Weekend predictions

Friday evening and Saturday morning free! Here’s hoping the Bulls and Stormers don’t dish up goat shit in the evening though. Tank brings you the odds and community picks …

Tank Lanning

The weekend’s fixtures:

Friday, May 20th

09.35 – Crusaders v Waratahs (Christchurch)

Saturday, May 21st

07.05 – Reds v Sunwolves (Brisbane)

09.35 – Chiefs v Rebels (Hamilton)

11.45 – Force v Blues (Perth)

15.00 – Lions v Jaguares (Joburg)

17.10 – Sharks v Kings (Durban)

19.20 – Bulls v Stormers (Pretoria)

Saders vs Tahs is a must, so book that “dentist appointment”. Then it’s Friday evening and Saturday morning off to earn a few pink tickets or make use of that cobweb infused gym contract, before settling into some top rugby on Saturday afternoon. Not too many dips into the coolerbox during the curtain raisers, though – it’s worth staying compos mentis for that North vs South blood bath!

My picks:

CRUSADERS to beat Waratahs by 5

REDS to beat Sunwolves by 12

CHIEFS to beat Rebels by 18

BLUES to beat Force by 11

LIONS to beat Jaguares by 9

SHARKS to beat Kings by 9

BULLS to beat Stormers by 5

What the Bookies say:

CRUSADERS (1/4) to beat Waratahs (4/1)

REDS (1/2) to beat Sunwolves (15/2)

CHIEFS (1/7) to beat Rebels (7/1)

BLUES (6/11) to beat Force (2/1)

LIONS (1/5) to beat Jaguares (9/2)

SHARKS (1/41) to beat Kings (18/1)

BULLS (19/20) to beat Stormers (11/10)

The SuperBru Community picks:

CRUSADERS to beat Waratahs by 10

REDS to beat Sunwolves by 9

CHIEFS to beat Rebels by 13

BLUES to beat Force by 6

LIONS to beat Jaguares by 16

SHARKS to beat Kings by 20

STORMERS to beat Bulls by 2

Bookies be backing the Bulls, Bru’s be backing the Stormers, both by a mozzie’s ball hair, though. Despite their three loosehead strategy, I am backing the Bulls. Both teams have travelled, and both are off fairly dreadful performances last week. Will the men in light blue be able to put their horrible tour behind them and put an 80 minute performance together, or has it scarred them for the season? Was that a one off horror show for the Stormers, or is that the sign of things to come as the mountain goats revert to type? The loss of skipper Juan de Jongh is a big blow for the Stormers, and robs us of an all Bok midfield clash. Johnny Kotze aint no flair machine, which is another reason I am going Bulls, but I am not sure the ball will get past the halfbacks much in this ding dong affair.

Both the Bookies and the Bru’s see last week’s performance by the Jaguares against the Sharks as a one off affair, and given that they have again had to travel, I also see them hacking against the high riding Lions in Joburg.

After a gruelling travel schedule, the Sharks will be ecstatic to be back at Kings Park. Take their eye off the ball, though, and the nuggety Kings could prove a banana peel. Sans their fetchers CJ Velleman and Chris Cloete, though, the Kings are robbed of their sharpest teeth.