Super Rugby Round 8 Predictions!
It was 3 out of 6 for me in Round 7, slightly better than the community average of 2.81, and thanks to a Margin Point in the Bulls' narrow win over the Sharks in Durban, I managed some green arrows on the Superbru rankings.
It's great to see that the bru on the above banner, Jaco Marais, who was the best performing player across the entire Superbru community last week is playing in my 'Challenge Hutch' pool! He was of course the Yellow Cap winner after an incredible GSP round.
Last week was a reminder that Super Rugby has been a bit of a lottery this season. Take the Waratahs - they beat the defending champions Crusaders one week, and lose to the lowly Sunwolves the next. Or even the Crusaders - beaten in Sydney, and then they thrash the Hurricanes in Wellington.
So with that in mind, let's look at this week's coin flips.
Which ones do you disagree with this week?
Follow Superbru on Twitter: @Superbru
It's great to see that the bru on the above banner, Jaco Marais, who was the best performing player across the entire Superbru community last week is playing in my 'Challenge Hutch' pool! He was of course the Yellow Cap winner after an incredible GSP round.
Last week was a reminder that Super Rugby has been a bit of a lottery this season. Take the Waratahs - they beat the defending champions Crusaders one week, and lose to the lowly Sunwolves the next. Or even the Crusaders - beaten in Sydney, and then they thrash the Hurricanes in Wellington.
So with that in mind, let's look at this week's coin flips.
Highlanders v Hurricanes
After a strong start, the Highlanders are now without a win since February, but given that the Hurricanes have not won in Dunedin since 2015, this is a tricky pick. Indeed the home team has won this match on the last 6 occasions, and I'm going to pick a home win. Highlanders by 2Reds v Stormers
This is another difficult one to call. The Reds are usually fairly rubbish, and despite the Stormers losing a couple of key players to injury, they've had a reasonable tour so far without a win, and they are the better team on paper. Stormers by 6Lions v Sharks
The Sharks are another team that has faded since a bright start, with a home defeat to the Bulls last week. Meanwhile, the Lions have won 3 in a row and haven't lost to the Sharks at home since 2014. Lions by 9Crusaders v Brumbies
A powerful win over the Hurricanes last week suggested that their defeat at the Waratahs was an anomalous blip, and I can't see the Brumbies putting up much of a fight in the first match in Christchurch since the tragedy a few weeks ago. Crusaders by 23Blues v Waratahs
I can't entertain the thought of a team winning away at Eden Park having just lost at home to the Sunwolves. Blues by 13Rebels v Sunwolves
The Rebels have won all three of their matches against the Sunwolves by an average of over 24 points, and whilst the axed Japanese franchise has already caused a couple of notable upsets this season, they still aren't stringing big games together. Rebels by 16Bulls v Jaguares
A win in Durban will have restored confidence after the Bulls were thrashed by the Chiefs at Loftus. Superbru Insights tells me the Jaguares have travelled 15,020km in the last 3 weeks, and that includes a bye week, whereas the Bulls have only been to Durban and back in that time. It's a tough assignment for the well-travelled Jaguares at altitude. Bulls by 13Which ones do you disagree with this week?
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Superbru on X
4 Apr 10:19
I also feel that the Stormers can win the Reds. Both teams had poor games up to now, but I feel that the Stormers where better than the Reds thus far. The only worry for me for the Stormers is JL and Die Ellendige, they have been very very poor tactically and defensively, and if the Reds can exploit that in the way the Canes and Blues did, it might be 0/3 for the Stormers on the road.