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Opinionated Rugby Commentary - by Fans for Fans
Spill what you really think about events in the rugby world.
Super Rugby Round Six - Do You Buy Crusaders? 17 views
25 March 2011 by The Swede Eaters
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The Crusaders are scoring plenty of points, as they embark on a journey to Twickenham it is hard to know if it is worth purchasing their players because they have the bye the week following.
Super Rugby heads to Twickenham as the top New Zealand team, the Crusaders head to London to gather revenue after the devastating earthquake which has rendered them homeless. AMI Stadium is gone for the season, so they have to play at secondary grounds of a smaller nature in the future. It will be interesting to see how Super Rugby is received at the home of Northern Hemisphere rugby.
This week the Crusaders host the Sharks at Twickenham and it is difficult to know if it is worth purchasing their players for http://www.testrugby.com/, given that their back division of Daniel Carter, Robbie Fruean, Sonny Bill Williams and Israel Dagg have been scoring bucket loads of points, it is tempting to spend the newly allocated trades on these players, but beware, they have the bye next round and will drop in value then. As it is, Sonny Bill Williams costs $1.4 million and I would suggest he would drop to just over $1 million when people sell him for the week. I am going to purchase Crusaders once people have sold them before their prices rise. The Highlanders have a bye this week, so it could be worth buying Adam Thomson after the lock of this round.
The Hurricanes should win this match, but surely the Rebels will show more resolve at home and will have been murdering the tackling bags during training after losing last week. The Hurricanes desperately need the win and have the potential to win this by 50 points or lose depending on which team shows up. I am picking them to win by 12 and under. Hopefully we will see the Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith combination starting to click again given the amount of pressure on them thanks to Sonny Bill Williams and Robbie Fruean. Ged Robinson will be playing his old team mates.
Picks: Alister Campbell, Ged Robinson, Andrew Hore, Victor Vito, Cory Jane, Ma'a Nonu.
Teams: Rebels vs Hurricanes
Time: 25/03/2011 21:40
Venue: Melbourne
Pick: Away team by 12 & under
It is hard to know how this match will go. The Reds smashed the Rebels last week and it is always hard backing up a massive win. The Cheetahs with Heinrich Brussouw on fire won in the upset of the season in Sydney.
Picks: Sa'ia Faingaa, James Horwill, Quade Cooper, Sias Ebersohn (bargain), Heinrich Brussouw, Rayno Barnes.
Teams: Reds vs Cheetahs
Time: 26/03/2011 17:40
Venue: Suncorp Stadium
Pick: Home team by 12 & under
I am hoping for a hard and fast track to watch the Chiefs host the Blues. When you look at these teams you realise that their backlines are loaded with All Blacks and exciting players. This is a chance for them to prove themselves against each other. Joe Rokocoko is probably the most under pressure. The Blues should be too strong up front, but this should be a corker. The Chiefs backs will hopefully get more opportunities this week.
Picks: Keven Mealamu, Rene Ranger, Isaiah Toeava, Hika Elliot, Liam Messam, Mike Delaney, Sitiveni Sivivatu.
Teams: Chiefs vs Blues
Time: 26/03/2011 19:35
Venue: Waikato Stadium
Pick: Away team by 12 & under
How will the Waratahs bounce back after their embarrassing loss last week to the Cheetahs? They couldn't get much worse. Both teams need the win desperately given their recent run of bad results. It is always difficult to win in Canberra, but I think the Waratahs will do it. Both teams have injury concerns. The Waratahs really missed Phil Waugh last week. Pat McCabe is one of several injured Brumbies.
Picks: Matt Giteau, Ita Vaea (bargain), Kurtley Beale, Drew Mitchell, Berrick Barnes.
Teams: Brumbies vs Waratahs
Time: 26/03/2011 21:40
Venue: Canberra Stadium
Pick: Away team by 12 & under
The Stormers are unbeaten and despite a gutsy performance from the Force last week, I can't see the home teaming being beaten by anyone, apart from themselves (aka pulling a Waratahs). The Force don't have the depth, but have some brilliant individual players who could keep this interesting, but the Stormers defence will win at the end of the day. I would love to see them score tries. They hardly troubled the http://www.testrugby.com/ scorers last week despite winning.
Picks: Deon Fourie, Peter Grant, Bryan Habana, James O'Connor.
Teams: Stormers vs Western Force
Time: 27/03/2011 02:00
Venue: Newlands Rugby Stadium
Pick: Home team by 13 & above
They were stunned Bulls last week at home against the Lions and this week they will be looking to get another win under their belts, but the Lions will be fired up for this grudge match. This will be an interesting tussle between the neighbours. The Bulls should win, but I think the Lions are no longer easybeats.
Picks: Pierre Spies, Morne Steyn, Gerhard Van Den Heever, Joshua Strauss, Warren Whitely, Elton Jantjes (bargain).
Teams: Bulls vs Lions
Time: 27/03/2011 04:05
Venue: Loftus Versfeld
Pick: Home team by 12 & under
If the Crusaders can carry their "home" form to their new home then they should win this match. The Sharks have got great defence and a massive pack, but I think the Crusaders can match them up front and then let Sonny Bill Williams and Robbie Fruean cause some damage out wide. The loss of Patrick Lambie is a big one for the Sharks.
Picks: Kieran Read, Dan Carter, Sonny Bill Williams, Robbie Fruean, Israel Dagg, Bismarck Du Plessis, Willem Alberts, Steven Sykes.
Teams: Crusaders vs Sharks
Time: 28/03/2011 04:00
Venue: Twickenham
Pick: Home team by 13 & above
Who are you picking this weekend? Have your say!
testrugbytips.com
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Tags:
Crusaders, Twickenham, Sharks, Super Rugby
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