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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 18 Preview 15 views
27 June 2013 by The Swede Eaters
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Super Rugby is back and it will be interesting to see how Round 18 pans out given how many teams are still in contention.
Super Rugby Round 18 features only five matches with the Australia
gripped in a battle with the British and Irish Lions. It will be
interesting to see how the June International test window affects the
momentum of Super Rugby teams and how stuffed players will be following
three weeks of international rugby.
There is plenty
riding on every one of the five matches in Super Rugby Round 18 with
each game featuring at least one finals contender.
The
Chiefs vs Hurricanes will be a cracking game. I went and saw these
teams battle it out earlier this season in wet conditions and that night
the injury depleted Chiefs were too strong. I am picking the Chiefs to
win at home this time too. I love some of the match ups in this local
derby. Both teams have named really strong line ups with plenty of non
international players being able to recover from injuries during the
break. You have Beauden Barrett vs Aaron Cruden for example where both
players go from All Black team mates to rival opponents in the space of a
week. The New Zealand matches especially will be affected by the
weather from now on!
My boys the Highlanders have a good chance of beating the Crusaders
indoors at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Both teams had plenty of players in
the All Blacks and so it will be interesting to see how they shape up.
Dan Carter looks like he will need to sharpen up a bit following the All
Blacks third test. These two teams haven't been named yet, but there
will also be some great match ups with the potential clash between Ben
Smith and Israel Dagg set to be a beauty.
The Crusaders will probably dominate up front, but you must remember
that the Highlanders wasted the Blues in their last game and potentially
have some kind of momentum going into this game. They won when these
two teams last met in Dunedin.
The Crusaders must win this to stay in the Top Six and have more riding
on this game, but I am thinking it will be closer than most punters
think. It will be closer than the last time these two teams met!
The Sharks have a great recent record against the Blues winning their
last eight meetings. The Sharks are also at home for this one. The
Blues are just outside the Top Six and still have a realistic shot at
the finals. They did lose some momentum before the break and this game
could get their season back on track. It is hard going on the road this
late in the season.
The Bulls should thrash the Southern Kings, but they will have to do it
without Pierre Spies who is gone for the season and they have decided to
rest Morne Steyn and introduce him from the bench. I think the Bulls
should still win easily, but it will be interesting to see if the Bulls
players who were in the Springboks hit the ground running following
their victory over Scotland.
The Stormers vs Cheetahs match is season defining. The Stormers have
been disappointing this season, but grabbed a few wins before the June
Internationals break. I am picking the Cheetahs to win away from home
with Adriaan Strauss to have an inspired game after having his balls
squeezed last week! The Stormers are without Andries Bekker for the
rest of the season and will miss Jean De Villiers this game.
Who are you picking to win Super 15 Rugby Round 18?
http://www.superrugbytips.com/2013/06/super-15-rugby-round-18-preview.html
My Super Rugby Picks For Round 18:
Game Date and time Your pick
[104] Chiefs v Hurricanes 28 Jun 19:35 (local)
28 Jun 19:35 (your time*) Chiefs by 7
[105] Highlanders v Crusaders 29 Jun 19:35 (local)
29 Jun 19:35 (your time*) Crusaders by 2
[106] Sharks v Blues 29 Jun 15:00 (local)
30 Jun 01:00 (your time*) Sharks by 3
[107] Bulls v Southern Kings 29 Jun 17:05 (local)
30 Jun 03:05 (your time*) Bulls by 35
[108] Stormers v Cheetahs 29 Jun 19:10 (local)
30 Jun 05:10 (your time*) Cheetahs by 1
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