Enough of the inane pre-season banter, thankfully, and time for Super Rugby 2014 … Well 2 SA derbies at least. Tank Lanning takes a stab at the final log standings to try and win a Million Bucks!
It is factually the most unpredictable rugby tournament in the world, especially early on in the season, so to take a stab at what the Super Rugby log will look like at the end is akin to pinning that darn tail on an anorexic donkey after spending a night out drinking with George Best, but hey, for R 1 000 000.00, I am prepared to take a stab!
Good friend of the Grunt, BetFlash, is the main sponsor of a myPredictor competition that asks you predict where each team will end up on the Super Rugby log come the end of the league part of the season, and they are giving the person who gets it spot on a chance to win the million!
Former international referee, Jonathan Kaplan, the man who holds the record for the most international matches as referee, has been appointed as the BetFlash Brand Ambassador, and he will be predicting his final log standings and making comment on the myPredictor site all season.
South Africa and Australia just do not have the players to sustain a 5th franchise, which then also impacts on the 4th, so out go the Lions, Cheetahs, Force and Rebels. The Canes and Highlanders have not been much better of late, so those six will fight it out for the bottom six.
BetFlash will give you 8/1 on a top six of CHI, SHA, BRU, CRU, STO, CHE, and 15/1 on a top six of CRU, BRU, SHA, CHI, RED, STO, which both seem ridiculous as neither has the Waratahs in the mix, and the best odds include the Cheetahs – who, granted, will surprise the odd side, but just do not have the resources to sustain a campaign.
The Tahs have lost a good flew players like Barnes, Carter, Mitchell and Turner, but they have a strong pack and play the kind of rugby that will see them win more games than they lose. And with the Brumbies having lost Jake White, I think they will be the Aussie side to get that third place courtesy of finishing top of the Aussie pile.
BetFlash will give you evens on an SA finishing line-up of SHA, STO, BUL, CHE, LIONS and 5/1 on an SA finishing line-up of SHA, BUL, STO, CHE, LIONS … Indeed – no matter how you look at it, it is the Durban boys who will be flying the SA flag this year. This of course, if the White and Smit partnership remains as rosy as it is being made out to be? So it goes from evens to 5/1 based on the Bulls and Stormers finishing positions. The Bulls might be young, but they are moving toward a brighter future. I cannot see a single thing that the Stormers have done to suggest any movement out of mid table mediocrity.
The Chiefs and Crusaders will always be there and there about, it’s just about which of the two will finish top of the Kiwi pile … I am going with the defending champs …
My predicted final 2014 S15 log table:
Chiefs
Sharks
Waratahs
Crusaders
Bulls
Brumbies
Stormers
Blues
Reds
Hurricanes
Cheetahs
Highlanders
Rebels
Force
Lions
To enter, head to the myPredictor website …
To qualify to stand a chance to win the R1 million prize: Predict where each team will end up on the Super Rugby log and register with one of myPredictor’s chosen sponsors, of which BetFlash is the title sponsor. If you choose to register with BetFlash, make a minimum deposit of R100 and place a bet/s to that value on any sport at any odds before the closing date.
OK, have done it as well, looking a bit different then your, will buy you lunch with my winnings 😉
Done and dusted, Hanging in on level 9. At the moment)
No more Superbru predictions??????