Best Bets
The Rebels struggled on their tour of South Africa, failing to win a game but still remain in second place in the Australian Conference behind the Waratahs. The Crusaders have won four of their last five games against the Rebels and the Super Rugby Champions have won their last seven games in a row in Australia. Despite their issues with injuries this season the Crusaders sit in first place in the New Zealand Conference and I think they’ll have no issues getting past the Rebels in Melbourne.
The Knights have coped well with the loss of half Mitchell Pearce and were able to take advantage of the Sea Eagles last week to record a comfortable win. Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga has been a revelation this season and has the potential to be a superstar for years to come. Souths were unlucky against the Broncos last week and are playing some good football under new coach Anthony Seibold. I’m backing the Rabbitohs to bounce back and get over the line on the road in Newcastle.
Best Dark Horse Bets
The Celtics were effective in limiting the impact of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid in the first game of their series. Jaylen Brown is still in doubt for the second game with a hamstring strain. The Sixers looked intimidated by the Boston crowd and will need to raise their intensity to level the series before heading to Philadelphia for the next two games. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will lead the charge for Philly and expect the duo to cause the Celtics plenty of issues as they lead Philly to a close win in front of a hostile Boston crowd.
Geelong will be looking to bounce back from a shock defeat at home last week to the Swans. The Cats fell away in the final quarter after leading for the majority of the match and will be looking to turn things around against the Giants. GWS have a less than stellar record at GMHBA Stadium. The Giants will be missing a number of key forwards and Patrick Dangerfield will loom as the man most likely to lead the Cats charge back up the AFL ladder. I’m expecting the Cats to return to form this week with a close win at home.