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Opinionated Rugby Commentary - by Fans for Fans
Spill what you really think about events in the rugby world.
Super 15 Rugby Round 10 Preview and Players To Buy 17 views
18 April 2013 by The Swede Eaters
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Scotty Donaldson previews Super Rugby Round 10 with picks of teams and players to watch. Who are you picking?
Super Rugby Round 10 is here and by now we have a fair indication of the best teams in the competition. Well so we thought! Last round saw a few upsets with the Reds and Force defeating their New Zealand counterparts the Chiefs and Crusaders respectively and it will be interesting to see if there are any spanners thrown in the works in Round 10.
It will also be interesting to see the role of the TMO in Round 10 following such a heavy reliance on him, especially by referee Steve Walsh and the fact that there were at least two incorrect calls last weekend which cost the Crusaders and potentially shot the Highlanders in the foot, although when you are at the bottom of the table, these calls seem to constantly cost you! The Brumbies probably would still won, but Hosea Gear's disallowed try just before halftime would have given the crowd some form of entertainment in the second half!
Last round there were two upsets from teams who are bogey sides, with the Reds now winning their last four encounters with the Chiefs and the Crusaders only winning half of their matches against the Force which is crazy given how good the Crusaders usually are. Much must also be made of the fact that it is difficult playing the Force on the way back to New Zealand from South Africa. Therefore, past record against that particular opponent must also be considered.
In Round 10 the Stormers, Blues and Rebels have the bye, so if you are a www.testrugby.com manager then you will have to sell studs like James O'Connor, Ged Robinson, Steven Luatua and Andries Bekker. If you want to raise the value of your team, you will then have to buy them back once the round is locked, late on Friday afternoon NZ time!
In 2013, the margins have also been tricky, for example in Round 9 the Blues vs Hurricanes match was supposed to be a close one. Before you know it the Blues won by 28-6. The Kings are also causing a few problems with their surprisingly competitive first season.
Hurricanes vs Force
The Hurricanes need to bounce back against the plucky Force side in Wellington. Conditions for the match will be damp after drought breaking weather in the capital this week. I have picked the Hurricanes to bounce back this week, but there are question marks for me over the retention of Tusi Pisi at first five eighth and Beauden Barrett at fullback. Even though Pisi is a better defender than Barrett, he doesn't quite offer the spark and organisation required in the Number 10 jersey. Unfortunately Dane Coles is out for six weeks as a late withdrawal, while Ardie Savea is being rested already. The Force have been remarkably difficult to beat this season despite losing some of their stars at the start of the season. I am picking the Hurricanes to win at home. The Hurricanes have won 6 out of 7 matches between these two teams.
Waratahs vs Chiefs
The Waratahs had the bye last round, while the Chiefs lost to the Reds. The Chiefs have rested some players including Gareth Anscombe and Tim Nanai-Williams in order to freshen them up. While the Reds were a bogey side for the Chiefs last week, one look at the previous record between these two teams shows that the Waratahs have won 3 out of the last 4 matches between these teams and the Chiefs haven't won in Sydney since 2007. The Waratahs lineup actually looks good on paper and is definitely a chance at home. I need to makeup some ground in the Super Bru competition and so have picked the Waratahs for an upset. Most people will pick the Chiefs.
Crusaders vs Highlanders
Both of these teams will be smarting after losses last week. The Crusaders are still without some of their stars for this one with Kieran Read and Dan Carter still out. It will be interesting to see which team gets any favourable TMO decisions in this one after last week! The Highlanders have nothing but pride to play for and would want nothing better than to stick one up their rival team. Speaking of bogey teams, the Highlanders have beaten the Crusaders twice in the last three times they have played. The Crusaders will be tired coming back from their overseas tour and could be ripe for the picking. These are the two teams that pass the most per game in the competition, so expect to see plenty of ball movement. I am still picking the Crusaders but figure that it could be closer than expected given their respective rankings.
Reds vs Brumbies
The two top Australian teams clash in Brisbane in a Wallabies trial of sorts. The Brumbies ran out comfortable winners at home when they met earlier in the competition, but since then the Reds have welcomed back Will Genia and James Horwill, while Quade Cooper has been transformed with Genia's return. These two teams posted convincing wins in New Zealand last week and are both in good form. I am picking a close win for the Reds.
The Sharks host the Cheetahs in South Africa. The South African sides keep hurting the chances of other teams in the conference by beating each other up. The lower ranked Stormers and Bulls won last week. This week the Cheetahs and Sharks clash and the winner of this match will probably lead the South African conference. I am picking the Shark to suffocate the Chiefs and win with Patrick Lambie's boot to get the home side across the line. The Cheetahs struggle against the big three South African sides.
The Bulls are dangerous going into the back end of the Super Rugby competition. They are handily placed on 23 points. The Kings return home to host the Bulls but this will be a tough match for them. I think the travel factor and the Bulls hitting some good form will be too much for the tired Kings to handle. The Kings have been competitive this season and so I am picking them to at least put up a fight.
My picks for Super Rugby Round 10:
Game Date and time Your pick
[56] Hurricanes v Force 19 Apr 19:35 (local)
19 Apr 19:35 (your time*) Hurricanes by 12
[57] Waratahs v Chiefs 19 Apr 19:40 (local)
19 Apr 21:40 (your time*) Waratahs by 1
[58] Crusaders v Highlanders 20 Apr 19:35 (local)
20 Apr 19:35 (your time*) Crusaders by 7
[59] Reds v Brumbies 20 Apr 19:40 (local)
20 Apr 21:40 (your time*) Reds by 3
[60] Sharks v Cheetahs 20 Apr 17:05 (local)
21 Apr 03:05 (your time*) Sharks by 6
[61] Southern Kings v Bulls 20 Apr 19:10 (local)
21 Apr 05:10 (your time*) Bulls by 7
For a list of starting team lineups named
http://www.superrugbytips.com/p/super-rugby-2013.html
Here are some www.testrugby.com Super 15 Rugby 2013 Players to Buy
1) Lappies Labuschagne (Cheetahs) - Labuschagne is the best value player in the game and his high workrate will be tested against the Sharks this week. The Cheetahs have played all their overseas games and Labuschagne will get a chance to score plenty of points at home.
2) Morne Steyn (Bulls) - I think the Bulls are going to be difficult to beat now that they are back home. Morne Steyn will kick them to plenty of victories looking ahead.
3) Patrick Lambie (Sharks) - Lambie scores plenty of points in www.testrugby.com and since the Sharks can't score many tries, he will continue to do so.
4) Adriaan Strauss (Cheetahs) - With the Cheetahs playing in South Africa, the Springbok hooker is one of the best front row players in the game.
5) Julian Savea (Hurricanes) - Savea seems to play a style conducive to scoring www.testrugby.com points. He is a dangerous winger and usually scores tries.
6) Luke Romano (Crusaders) - Romano was the best scoring lock in www.testrugby.com last week and since other options like Andries Bekker and Steven Luatua have the bye, then Romano is a great purchase.
7) Israel Dagg (Crusaders) - Dagg was involved for the Crusaders against the Force and this week he could benefit on the counter attack against the fragile Highlanders. He is an ideal replacement for James O'Connor in your teams.
8) Hosea Gear (Highlanders) - Gear is one of the few bright sparks for the Highlanders in 2013. His style of play helps him score plenty of www.testrugby.com points in a beaten team.
9) Richard Kahui (Chiefs) - Kahui has moved to Number 12 for the Chiefs in Super Rugby Round 10. He will see more ball here and so he could be a decent points scoring option in the usually troublesome spot of centre.
10) Alapati Leiua (Hurricanes) - Leiua is probably a better bet than Joseph Tomane in the midfield since the Hurricanes should beat the Force. Leiua is an illusive runner and is a good chance of scoring some tries against the Force from the wing (or centre on www.testrugby.com) .
Which players are you picking for Super 15 Rugby 2013 Round 10?
http://www.superrugbytips.com/2013/04/super-15-rugby-round-10-preview-and.html
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