The Super Rugby Pacific Finals are just around the corner, and results are beginning to become vital to the chances of several clubs.
The action begins in New Zealand on Friday afternoon, and we’ll be treated to a total of six matches throughout the weekend, with plenty of opportunities to find a winner.
You can find my complete Super Rugby Pacific Round 13 Tips below.
Round 13 of the Super Rugby Pacific competition kicks off in Dunedin on Friday afternoon (AEDT), and betting suggests that the Highlanders are primed for a big win over the Force.
It hasn’t been a particularly impressive season for either of these sides, but the Highlanders do return home this week in winning form, having recorded a season-best win over the Reds in Brisbane.
The Force have still only won just twice this season, and they suffered a thrashing 53-15 loss to the Crusaders at home in Week 12.
A repeat of those two performances, and the Highlanders take this one easily.
We’ll be treated to some thrilling rugby when the Brumbies host the Crusaders on Friday night.
The Brumbies have been the pick of the Australian sides once again this season, and they take their position in this game second on the ladder, trailing the Blues only on for and against.
They proved too strong for a good Chiefs outfit in New Zealand last week, and they are flying high.
While the Crusaders suffered a shock loss to the Waratahs two weeks ago, they responded with a dominant win over a reasonably weak Force outfit.
A win is a win, but they have been treated far too kindly by the bookies this week in my opinion and I am more than happy to take the value on offer for the Brumbies.
One of the more intriguing contests of the week looks like materialising between the competition’s two newest franchises, the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika.
Understandably, neither club has lit Super Rugby Pacific on fire, but they’ve both continued to improve as the season has progressed and for the most part, neither look out of place in a competition of this quality.
That being said, their performances were in stark contrast in Round 12; Moana Pasifika pushed a decent Waratahs outfit all the way, while the Drua were on the wrong end of a 67-5 score line against the Hurricanes.
Moana have been unlucky not to win a couple of times recently, and I am happy to have something on them this week.
The Super Rugby Pacific leaders take on the Reds in Auckland on Saturday evening.
The Blues have been nothing short of outstanding this season and they are in a prime position to record their first competition title (other than last season’s thrown-together Super Rugby Trans-Tasman) for some time.
The Reds have been typically competitive all year, but the last couple of weeks haven’t been their best and they suffered a disappointing defeat to the lowly Highlanders in Round 12.
I simply cannot back the Reds against the Blues following last week’s effort.
This is another game for which betting suggests it’s a foregone conclusion, but I’m not so sure.
The Waratahs have been the competition’s big improvers this season, and their absolutely enormous performance and win over the Crusaders a fortnight ago was complimented by another tough win over a credible Moana Pasifika in Round 12.
They sit fifth on the ladder, having leapfrogged the Reds on for and against, and they will be eager to do everything in their power to win their way into the finals.
The Hurricanes have been somewhat inconsistent this season, but their 6-5 record has been enough to see them into seventh, and with some scope of playing finals.
In Sydney, I see no reason why the Waratahs can’t record another potentially vital win.
The end of the season simply cannot arrive quickly enough for the Rebels, and they face another uphill battle when the Chiefs arrive in town on Sunday.
Things went from bad to worse for the Rebels in Round 12, when they suffered a demorialising 71-28 defeat at the hands of the Blues.
This is a slight drop in class, but I don’t think there’s any way that they can turn it around enough to win following that.
The Chiefs also suffered defeat in Round 12, but this is an enormous drop in class from the Brumbies, and they can return to winning form.