We have reached the halfway point of the regular season and there hasn’t been a lot of surprise with regards to the overall standings as match outcomes have been more often than not, fairly predictable. Last weekend, the Crusaders overpowered the Jaguares in Christchurch and the Rebels were far too classy for the Rebels in Melbourne on Friday night. These two matches were followed by the Cheetahs attacking demolition of the dismal Sunwolves by 75 points in Bloemfontein. Saturday’s action saw the Blues edge the Sharks, the Brumbies were too strong in a classic derby with the Waratahs in Sydney, the Bulls beat the Reds and the Lions cemented themselves as the top team in South Africa with a win over the Stormers. There are some classic matches on this Anzac long weekend card, most notably the Hurricanes clash with the Chiefs and the Brumbies match with the Crusaders on Sunday afternoon. All three of my best bets came off last week and I am hoping for more of the same this weekend. Let’s get stuck into the individual match previews and make sure you follow me on Twitter (@S15_TheProfits) for last minute tips, game coverage, expert insight or just for a chat.

Best Bet 1: Rebels -2.5 First Half Line (Cheetahs) @ $1.90 – William Hill
Best Bet 2: Jaguares -13.5 (Sunwolves) @ $1.84 – Sportsbet (early twitter play)
Best Bet 3: Waratahs –4.5 (Force) @ $2.00 – Bet365
Best Bet 4: Lions -20.5 (Kings) @ $1.90 – Tab.co.nz (early twitter play)

Highlanders ($1.22) vs Sharks ($4.50)

This week’s action kicks off with what promises to be an extremely physical matchup between the Highlanders and the Sharks in Dunedin. The Highlanders had the week off in round eight and would’ve been disappointed with their one-point defeat to the Reds at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The Sharks also have their backs against the wall after going down 18 – 23 to the Blues last weekend in Auckland, breaking a ten-game win streak in the process. The Highlanders will be looking to reproduce last year’s 48 – 15 thumping of the Sharks, also at Forsyth-Barr Stadium and they have won three of the last four against this opposition.

Highlanders: LWWWWWLB
Sharks: WWWDLBLL

Prediction: 

The Highlanders have been ticking the boxes this season without setting the competition on fire. They will want to hope that their one-point loss to the Reds was just a blip on the radar and not something that will be continual heading into the next phase of their season. Their forwards, and in particular their back row continue to impress with Aaron Smith, Malakai Fekitoa and Ben Smiths the rocks of the backline. The Sharks are in a spot of bother after losing to the Blues last week. With the match this weekend against the Highlanders and a match next week against the Chiefs to round out their New Zealand tour, they could certainly lose a few positions on the ladder. I appreciate their attacking intent, but they are far from clinical at the moment and defence alone simply doesn’t win this competition. The Sharks haven’t won in Dunedin since 2010 and I don’t think the have the cavalry to stop their current slide.

Predicted result: Highlanders to win by more than a try @ $1.22 – Luxbet

Rebels ($1.55) vs Cheetahs ($2.47)

The Friday night game sees the Rebels take on the Cheetahs at AAMI Park in Melbourne. The Rebels will be looking to improve on their poor home record this season after copping a 13 – 38 hammering from the Hurricanes last weekend. On the other hand, the Cheetahs broke a number of records when they thrashed the Sunwolves 92 – 17 in Bloemfontein last Friday night. Of the four matches played between these two franchises, the Cheetahs have won three of them, but the Rebels did get the better of the Free State team at this very venue last year (35 – 14).

Rebels: WLWWLWB
Cheetahs: LLWLLLBW

Prediction: 

Rebels coach Tony McGahan has been fortunate to name a settled lineup for the majority of their matches this season. The Rebels look like they have good structures, discipline, and intention, but two tough home losses to the Highlanders and the Hurricanes showed that Australia’s second-placed team still has some way to go to be a real threat in this competition. There is a good balance of youth and experience in the squad and with a couple more marquee players next season, the Rebels future could be prosperous. In saying that, this is one of the matches that they would’ve circled as a must-win match before the season started.

I still don’t really know what to make of the Cheetahs performance last week. Yes, they were clinical, yes, they scored some fantastic tries and for the most part defended well, but where has that been all season – or did the opposition simply just not turn up, or even worse, give up. The long trip from Bloemfontein to Melbourne would’ve been made easier by the highs of last week, but whether they can back that up against a gritty outfit in the Rebels remains to be seen. There are a number of unheralded players within the Cheetahs squad and although I think some of them have big futures ahead of them (Francois Venter and Sergeal Peterson), I think they will get exposed this weekend and fatigue in the second half. Here’s hoping that the AAMI Park surface is in better condition this week, but regardless the Rebels should be able to take care of their opponents or they won’t want to go back into the dressing room after the match with McGahan hot-headed.
Predicted result: Rebels to win @ $1.55 – Sportsbet

Best Bet 1: Rebels -2.5 First Half Line (Cheetahs) @ $1.90 – William Hill 

Sunwolves ($6.50) vs Jaguares ($1.11)

The first of five games on Saturday comes to us from the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo, where the winless Sunwolves host the Jaguares from Argentina. The Sunwolves were humiliated last weekend in the Free State losing by 75 points. The Jaguares put up more of a fight against the Crusaders, but they have also lost their last five in a row, most recently last week at the hands of the Crusaders.

Sunwolves: LBLLLLLL
Jaguares: WLBLLLLL

Prediction: 

This is a bit of a nothing matchup with both teams playing ordinary rugby so far this season. Both teams have had to travel more than any other franchise and alongside a few other crucial factors, it looks like it is all catching up with them. On paper, the Jaguares look like running over a jet-lagged Sunwolves outfit and with only one victory under their belt, this is a must-win game for them. I can see another blowout on the cards in a high-scoring game and I would be extremely surprised if the Sunwolves won this match.

Predicted result: Jaguares to win @ $1.11 – William Hill 

Best Bet 2: Jaguares -13.5 (Sunwolves) @ $1.84 – Sportsbet (early twitter play)

Hurricanes ($1.61) vs Chiefs ($2.32)

One of the matches of the round takes place at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington where the Hurricanes host the high-flying Chiefs on Saturday evening. Last week in Melbourne, the Hurricanes outclassed the Rebels 38 – 13, whereas the Chiefs had the week off after a spate of wins heading into their bye round. Last year’s matches saw the Hurricanes win both of them, but it has been nearly impossible to split these two since their inceptions into the competition.

Hurricanes: LLWWWBWW
Chiefs: WLWWWWWB

Prediction: 

This is going to be a fantastic match with the Hurricanes starting to hit their straps and the Chiefs being the form team of the competition before heading into their bye round last week. In what could be deemed as a mini-All Black trial, there are a number of important matchups across the park including Dane Coles vs Rhys Marshall, Ardie Savea vs Sam Cane, TJ Perenara vs Brad Weber, and Beauden Barrett vs Aaron Cruden. Both teams have more attacking weapons at their disposal than the majority of the other teams in the competition, but it is the Chiefs that have displayed the most craft and innovation in their performances to date. According to statistics, the Hurricanes are the better defensive unit and they haven’t lost at home this season with big wins over the Western Force, Kings and Jaguares. The Chiefs are yet to lose on the road this season after achieving wins over the Crusaders, Kings, Jaguares and Brumbies. The loss of James Lowe is a blow to the visitors, but both teams have the X-factor and early season form suggest that the Chiefs might just have enough to cause the ‘upset’ in Wellington.

Predicted result: Chiefs to win @ $2.32 – Luxbet

Western Force ($2.45) vs Waratahs ($1.57)

The Western Force and the New South Wales Waratahs will clash in an important all-Australian derby in Perth on Saturday night. Both teams have been struggling this season, but the Force will be well-rested after their bye, whereas, the Waratahs will be feeling it from their bruising loss to the Brumbies in Sydney. Somewhat surprisingly, the Waratahs are currently riding a three-game losing streak to the Force, so one could deem that the Force are the ‘Tahs bogey team.

Western Force: LWLLLLLB
Waratahs: WLBLWLBL

Prediction: 

This probably isn’t the ideal Saturday night fixture with both teams struggling for form so far this season. The Force are currently languishing in 16th place with just one victory from their seven matches, and the Waratahs have only gone one win better (2) from their six fixtures. I can see this being a fiery encounter, as both teams look to unleash their frustrations on each other. With the Brumbies and the Rebels pulling away in the conference standings, both coaches are under pressure in this match with both teams needing to win desperately – it will be interesting to see which team wants it more. The Waratahs welcome back Dave Dennis (starting in his 100th match) and Tatafu Polota-Nau (bench) back into the squad and they will add some forward impetus that has been lacking the past few weeks.  The Waratahs have hurt me this season on some of their handicaps, but I will back them to win by a try or more in Perth.

Predicted result: Waratahs to win @ $1.57 – Luxbet 

Best Bet 3: Waratahs –4.5 (Force) @ $2.00 – Bet365

Stormers ($1.17) vs Reds ($5.00)

The first of two matches from South Africa on Saturday night takes place at the picturesque Newlands Stadium in Cape Town, where the Stormers host the Queensland Reds. The Cape franchise were beaten by the Lions in Johannesburg last weekend in a tough encounter, but they did manage to secure a bonus point for losing within seven points (22 – 29). The Reds started their match strongly against the Bulls, however, the home team was too strong in the end, with the visitors going down by 22 – 41. The last match played between these two occurred in 2014, when the Reds won 22 – 17 in Brisbane in 2014.

Stormers: WWLWWBWL
Reds: LLLDLBWL

Prediction: 

The Stormers will be disappointed with their loss last weekend, but they have the opportunity to turn things around this week against one of the tournaments bottom-tier teams. The Stormers play with great structure and shape and have introduced a number of new attacking elements into their squad this season. However, with the likes of Cheslin Kolbe and Juan de Jong due to rejoin the South African Sevens program ahead of the Rio Olympics, they really need to bank these points this weekend.

The Reds have certainly been improving since Richard Graham was relieved of the head coach duties and you can tell that the players are now more aligned and playing for each other. The standouts of the team continue to be flanker Liam Gill, halfback Nick Frisby and centre Samu Kerevi, who has a big future in Australian rugby. The Reds will welcome back Rob Simmons into the starting 15 this week, but I feel they are probably two years off being where they want to be and coming up against the best defensive team in the competition, in their own backyard, it’s going to be a tough ask.

Predicted result: Stormers to win @ $1.17 – William Hill

Kings ($11.00) vs Lions ($1.04)

The late match on Saturday night sees the Kings pitted against the Lions at the Nelson Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. The Kings are back in action this week after a much-needed bye after they experienced their fifth loss of the campaign to the Bulls in round seven. The Lions now sit atop the second South African conference, after Elton Jantjies guided his troops to a seven-point win over the Stormers in Johannesburg last weekend.

Kings: LBLLLWLB
Lions: WWLWBLWW

Prediction: 

Even without seeing the teams yet, this match will only yield one result. Under coach Ackermann, the Lions have continued to develop and now find themselves at the top of the South African pile. The halves of Faf de Klerk and Elton Jantjies are maximising their opportunities playing behind a pack that is going forward and all the players seem to be on the same page – something that is so crucial in this tournament. Looking at the Kings, they have a number of injury concerns and although they have improved from the start of the season, they simply don’t have the talent or the guidance to trouble the Lions this weekend.

Predicted result: Lions to win comfortably @ $1.04 – William Hill 

Best Bet 4: Lions -20.5 (Kings) @ $1.90 – Tab.co.nz (early twitter play)

Brumbies ($1.75) vs Crusaders ($2.17)

Super Rugby fans will be treated to their third Sunday afternoon matchup of the season when the Brumbies host the Crusaders in what I deem as one of the fixtures to watch this weekend. Both the Crusaders and the Brumbies secured solid wins over their opposition last week, with the Jaguares and the Waratahs being the two respective losing teams.

Brumbies: WWWLWLBW
Crusaders: LWBWWWWW

Prediction: 

This will be updated on Friday or Saturday once teams have been released.

Predicted result: TBC