Bulls fans will suddenly be donning orange for the Durban game, but there are two Trans-Tasman games that are also tough to call. A gander at the Super Rugby weekend.
Tank Lanning
The line-up:
Friday, July 8
09h35 – Blues v Brumbies (Eden Park)
11h45 – Reds v Chiefs (Suncorp Stadium)
19h00 – Lions v Kings (Emirates Airlines Park)
Saturday, July 9
09h35 – Crusaders v Rebels (AMI Stadium)
11h45 – Waratahs v Hurricanes (Allianz Stadium)
13h55 – Force v Stormers (nib Stadium)
17h05 – Bulls v Sunwolves (Loftus Versfeld)
19h15 – Sharks v Cheetahs (Kings Park)
23h40 – Jaguares v Highlanders (Estadio Jose Amalfitani)
Blues vs Brumbies might be worth a gander if you have a sympathetic boss. Saders vs Rabble is unwatchable on Saturday morning so rather PVR the Lions hammering of the Kings and notch up a few pink tickets on Friday night, then catch that on Saturday morning. Tahs vs Canes on a spin bike, Stormers vs the hotel passageway pissers with the fire burning down, Bulls with feet on a coolerbox after a right royal feast from the grid, and then Sharks vs Cheetahs with a see through Coke in hand?
To see the weekend’s teams, head to Vodacom Rugby’s Team Sheets article that will be updated as each side is announced.
My picks:
BLUES to beat Brumbies by 11
CHIEFS to beat Reds by 17
LIONS to beat Kings by 32
CRUSADERS to beat Rebels by 18
HURRICANES to beat Waratahs by 11
STORMERS to beat Force by 4
BULLS to beat Sunwolves by 26
SHARKS to beat Cheetahs by 7
HIGHLANDERS to beat Jaguares by 7
What the Bookies say:
BRUMBIES (5/6) to beat Blues (5/4)
CHIEFS (3/24) to beat Reds (9/2)
LIONS (1/100) to beat Kings (45/1)
CRUSADERS (1/10) to beat Rebels (14/1)
WARATAHS (10/11) to beat Hurricanes (11/9)
STORMERS (1/3) to beat Force (3/1)
BULLS (1/33) to beat Sunwolves (25/1)
SHARKS (3/10) to beat Cheetahs (16/5)
HIGHLANDERS (1/2) to beat Jaguares (3/1)
The SuperBru Community picks:
BRUMBIES to beat Blues by 5
CHIEFS to beat Reds by 15
LIONS to beat Kings by 29
CRUSADERS to beat Rebels by 15
HURRICANES to beat Waratahs by 2
STORMERS to beat Force by 11
BULLS to beat Sunwolves by 17
SHARKS to beat Cheetahs by 8
HIGHLANDERS to beat Jaguares by 12
Sales of Cheetahs rugby jerseys are reportedly through the roof in Pretoria as Bulls fans back the Bloem boys to keep them in the playoffs! Sharks win, and the Bulls are basically gone. Cheetahs win and its game on for that final playoff spot next week!
Based on the Bookies and Bru’s it’s not looking too good for the Bulls as both parties see the Sharks getting past the travelling Cheetahs with relative ease, even without the plethora of players they lost last week, including Pat Lambie. If both teams play like they did in the first halves of their games last week, though, it’s the Bulls fans who will be smiling! Continue where they left off toward the end of their games last week, though, and the Sharks will cruise.
Relatively easy wins for the Lions, Stormers and Bulls, so it’s down the two Trans-Tasman games on Friday and Saturday morning. The Brumbies and Tahs are fighting for that top spot in the Aussie conference, and thus a home quarter final, so backing the Aussie sides might be the better call.
I have, of course, done the complete opposite!
The Canes still have a shot at top spot in the Kiwi conference to play for, while the Blues at home have a chance to come good after two very close reverses against their fellow countrymen.
Enjoy!
