We’ve crossed the halfway point of the competition and the New Zealand teams continue to dominate their Trans-Tasman rivals.
The Queensland Reds will be looking to create a slice of history as they take on the Chiefs, in an attempt to become the first Aussie Super Rugby team to record a win against a Kiwi side in more than two years.
Tana Umaga will be wanting to see his charges break their duck against the Highlanders. The Auckland Blues struggles against local rivals have been well documented and another loss could have the All-Black legend under some intense scrutiny.
The Waratahs will be wanting to extend their lead at the top of the Australian Conference when they take on the Lions and the Crusaders will be looking to record an easy win against the Sunwolves.
The Melbourne Rebels take on the Bulls and the Brumbies finish off the round with a match-up against Jaguares. Both the Rebels and the Brumbies will need to record strong wins to maintain the pressure on the Waratahs and stay in the hunt for a finals berth.
The Blues will be looking to nail their second consecutive win after getting on the board last week against the Sunwolves in Tokyo.
The pressure will be on Blues coach Tana Umaga, as his side’s woes against local opposition have been well documented. The Blues will need to be on their game if they are going to cause an upset against the Highlanders.
The Highlanders were able to convincingly dispatch the Brumbies in Round 9 and coach Aaron Mauger will be expecting his side to repeat the outstanding form they showed against a determined Brumbies outfit. The Blues currently have 18 players unavailable due to injury and have struggled to fill their roster with experienced players.
The Auckland side have lost their last fourteen games against local rivals and if Tana Umaga can’t turn around their fortunes soon, then his days in Super Rugby could be numbered. The Blues gave the Sunwolves a 10-point start last week and can’t afford a repeat against a quality side like the Highlanders, who should be able to keep the Blues slump going for another round.
The Waratahs have assumed the mantle as Australia’s best super rugby side and sit at the top of the Australian Conference, thanks to a convincing 37-16 win over traditional rivals Queensland.
NSW haven’t had the opportunity yet to test themselves against the sides from across the Tasman and this week they’ll need to find some points against the Lions.
The Lions are coming off a bye last round and have never tasted victory against the Waratahs in Sydney.
The Lions were able to notch a 52-31 victory over the Stormers in Round 8 and have shown the ability to put on some points this season.
The Waratahs have one of the better attacks in the Australian Conference and the Lions have been leaking points over their last couple of fixtures.
The Waratahs will be looking for their fifth consecutive victory before tough assignments against the Kiwi sides.
The Crusaders are coming off a bye and will be looking to break some records against a hapless Japanese side.
The Sunwolves made all the right moves in the offseason with their aggressive player recruitment and new coaching staff, but have struggled to improve on last season’s results.
The Crusaders will be searching for their 15th consecutive win against an overseas side and expect them to look for a fast start and ease off towards the second half.
The Sunwolves ran out of steam against the Blues last week, after getting out to a 10-0 lead on their more fancied opponents.
The Crusaders still have some injury issues with their squad with Joe Moody set for an extended stint on the sidelines after injuring his hand while playing domestic rugby in Sydney last week.
This is a tricky fixture from a betting perspective and there’s some value in the Crusaders beating the handicap.
The New Zealand side are the champions for a reason and expect them to flex their muscles against the Sunwolves in what should be a comprehensive victory
Reds coach Brad Thorn will be disappointed with the nature of last week’s loss to the Waratahs in Sydney given that his young side have shown an enormous amount of improvement this season.
The Reds were outplayed by the Waratahs 37-16 as they struggled with their tactics and the hostile environment at the SCG. Despite the poor result last round, Thorn has admirably kept the faith in his young charges and knocked back the easy option of bringing back Quade Cooper or Karmichael Hunt.
The Chiefs were unlucky against the Hurricanes last round and coach Damian McKenzie has done an outstanding job in keeping his side competitive in the face of a growing injury list.
The Chiefs have won their last two clashes with the Reds by a combined total of 96-points and will be too strong for a young Queensland side. Expect the Reds to remain competitive for the majority of the match, before the Chiefs kicks to record a comfortable win.
The Rebels will be disappointed with their efforts over the last two rounds of the competition that includes back to back losses. Melbourne jumped the competition with a scintillating display over the early rounds before being brought back down to earth with successive losses.
The Bulls are sitting in second place in the African Conference after putting the Sharks to the sword last round. The six tries to one result was even more impressive given the fact that the Sharks went scoreless in the second half. The Bulls have a real opportunity to close the gap on the Lions at the top of the Conference Ladder and will be out to take advantage of the Rebels inexperience and lack of confidence over the last two weeks of the competition.
Rebels coach David Wessels will need to get some control over his side before they slip further down the Australian Conference ladder and a win against the Bulls could be the way to turn things around. The Bulls have been outstanding over the last two weeks of the competition and have momentum on their side as they look for another win from as many starts.
The Sharks have won one of their last five games and were outplayed by the Bulls as they were trounced by 30 points. The Sharks have struggled against the Bulls and have only been able to win 1 of their last 9 games.
The Stormers have struggled for some consistency all season and have been hammered by the marquee names in the league. The Sharks are 12 points behind the leaders and will struggle to make the finals if they can’t find a way to win from away home. The Sharks were impressive in their tour of New Zealand and have shown when they get things right that they’re difficult to stop.
The Brumbies were given a sobering reminder of the gulf in class between the two sides when they were outplayed by the Highlanders in New Zealand last week.
The Brumbies couldn’t find a direct route to the try line and struggled to have any impact in the breakdown against the more physical New Zealand opponents.
David Pocock needs to find his feet quickly if the Brumbies are going to be a chance of progressing into the finals of the competition and they’ll need to be on their toes against a South American side that has been capable of an upset this season.
The Brumbies will be too good at home and should be able to record a commanding win against the visiting Jaguares side.