Round 5 of Super 15 Rugby 2012 kicks off on Friday and we could be in for a beauty if the past couple of weeks are anything to go by.

Last week wasn’t a good week for the Australian sides with the Brumbies, Waratahs, Reds and Rebels all going down in close encounters.

The Waratahs were shocking in their upset loss to the Western Force, despite assurances that their play would become more exciting they have not shown anything different to the boring play we saw last season.

The Reds went down in a close one to the Sharks away from home, they haven’t looked like the side that took the competition by storm last year. They are no doubt missing the influence of Quade Cooper as much as they won’t admit that his absence is a massive loss.

The Brumbies and Rebels, while they weren’t expected to win their matches, were both in the hunt and were pipped with late tries to the Chiefs and Cheetahs respectively.

This week we’re back to our full compliment of games with the Chiefs sitting the week out with a bye.

Check out our tips for each match below, and this week we’ve also come up with a special Multi as part of our best bets.

Blues v Hurricanes – Super 15 Rugby Preview
Eden Park, Friday 23 March, 5.35pm

The Blues continued their early season poor form last weekend when they went down to the Stormers 27-17. Despite possessing a quality squad this season, they just have not hit the sort of form they would have been expecting and are languishing 2nd last on the overall Super 15 Rugby ladder.

The Hurricanes went down in a close one to the Highlanders over the weekend and will be looking to bounce back here once again against New Zealand opposition. They were down 13-3 early in that match and ended up leading 17-16 with 10 to go before a late penalty goal from Highlanders flyhalf Chris Noakes sealed their fate. They currently sit 3rd on the New Zealand conference ladder and 8th overall.

This should be a hard fought match if both sides previous matches are anything to go by. The Hurricanes have been up and down and despite the Blues position on the ladder they are better than that. I think they will get their second win of the season here.

Rebels v Western Force – Super 15 Rugby Preview
AAMI Park, Friday 23 March, 7.40pm

The Rebels would have been gutted by the manner of their loss at the weekend. They were down 20-7 at one point and looked down and out before staging a comeback that got them to back in contention and levelled the scores 26-26 with 80 minutes gone. The Cheetahs managed to keep the ball alive though and broke the hearts of Rebels players and fans alike with a try to seal the win.

The Force scored the upset of Super 15 Rugby 2012 with a hard fought 21-20 win over the Waratahs at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night. To be fair, the Waratahs were atrocious but as they say you can only beat what is put in front of you. That win kickstarted a season that had began with 3 straight losses and didn’t look like getting any better.

This is a tough one to call. Both sides looked much better in Round 3 matches and it may just be the homeground advantage that separates this one. The Rebels are due for their first win so that is where my money will be going.

Waratahs v Sharks – Super 15 Rugby Preview
Allianz Stadium, Saturday 24 March, 3.35pm

In a mid afternoon fixture, the Waratahs will be looking to erase all memories of that inept performance against the Force last weekend. Despite claims of more entertaining and expansive Rugby, the Waratahs have so far played the same boring Rugby that has plagued them over the last few seasons. They will need massive improvements across the board if they are going to get anything out of this one.

The Sharks head into this one on the back of a solid 27-22 win over the reigning champions. At one point the Sharks were down 17-0 but fought back to win on the back of some great defence and two second half tries. The only worry for me is that the second half performance was mainly off the back of a Reds player being sin-binned and two key players going down with injury.

I feel the Sharks would not have won over the weekend had the Reds halves not succumbed to injury, Harris going down in the first half and Lucas missing most of the second. The Waratahs will be looking to bounce back and I feel they may just have the Sharks measure. A demoralising loss like the one against the Force can do wonders for a teams mentality in their next encounter.

Crusaders v Cheetahs – Super 15 Rugby Preview
Rugby League Park, Saturday 24 march, 5.35pm

The Crusaders had a chance to put their feet up last week with a bye and will head into this one looking to improve on their 3rd place conference position. The Crusaders have been disappointing so far this season but any side missing the calibre of Dan Carter and Richie McCaw would look a shadow of themselves. I feel we won’t see anywhere near their best until both of those get back on the field and get a few games under their belt.

The Cheetahs will be buoyed by their extra time 33-26 win over the Melbourne Rebels on Sunday afternoon. However, despite a 20-7 lead they almost lost the match and can count themselves lucky. They won’t be able to have concentration lapses against last years runner up and will need to be on their game defensively.

The Crusaders should take care of the Cheetahs comfortably here despite their indifferent start to the season. Get on the Crusaders by plenty in this one.

Brumbies v Highlanders – Super 15 Rugby Preview
Canberra Stadium, Saturday 24 March, 7.40pm

The Brumbies can count themselves unlucky at the weekend, with the scores locked at 22-22, they conceded a late try to go down 29-22. The Chiefs looked to have wrapped the game up, leading 22-15 with 4 to go, but the Brumbies had other ideas, scoring with 4 minutes remaining to lock up the scores. That last minute loss may have dented their confidence but they will need to pick themselves up and get back on the horse against their next opposition from across the Tasman.

The Highlanders have the boot of Chris Noakes to thank for their win against the Hurricanes last weekend. The match never really hit any heights and with Colin Slade off the field it was left to replacement flyhalf Noakes to get the 3 points and the win for the Highlanders. They have now got 4 from 4 and are looking like the team to beat despite not really hitting top form yet.

The Brumbies are showing signs of improvement across the board, their young team has surprised many so far this season. However, I think the Highlanders, who know how to grind out a win, will get the 4 points in this one. Don’t expect any bonus points for them though.

Bulls v Reds – Super 15 Rugby Preview
Loftus Versfeld, Sunday 25 March, 2.05am

The Bulls had the luxury of a bye last week and also didn’t have to travel anywhere this week. They currently sit 3rd on the ladder, just 2 points off the top and will be looking to put more distance between themselves and the Reds with a win here. They have been up and down this season so far, a 32 point thrashing of the Cheetahs was followed up with a 6 point loss to the Blues at home.

The Reds haven’t been the same team that we saw last season but despite this they still sit 5th on the ladder, just 3 points off the top spot. They are missing direction in the halves and this has been further compounded by the injuries to Ben Lucas and Mike Harris at the weekend. Both have been sent home from South Africa and two youngsters in Eyres-Brown and Rapana have been called upon to join the team in South Africa.

The loss of two key halves for the Reds will make it tough for them here. The Bulls are coming off a week of rest and the Reds have not beaten them in Pretoria since 2001. I don’t see that changing here to be honest.

Lions v Stormers – Super 15 Rugby Preview
Coca Cola Park, Sunday 25 March, 4.10am

Last up for round 4 of Super 15 Rugby is the Lions hosting the Stormers after a week off. The Lions last start was a 32-20 loss to the Sharks at Kings Park in Durban. This week, they continue their local rivalry at home and will be looking to improve on the form that has seen them win just 1 match so far this season.

The Stormers are on top of the overall Super 15 Rugby standings and will be looking to maintain that this week. They are undefeated so far and look to be the team to beat this year. In saying that though, they have had 3 home matches and a bye so far and things will get much tougher for them when they go on the road from round 7. That will be the real test and we’ll see what they are made of then.

This should be a routine win for the Stormers, I really can’t see the Lions getting close and a bonus point should be on the cards for the competition leaders.

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Super 15 Rugby Preview - Sports Banter’s Tips:

Blues v Hurricanes – Blues
Rebels v Force – Rebels
Waratahs v Sharks - Waratahs
Crusaders v Cheetahs – Crusaders
Brumbies v Highlanders – Highlanders
Bulls v Reds – Bulls
Lions v Stormers – Stormers

Super 15 Rugby Preview – Banter’s Best Bets:

Blues v Hurricanes – Blues @ $1.61
Rebels v Force – Rebels -2.0 @ $2.11
Waratahs v Sharks - Waratahs @ $1.65
Crusaders v Cheetahs – Crusaders 13+ @ $1.57
Brumbies v Highlanders – Highlanders @ $1.65
Bulls v Reds – Bulls -8.5 @ $1.90
Lions v Stormers – Stormers 13+ @ $2.34

Total Multibet Odds – $64.56

Round 4 of Super 15 Rugby 2012 kicks off on Friday night when the Chiefs host the Brumbies at Bay Park Stadium.

Round 3 threw up a few interesting results with favourites the Crusaders, Waratahs and Bulls all getting knocked over. That seems to be the trend so far this season with only the Stormers and Reds finding any sort of consistency. The Reds, however, made hard work of beating the Rebels on Saturday night.

The Brumbies also find themselves towards the top of the table on 12 points but they have had two very narrow wins and a bye.

As per our earlier season predictions, the Force, Lions and Cheetahs find themselves at the bottom of the table. But what is surprising, is seeing the Blues towards the bottom of the table as well.

This week we have just 6 matches with 3 teams getting the bye, the Lions, Bulls and Crusaders. Check out our predictions below and keep an eye out for our best bets later in the week.

Chiefs v Brumbies – Super 15 Rugby 2012 Preview
Bay Park Stadium, Tauranga, Fri Mar 16, 5:35PM

The Chiefs surprised everyone again last week, taking down the Crusaders 24-19 away from home. They currently sit second on the New Zealand conference ladder which puts them in the wildcard spot for that conference.

The Brumbies got a last minute win over the Cheetahs at Canberra Stadium, slotting a penalty goal after the siren to take the 4 points. They are undefeated and sit second on the Australian conference ladder behind the Reds on points difference.

This should be an entertaining game, the Chiefs like to throw the ball around and the Brumbies have been involved in some exciting matches so far. At home though, I can’t go past the Chiefs and I think they’ll end the Brumbies unbeaten run here.

Stormers v Blues – Super 15 Rugby 2012 Preview
DHL Newlands, Capetown, Sat Mar 17, 4:10AM

This should be a cracking match between two of the heavyweights, although the Blues haven’t resembled that this season. The Stormers are coming off the bye and currently top the South African conference, third overall on points difference.

The Blues got their first win of the season last week against the Bulls away from home. They’re still towards the bottom of both the conference and overall ladders though despite that win. They will be without star All Black second rower Jerome Kaino for the rest of the season, and have Rene Ranger out suspended for 2 matches also.

While the Blues got the job done against the Stormers neighbours last week, I can’t see them getting a similar result this week. The Stormers should be too strong at home and take all 4 points but it should be a close one.

Hurricanes v Highlanders – Super 15 Rugby 2012 Preview
Westpac Stadium, Wellington, Sat Mar 17, 5:35PM

Last week the Hurricanes put the Western Force to the sword in a 46-19 thrashing in Perth. They return home for a local derby this weekend having earned themselves a valuable bonus point on the road.

The Highlanders managed an upset 18-17 win over the Waratahs at the weekend and will be full of confidence going into this one. They currently sit atop the New Zealand conference ladder on 12 points after 3 wins, only behind overall on points difference.

This should be another cracking match between two in form teams coming off morale boosting wins. Despite the Hurricanes emphatic victory over the Force last weekend, I’m leaning towards the Highlanders here in a tight one.

Waratahs v Western Force – Super 15 Rugby 2012 Preview
Allianz Stadium, Sydney, Sat Mar 17, 7:40PM 

The Waratahs can count themselves unlucky that they didn’t get all 4 points last weekend against the Highlanders. In a tough match, the Waratahs only went down by a point, with Halangahu missing a crucial conversion which would have given them the win.

The Western Force didn’t turn up against the Hurricanes on the weekend, and they’ll no doubt want to turn that around this week. They were outmuscled, out-enthused and generally just outplayed on the day.

The Waratahs don’t have a great record against the Force, with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss in 3 matches. The Waratahs have lost flanker Pat McCutcheon in addition to their injured stars Dan Vickerman, Lachie Turner, Drew Mitchell, Rocky Elsom and Wycliffe Palu. Despite the injuries, I think the Waratahs will bounce back here but this will be no walk in the park!

Sharks v Reds – Super 15 Rugby 2012 Preview
Mr Price Kings Park, Durban, Sun Mar 18, 2:05AM

Last week the Sharks managed a 32-20 bonus point win over compatriots the Lions. They’ll be full of confidence going into this one at home against the league leading Queensland Reds. That win over the Lions was their first of the season and they’ve now secured 3 bonus points as well to see them in 3rd place in the South African conference.

The Reds made hard work of their win over the Rebels last weekend, just scraping home 11-6 up at Suncorp Stadium. They start a tough road trip that will tell us whether they are still a champion team, going to Perth after their 2 week South African safari.

This should be an entertaining match between two sides that like to throw the ball around a bit. The Sharks have been disappointing this season and I see the Reds starting their tour off with a narrow victory here.

Rebels v Cheetahs – Super 15 Rugby 2012 Preview
AAMI Park, Melbourne, Sun Mar 18, 4:10PM

The Rebels were unlucky not to get anything out of their match against the Reds last weekend, a gutsy performance against the Champions deserved more. They will take some confidence from that match though and should be competitive once again at home here.

The Cheetahs were also unlucky not to get all 4 points against the Brumbies at the weekend, going down by a point after the Brumbies got a last minute penalty. They’ll want to get their first win of the season here as well so we should be in for a cracking match against two hungry teams.

The Rebels have shown that they aren’t going to be pushovers this season and I think they will get their first win here against the Cheetahs. The Cheetahs have been disappointing this season and much of that is down to the loss of scrum-half Sarel Pretorius to the Waratahs.

sportsbanter.com.au Tips – Super 15 Rugby 2012 Round 3

Chiefs v Brumbies – Chiefs
Stormers v Blues – Stormers
Hurricanes v Highlanders – Highlanders
Waratahs v Force – Waratahs
Sharks v Reds – Reds
Rebels v Cheetahs – Rebels

Banter’s Best Bets – Super 15 Rugby 2012 Round 3

TBA – Odds to be released later in the week.

The Super 15 Rugby 2012 competition gets underway on Friday, February 24th. The first of the Australian winter sports to get it’s 2012 season into gear with the NRL and AFL not kicking off until early and late March respectively.

Last season, the Queensland Reds took the Super 15 Rugby competition by storm. I don’t think anyone predicted they would be champions prior to the season commencing, defeating the Crusaders in the Super 15 Rugby final 18-13.

This season is slightly different from previous ones with the Super 15 Rugby Competition paused in June for a round of international matches. These matches will feature the Wallabies, All-Blacks and Springboks over a 3 week period. The Wallabies take on Wales, the All-Blacks take on Ireland and the Springboks will play England, all will play 3 tests.

This gives the Super Rugby teams a bit of a break towards the end of the season, with just 3 rounds remaining once the internationals are out of the way. This is a good way of extending the Super 15 Rugby Season which finished in early July last year compared to September and October for the NRL & AFL.

We preview each of the Super 15 Rugby teams from the Australian Conference below, including our predictions for where each team will finish in the 2012 competition. Over the coming weeks we’ll also preview the New Zealand and South African Conferences prior to the season opener!

ACT Brumbies – Super 15 Rugby 2012 Preview

The Brumbies had a miserable 2011 season and have completely revamped their squad for this years competition. Last year they finished 13th, their worst finishing position since the inception of Super Rugby in 1996. The Brumbies have yet to name a captain for the 2012 season, coach Jake White saying the trials will clear that up.

The Brumbies got their 2012 season off to the perfect start with a 25-0 thrashing of the Western Force up in Darwin.

I think the Brumbies will have a much better season this year but I can’t see them making it back to the top of the pack just yet. They will fall just shy of a finals berth.

Prediction: 8th

Odds:
Winners - $29.00
Make Top 6 – $3.25

Brumbies Squad: 

Andrew Smith. Ben Alexander. Ben Hand. Ben Mowen. Cam Crawford. Christian Lealiifano. Colby Faingaa. Dan Palmer. Fotu Auelua. Henry Speight. Ian Prior. Ita Vaea. Jerry Yanuyanutawa. Jesse Mogg. Jono Owen. Joseph Tomane. Kimami Sitauti. Leon Power. Matt Toomua. Michael Hooper. Nic White. Pat McCabe. Peter Kimlin. Robbie Coleman. Sam Carter. Siliva Siliva. Stephen Hoiles. Stephen Moore. Tevita Kuridrani. Tom Cox. Zack Holmes.

Western Force – Super 15 Rugby 2012 Preview

In their sixth season, the Western Force managed to only place 12th overall, 1 place better than in 2010. Overall they were the 3rd best team in the Australian conference which says a lot about the seasons the other two Australian sides had.

The Force have named David Pocock captain for season 2012, a good choice with Nathan Sharpe looking at his final season. The youngster will now have Sharpe around to guide him and will no doubt have benefited from being vice captain last season.

The Force have not started the preseason well with a 25-0 loss to the Brumbies up in Darwin. I think they may also struggle during the season and I can’t see them finishing anywhere near the finals again. The bookmakers tend to agree!

Prediction: 13th

Odds:
Winners – $51.00
Make Top 6 – $5.50

Force Squad:

Alfie Mafi. Ben McCalman. Ben Seymour. Ben Whittaker. Brett Sheehan. Cameron Shepherd. David Pocock (c). Gene Fairbanks. James Stannard. Jordan Rapana. Justin Turner. Kieran Longbottom. Lachlan McCaffrey. Matt Hodgson. Napolioni Nalaga. Nathan Charles. Nathan Sharpe. Nick Cummins. Patrick Dellit. Pekahou Cowan. Phoenix Battye. Richard Brown. Rory Sidey. Salesi Ma’afu. Sam Wykes. Tetera Faulkner. Toby Lynn. Will Tupou. Willie Ripia. Winston Stanley.

Melbourne Rebels – Super 15 Rugby 2012 Preview

The Melbourne Rebels head into their second Super Rugby season on the back of last years wooden spoon. The Rebels won 3 of their first 7 matches and things weren’t looking too bad but a run of 11 straight defeats after this did not help their cause.

The Rebels have secured a couple of high profile off season recruits on Kurtley Beale and Wallaby James O’Connor. These players will complement the area that the Rebels were severely lacking in last year, the halves.

The Rebels go their preseason off to a bad start with a 36-0 thumping at the hands of the Chiefs. New players take time to gel though so I think come the season proper we will see a different Rebels outfit. I think they will significantly improve on last years form although I don’t think they will quite make the top 6.

Prediction: 9th

Odds:
Winners – $41.00
Make Top 6 – $4.00

Rebels Squad:

Laurie Weeks. Rodney Blake. Adam Byrnes. Alister Campbell. Danny Cipriani. Tom Chamberlain. Tim Davidson. Gareth Delve. Adam Freier. Mark Gerrard. Nic Henderson. James Hilgendorf. Julian Huxley. Luke Jones. Richard Kingi. Michael Lipman. Lachlan Mitchell. Stirling Mortlock. Nick Phipps. Hugh Pyle. Ged Robinson. Jarrod Saffy. Heath Tessmann. Cooper Vuna. Paul Alo-Emile. Kurtley Beale. Mitch Inman. Lloyd Johansson. James King. James O’Connor.

Queensland Reds – Super 15 Rugby 2012 Preview

The Queensland Reds are coming off a barnstorming season where they conquered all before them, losing just 3 matches all year. They went on to lift the Super 15 Rugby trophy in July after beating the Crusaders in a nailbiting final.

This season, they can only get stronger. With James Horwill, Will Genia and Quade Cooper the Reds have plenty of experience and should do well again this year. They have gone with the saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and have not really recruited many new players in the offseason.

I think the Reds will be competitive again this season but I don’t think they will go all the way again. The Reds will be without Cooper until at least April with the injury he sustained in the World Cup which is a massive blow. A slow start to the season could severely hamper their chances come August.

Prediction: 3rd

Odds:
Winners – $7.00
Make Top 6 – $1.38

Reds Squad:

Quade Cooper. Ben Daley. Rod Davies. Anthony Faingaa. Saia Faingaa. Will Genia. Liam Gill. James Hanson. Michael Harris. Scott Higginbotham. Greg Holmes. James Horwill (c). Van Humphries. Peter Hynes. Digby Ioane. Jono Lance. Ben Lucas. David McDuling. Luke Morahan. Ed Quirk. Beau Robinson. Radike Samo. Jake Schatz. Guy Shepherdson. Dom Shipperley. Rob Simmons. Chris Feauai-Sautia. James Slipper. Ben Tapuai. Aidan Toua. Adam Wallace-Harrison.

New South Wales Waratahs- Super 15 Rugby 2012 Preview

The Waratahs finished last season in 5th place before going out to the Blues in week 1 of the finals. That seems to be a trend in recent seasons as they copped the same fate in 2010. The Waratahs were attacked by sections of the media and public for their boring style of play and I tend to agree with them.

This season, the Waratahs have finally shifted the deadwood, namely Kurtley Beale, and replaced with some high profile players. Adam Ashley-Cooper, Berrick Barnes, and South African scrumhalf Sarel Pretorious join the ranks to give the Waratahs a more exciting looking backline.

Each season the Waratahs promise so much and then fall at the final hurdle, I think this season may be different though. I think they will easily make the top 6 and possibly make it to the final as well.

Prediction: 2nd

Odds:
Winners – $7.50
Make Top 6 – $1.55

Waratahs Squad:

Adam Ashley-Cooper. Chris Alcock. Berrick Barnes. Tom Carter. Daniel Halangahu. Rob Horne. Dave Dennis. Kane Douglas. Rocky Elsom (c). Damien Fitzpatrick. Bernard Foley. Brackin Karauria-Henry. Sekope Kepu. Tom Kingston. Pat McCutcheon. Brendan McKibbin. Drew Mitchell. Dean Mumm. Atieli Pakalani. Wycliff Palu. Greg Peterson. Tatafu Polota-Nau. Sarel Pretorius. Benn Robinson. Paddy Ryan. Jeremy Tilse. Sitaleki Timani. Lachie Turner. John Ulugia. Dan Vickerman.