Postponements continued last weekend, but we’ll be treated to a full complement of matches in Round 6 of Super Rugby Pacific.
The action kicks off in New Zealand on Friday afternoon and culminates in a couple of huge matches between the Chiefs and Crusaders, Reds and Waratahs on Saturday!
Check out our full preview and Super Rugby Pacific Round 6 Tips below.
Moana Pasifika are yet to record a win, and things won’t get any easier when they face the Hurricanes in Round 6.
I thought they exceeded expectations against the Crusaders while still suffering a comfortable defeat, but they wheels were well and truly off when they leaked 59 points to the Chiefs last weekend.
The Hurricanes’ Round 5 match was postponed, but their overall form has been typically good since the beginning of Super Rugby Pacific, and they are deserving of their clear favouritism ahead of this contest.
The winless Rebels saddle up again at home in Round 6, and will square off with a team who has already beaten them this season – the Fijian Drua.
History was made when the Drua recorded their first ever win at the expense of the Rebels in Round 3, and that performance really has kicked them into gear. They are winless at their last two starts, but they pushed the Reds and the Force all the way.
The Rebels’ record really does sum up their season so far, but they were somewhat competitive against the Waratahs in Round 5.
I’m more than happy to stick with the competition’s new boys this week.
Focus returns to the nation’s west on Friday night, and betting suggests that the Force stand little chance against the Brumbies; but I’m not so sure.
The Force have returned to competition in typically competitive form in 2022, and they are unlucky not to have recorded more than two wins from their five matches to date. They survived a spirited fight from an underrated Fijian Drua side last week, and I think that will put them in good stead to push this one all the way.
The Brumbies are the only side that remains undefeated in Super Rugby Pacific, and that is why they have opened such short favourites. They downed the Reds in a replay of last year’s Super Rugby Australia Final in Round 5, and there’s no doubt that they will prove a tough hurdle for the Force, but I think it will be close.
The Highlanders welcome the red-hot Blues to Dunedin on Saturday afternoon, and they face a task in toppling their opponents again.
The Highlanders have battled since the beginning of the season and are yet to record a win in Super Rugby Pacific, while their Round 5 match with Moana Pasifika was postponed.
The Blues’ Round 5 match was also postponed and prior to that, they comfortably beat this opponent. I’m expecting a similar result this week.
Two outstanding Saturday fixtures begin in Waikato, and the Chiefs and Crusaders will renew their rivalry.
Both sides have produced plenty of world class rugby in 2022, and their meeting back in Round 4 was one of the season’s clear highlights; a match which ended with the Chiefs sneaking home and delivering the Crusaders their first and only loss of the campaign.
I can’t split them, so I am going to take the value around the Chiefs as outsiders at home.
Round 6 concludes with a match that is sure to have plenty of fireworks – the Reds host bitter rivals the Waratahs in Brisbane on Saturday night.
Almost always regardless of form, matches between these two sides are well fought, and some of the most memorable moments in Super Rugby’s history have been forged when they have met.
The Reds snuck away with the win on a rainy Sydney night when the two last clashed in Round 2, but the Waratahs have continued to improve with each match, and they will be hellbent on revenge on Saturday night.
The Reds deserve their favouritism at home, but I am confident that this is another one that will go right down to the wire.