Weekend predictions

We get Friday off, but hells bells, that is an industrial Saturday! Hope you have plenty pink tickets stored up! Catch the odds, SuperBru community and Tank’s picks.

Tank Lanning

Clogging up channel 201 this weekend:

Friday the 13th

09h35 – Highlanders v Crusaders (Forsyth Barr)

11h45 – Rebels v Brumbies (AAMI Park)

Saturday the 14th      

09h35 – Hurricanes v Reds (Westpac Stadium)

11h45 – Waratahs v Bulls (Allianz Stadium)

13h55 – Sunwolves v Stormers (Singapore National)

17h05 – Cheetahs v Kings (Toyota Stadium)

19h15 – Lions v Blues (Emirates Airlines Park)

22h40 – Jaguares v Sharks (Estadio Jose Amalfitani)

No need for any sneaky “Dentist appointments” on Friday, although Saders vs Landers will definitely be worth a watch. Perhaps a little candle light dinner with the better half in order to prepare for what is an avalanche of SA rugby on Saturday? Even if you PVR the Sharks game to make it a “Koffie en beskuit” game on Sunday morning, it’s still a 21h00 finish!

My picks:

CRUSADERS to beat Highlanders by 7

BRUMBIES to beat Rebels by 5

HURRICANES to beat Reds by 7

WARATAHS to beat Bulls by 7

STORMERS to beat Sunwolves by 22

CHEETAHS to beat Kings by 11

LIONS to beat Blues by 5

SHARKS to beat Jaguares by 9

What the Bookies say:

CRUSADERS (10/11) to beat Highlanders (16/13)

BRUMBIES (4/7) to beat Rebels (2/1)

HURRICANES (2/11) to beat Reds (13/2)

WARATAHS (4/9) to beat Bulls (5/2)

STORMERS (1/14) to beat Sunwolves (14/1)

CHEETAHS (1/16) to beat Kings (25/2)

LIONS (7/16) to beat Blues (2/1)

SHARKS (5/6) to beat Jaguares (6/5)

The SuperBru Community picks:

CRUSADERS to beat Highlanders by 4

BRUMBIES to beat Rebels by 7

HURRICANES to beat Reds by 15

WARATAHS to beat Bulls by 3

STORMERS to beat Sunwolves by 20

CHEETAHS to beat Kings by 14

LIONS to beat Blues by 7

SHARKS to beat Jaguares by 10

I can’t remember when I was last this boring with my picks! There are a few banana peels in waiting though …

Best bet on the upset? The Highlanders looked fantastic with Waisake Naholo back last weekend. At home, they could well upset the Crusaders who are missing Nemani Nadalo. That said, how bloody good was Jone Macilai? The Hurricanes are all over the show after dropping 5 guys for hitting the town before the Sharks game last weekend. Could the Reds pounce? The Sharks are back on the road on what can only be described as a brutal travel schedule. Might it come to haunt them in Argentina? The Bookies certainly think so.

The Bulls have gone with 3 loosehead props (yep while Nyakane has done a job there for many sides, he is without doubt still a better loosehead) in their 23 man squad against a Waratahs scrum who humbled the Stormers and destroyed the Cheetahs. It’s a weird call. Despite travelling, the rested Stormers (with Elstadt at 7 in a clear power play) should have far too much in the tank for the Sunwolves. Same for the Cheetahs in PE, but they are going to need to improve radically on last weekend’s dreadful performance in Sydney. Their changes to the starting XV – including a whole new front row to replace the one that got mangled last week – should see to that. I am backing the Lions to come off their bye firing against a Blues side who were made to work really hard for their win against the Kings last week. Those Blues are a dangerous lot, though!

Enjoy