Jebb Sinclair, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Burton Francis, 22. Gerhard van den Heever

Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Cameron Jacobs, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Willie le Roux, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Justin Downey, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 George Earle, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Coenie Oosthuizen
Bench: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Andries Ferreira, 19 Ashley Johnson, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Riaan Smit, 22 Philip Snyman

SUNDAY, MAY 13
 
Reds v Chiefs, Brisbane – 08:10
Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
AR’s: Andrew Lees (Australia), Simon Moore (Australia)
TMO: Steve Lesczcynski (Australia)

Not the worst way to clear a foggy head! Reds will be grumpy after a narrow loss to the Saders, while the Chiefs, even though crossing the Tasman, will be pretty fresh after a non-encounter with the Lions. Reds on the up since Ioane returned from suspension, and playing good rugby, but Chiefs are not top of the log for nothing! A tough one to call, and I reckon it could go either way …
 
My prediction: Chiefs by 3
 
Reds: 15. Luke Morahan, 14. Dom Shipperley, 13. Anthony Faingaa, 12. Mike Harris, 11. Digby Ioane, 10. Ben Lucas, 9. Will Genia, 8. Scott Higginbotham, 7. Liam Gill, 6. Jake Schatz, 5. James Horwill (captain), 4. Rob Simmons, 3. James Slipper, 2. James Hanson, 1. Ben Daley
Bench: 16. Saia Faingaa, 17. Greg Holmes, 18. Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19. Ed Quirk, 20. Beau Robinson, 21. Nicholas Frisby, 22. Rod Davies

Chiefs: 15. Andrew Horrell, 14. Lelia Masaga, 13. Richard Kahui, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 11. Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10. Aaron Cruden, 9. Brendon Leonard, 8. Alex Bradley, 7. Tanerau Latimer, 6. Liam Messam, 5. Michael Fitzgerald, 4. Craig Clarke (captain), 3. Ben Tameifuna, 2. Mahonri Schwalger, 1. Sona Taumalolo
Bench: 16. Hikawera Elliott, 17. Toby Smith, 18. Kane Thompson, 19. Sam Cane, 20. Augustine Pulu, 21. Jackson Willison, 22. Robbie Robinson

A perfect scenario for us Saffers … Out the office on important client visits on Friday morning, perhaps even indulging in an amber refreshment or two in the second half of the Bulls game before hammering the Clorets on the way back to that nasty Friday afternoon management meeting your pesky boss likes to hold. Then pink ticket accumulation activity on Saturday morning (yep, Rooibos tea at some obscure tree hugging coffee shop is going to have to happen) before warming up with the Sharks game, and then unleashing that coolerbox during the Cheetahs vs Stormers extravaganza …

Special … Enjoy