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Opinionated Rugby Commentary - by Fans for Fans
Spill what you really think about events in the rugby world.
Super Rugby Round 8 Preview - 10 Players To Watch! 7 views
04 April 2013 by The Swede Eaters
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Scotty Donaldson looks at Super Rugby Round 8 matches. It looks like there is only one sided match this round, making things tough for punters.
Super Rugby is difficult to pick at the best of times, but Round 8 Super 15 Rugby 2013 looks set to be tougher to pick than a broken nose.
The Brumbies look like the only hot favourites this week, while I have decided to strategically pick narrow margins in the other matches to pick up some margin points if the likes of the Highlanders, Crusaders, Waratahs or Cheetahs win narrowly instead of the teams I picked.
The Highlanders struggle to win in Auckland and I think this hoodoo will continue. It will be interesting to see how Ma'a Nonu gets treated by fans and the opposition.
The Brumbies have rotated their squad for this match against the Kings, so watch out! They will be missing www.testrugby.com studs like Stephen Moore and Jesse Mogg for this one, but should still be too strong.
Surely the Crusaders can't win two weeks in a row in South Africa without Dan Carter and Kieran Read, can they? This game will be a cracker!
The Hurricanes and Waratahs are both midtable teams and this match will be close. The Waratahs aren't flash, but they seem to be difficult to beat. Watch out for Ardie Savea in his starting debut.
The Force and Rebels will fight for the Australian conference wooden spoon in Perth. The Force have been more competitive in recent times and should be too strong against the Rebels who are returning from some thrashings in South Africa.
The Cheetahs are on a hot streak, but it is hard to know if they can beat the Stormers who at the start of the season were competition contenders, but it ends up that it is the Cheetahs who are now contenders. Can the Cheetahs win without Johan Goosen and with Sarel Pretorius coming off the bench? The Cheetahs have traditionally struggled against the other South African teams.
There are three teams with the bye in Super Rugby Round 8 with the Chiefs, Bulls and Reds sitting this week out.
Here are the starting teams named for Super Rugby Round 8
http://www.superrugbytips.com/p/super-rugby-2013.html
Super Rugby picks for Round 8:
| Game |
Date and time |
Your pick |
| [43] Blues v Highlanders |
5 Apr 19:35 (local)
5 Apr 19:35 (your time*) |
Blues by 1 |
| [44] Brumbies v Southern Kings |
5 Apr 19:40 (local)
5 Apr 21:40 (your time*) |
Brumbies by 21 |
| [45] Sharks v Crusaders |
5 Apr 19:10 (local)
6 Apr 06:10 (your time*) |
Sharks by 1 |
| [46] Hurricanes v Waratahs |
6 Apr 19:35 (local)
6 Apr 19:35 (your time*) |
Hurricanes by 3 |
| [47] Force v Rebels |
6 Apr 16:40 (local)
6 Apr 21:40 (your time*) |
Force by 6 |
| [48] Cheetahs v Stormers |
6 Apr 17:05 (local)
7 Apr 03:05 (your time*) |
Stormers by 1 |
Super Rugby Round 8 Players to Watch
Here are 10 players to watch in Super Rugby Round 8, ideal for www.testrugby.com , that is if you can afford them and haven't run out of trades like I have now!
1) Patrick Lambie (Sharks) - The Sharks score plenty of points through the boot of Lambie since they struggle to score tries.
2) Ged Robinson (Rebels) - Ged Robinson has been a revelation in www.testrugby.com with a knack of scoring tries and assuming he is named in the Rebels team to face the Force, he will score well this week. There aren't many long term starting hookers with Stephen Moore from the Brumbies being rested and Keven Mealamu from the Blues only now finally coming back from time off.
3) Robbie Coleman (Brumbies) - Coleman is listed as a midfield back in www.testrugby.com , but he will start at fullback against the Kings. This makes him an ideal purchase as he should score a try and there are very few other centres who score better points than him. He has been in the team of the round recently.
4) Heath Tessman (Force) - As a replacement for Nathan Charles, Tessman was a revelation with 350 points last week and he costs just over $500,000. Assuming he is named in the starting lineup against the Rebels, then Tessman is worth a shot.
5) Ardie Savea (Hurricanes) - Ardie Savea is the 19 year old brother of All Blacks star Julian Savea and is a bargain priced loose forward. He was brilliant in the ITM Cup last season for Wellington and is worth a shot given his all round game.
6) James O'Connor (Rebels) - Despite playing at flyhalf, James O'Connor is one of the best outside backs in www.testrugby.com . He is a goalkicking fullback and his silky skills have seen him still earn good points in a losing team.
7) Hosea Gear (Highlanders) - Gear is scoring plenty of points for the unlucky Highlanders. Can he inspire them to a victory for the Highlanders?
8) Christian Lealiifano (Brumbies) - Whoever is goalkicking against the Kings should be in for some great points.
9) Alf Mafi (Force) - Mafi has been the best midfield back in www.testrugby.com . He has a similar style to Hosea Gear and actually plays on the left wing too. Both of these guys beat defenders with their style. The Force team to play the Rebels hasn't been named yet, but if he is selected, Mafi could see some action against the lowly Rebels.
10) Sam Whitelock (Crusaders) - Whitelock played one of the best games of his career last week against the Stormers. He is one of the more expensive locks, but sometimes it pays to pay for quality!
Who are you picking to win Super Rugby Round 8 matches?
http://www.superrugbytips.com/2013/04/super-rugby-round-8-preview-only-one.html
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