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Back to the full compliment of seven games in Round 10, but who’s game to say we won’t see an upset?
If there’s one thing we know for sure about Super Rugby, it’s to expect the unexpected. There will be an upset somewhere, the trick is to be on the right side of it.
Last week, it was the Jaguares and Bulls (and the Blues and Waratahs, according to Geoff and me). This week? Goodness knows. All I do know is several teams are well overdue to bust out of their funk and show their fans that all that pre-season faith wasn’t misguided.
LAST WEEK: Fours for Diggers, Harry, Nobes and The Crowd, and three for Geoff and me.
OVERALL: Nobes 39; Geoff, Digger and The Crowd 36; Brett and Harry 34.
Digger
TIPS: Highlanders, Waratahs, Crusaders, Chiefs, Bulls, Sharks, Brumbies
Crusaders by plenty.
The Blues at home are always a consideration and the nature of the derbies suggest a tight affair, but form and many Smiths has me backing the clan. Over in Sydney the home side has my vote to continue their good form over what has been a patchy Lions side to date.
Brisbane shapes as an interesting contest but the Chiefs simply have more firepower, while the Bulls look very likely at home against a travelling Rebels side.
The Sharks are certainly struggling with consistency this season but after feeling the wrath from a poor showing last weekend and knowing that their ‘top’ line is better than what the Stormers have produced this season, I think the Sharks will bounce back nicely.
Which leaves the match which gave me the most consternation, the Brumbies and the Jaguares. I just don’t know but I have settled on the Brumbies who I suspect will be more desperate for points at home.
SURE THING: A Crusaders forward will get a hat trick while it goes unnoticed as Israel Folau continues to dominate the headlines.
(Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
Nobes
TIPS: Highlanders, Lions, Crusaders, Chiefs, Bulls, Sharks, Jaguares.
This is getting ridiculous, the deeper we go into the season the hardest it gets. In previous editions of Super Rugby, this used to be the other way around. I am glad that some of my colleagues find Round 10 to be an easy one, it is not my case by any chance.
It will not be easy for the Highlanders to take over the Blues at Eden Park, but from what both teams have showed so far, the guys from Dunedin must win this one to keep their race to play-off in their division in pace. Luckily, they have the weapons to do it.
The Lions at the beginning of their tour would like to start with the right foot, on the other hand the Tahs must secure their new lead in the Australian conference. The worst thing that happens to them is to add negative publicity now on the field, but that is what it might lay ahead for them. I tip the Lions.
The only easy one this round is the Crusaders over the Sunwolves.
The teams from New Zealand still have an edge over the ones from Australia, so I will tip the Chiefs over the Reds in a narrow score.
(Photo by Michael Bradley/Getty Images)
The Rebels were disconnected in the second half last weekend against Jaguares when Will Genia left the field limping, and the Bulls will make sure that they stay that way. After all, they come from a very impressive win against the Sharks. The same Sharks, or hopefully different ones, that will rebound against the Stormers.
And for last, I have to guess which Jaguares will show up at Canberra. The ones of the first half against the Rebels or the ones that came back after the break. Oh dear! Jaguares because…
SURE THING: If I hit a perfect round it would be plain luck!!
Harry
TIPS: Highlanders, Waratahs, Crusaders, Chiefs, Bulls, Sharks, Jaguares.
Finally. An easy round. At this stage of the season, everything becomes clear.
The Jaguares and Bulls played by far the most difficult schedule through nine rounds. And the dividends will now appear. In fact, they showed up one week earlier than I expected.
Concomitantly, the Rebels and Lions had a bunny run to pad their record. They’ll do well to hold off the ‘Tahs and Bulls in their conferences.
Handré Pollard’s delicate chip to Warrick Gelant and Ramiro Moyano’s knockout try through three Sharks summed up Round 9.
This week, it’s ‘Bun’ Smith scoring slicing tries against the fading Blues; the almost unbeaten Waratahs to smash the overrated Lions; the Crusaders to set a Super Rugby scoring record against the (brave, battling, blah, blah) Sunwolves; the Cane-Brodie Chiefs to manhandle the manly, but immature Cooper-less Reds; the Rebels to come undone at Loftus and leak tries to the Bulls like a Mitsubishi in the Kalahari; the Sharks to yo-yo back to form against the Under-21 Stormers; and the jubilant Jaguares to steal another one in Canberra, but this time, by plenty.
SURE THING: Adjectives like ‘brave’ and ‘battling’ will be overused on the Christchurch commentary. Better ones would be ‘outmatched’ and ‘substandard’.
Geoff
TIPS: Highlanders, Lions, Crusaders, Chiefs, Bulls, Sharks, Brumbies
Such is the tipster’s dilemma – we know there are going to be upsets, but to chase them and get the wrong games is a flawed strategy. Picking favourites and walking the mediocre middle ground is a flawed strategy. Agreeing to join this tipping panel is a flawed strategy.
The Blues can win at home. But how can you tip them and still be certified sane? The Lions can win in Sydney, despite the Tahs impressing more as the season unfolds. Are the Tahs ready to knock over one of the top-flight sides? Yeah, but…
The Sunwolves can’t win in Christchurch. This much we do know. Brad Thorn will work this week to renew the Reds’ early defensive steel. Which might just work against the Chiefs who razzle but don’t always clinically turn the dazzle into points. Or might just not.
(Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
Will Genia is a massive loss for the Rebels. Too much to overcome the sneaky Bulls. The Sharks were too bad to be true last week, which makes them certainties this week. There was a lot to like about the Jaguares defence last week. The Brumbies were better than the score suggested last week against the Highlanders. Pocock wins.
SURE THING: Guest tipper, Commonwealth Games and NRL Commission head Peter Beattie, will tip the Brumbies to win in Sydney over the Cronulla Hawks. When his error is pointed out he will apologise profusely and tell Australia to stop whingeing.
Brett
TIPS: Highlanders, Waratahs, Crusaders, Chiefs, Bulls, Sharks, Brumbies
I’ve not trusted the Blues much this season at all, and I’m not about to start now. Two wins in a row? Please…
The Waratahs can win two in a row, however. If you’re going to play the Lions on tour, I reckon you want them first up, not later. The Crusaders will comfortably win two in a row. The only way the Sunwolves can win this game is if tries are raffled off before the start of the game. And even then, they’d have to buy all the tickets!
(Photo by Martin Hunter/Getty Images)
The Chiefs are going OK, I’ll grant you, but they’re not unflappable. Could the first-coming of George The Great make a difference? Maybe, but only if the Reds find some points somewhere. Prove me wrong, Reds.
The Rebels have never won their first game in South Africa. Actually, the Rebels have never won any game in South Africa. No better time to start, but I can’t see them beating the Bulls at Loftus. I hope I do see it, obviously. And though I give the Stormers a huge chance, I’ve learned the lessons of going on my own from last week.
Then, to Canberra. The Jaguares were really impressive in that second half fightback to win in Melbourne, but they’re even less trustworthy than the Blues! Heartbreaking losses following impressive wins has been their norm in 2018 – Brumbies fans are counting on it on Sunday afternoon.
SURE THING: Blues and Stormers. And Moondogs. Arrr-ooo…
Get your votes in now – The Crowd’s tips will be revealed Friday afternoon AEST.
Who have you got, Roarers? Who gets your tip? Got a sure thing yourself? Let us know in the comments below, and enjoy your rugby this weekend…