Super Rugby reaches the fourteenth round this weekend which means that there are just five rounds left in the regular season.
The Crusaders, Lions and Waratahs lead their respective Conferences but there will be a tight finish in New Zealand as the Hurricanes are just a point behind the Crusaders but have played one match less.
The Waratahs lead Melbourne’s Rebels by one point but the Sydney side has played one less match than the Rebels.
In South Africa, the Lions have played one more match than their nearest rivals but they have a 7 point lead over the Jaguares in second.
The Sunwolves can no longer make the playoffs, while Brumbies, Reds and Blues are looking very unlikely contenders.
Based on recent form the Crusaders are the top form team as over the last five matches they have won the most consecutive matches combined with scoring the most and conceding the least points.
The Hurricanes have the longest unbeaten streak at 9 matches as they lost their season opener to the Bulls and have not lost since.
After four wins on tour, the Jaguares are third in the form rankings.
Current form ranking
1 Crusaders – W – W – L – L – W – W – W – B – W – W – W – W –
2 Hurricanes – L – W – W – B – W – W – W – W – B – W – W – W –
3 Jaguares – L – L – L – W – L – W – B – L – W – W – W – W – B –
4 Highlanders – W – B – W – W – L – L – B – W – W – W – L – W –
5 Chiefs – L – W – B – W – W – W – W – L – W – B – L – W –
6 Bulls B – W – L – L – L – L – W – B – W – W – L – L – W –
7 Sharks – L – B – D – W – L – L – W – L – L – W – B – W – L –
8 Stormers – W – L – L – L – W – W – L – L – B – L – W – W – L –
9 Rebels – W – W – W – L – W – L – B – L – L – L – L – W –
10 Blues – L – L – W – L – B – L – L – W – L – L – W – L –
11 Sunwolves – L – L – L – L – L – B – L – L – L – L – B – W –
12 Reds – L – W – W – W – L – B – L – L – L – W – B – L –
13 Lions – W – W – W – L – W – L – L – W – B – W – L – L – L –
14 Waratahs – W – D – L – W – B – W – W – W – L – B – L – L –
15 Brumbies – W – L – L – W – B – L – W – L – L – L – B – L –
Hurricanes v Reds Super Rugby Preview
The Hurricanes kick off the fourteenth round in Super rugby this year and they will be looking for their fifth straight Super rugby victory over the Reds.
If the Hurricanes win this weekend they will also stretch their unbeaten streak to ten matches without a loss in 2018.
The Hurricanes have played the Reds 21 times in Super Rugby and they have won 15 matches and lost 6.
This weekend the Hurricanes will play the Reds in Wellington where the teams have met on five occasions. In those five matches, the Hurricanes have been the winner without fail.
The average score when the Hurricanes play the Reds in Wellington is Hurricanes 31 Reds 16.
The Hurricanes have played 10 matches this season and won 9. They have played six matches at home and they are unbeaten.
The Reds have played 10 matches in 2018 and they have won four. They have played 6 matches away from home and won one.
Average score: Hurricanes 28 Reds 22
Last five results
Sat, 01 Apr 2017 Hurricanes v Reds 34-15 Brisbane
Sat, 14 May 2016 Hurricanes v Reds 29-14 Wellington
Sun, 26 Apr 2015 Hurricanes v Reds 35-19 Brisbane
Sat, 26 Apr 2014 Hurricanes v Reds 35-21 Wellington
Fri, 01 Mar 2013 Hurricanes v Reds 12-18 Brisbane
Hurricanes overall record against the Reds
Played 21, Wins 15, Losses 6, Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Date: Friday 18 May
Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Kick Off local: 19:35
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1: James Doleman
Assistant Ref 2: Richard Kelly
TMO: Glenn Newman
Teams
Hurricanes
15 Jordie Barrett , 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder , 13 Matt Proctor , 12 Peter Umaga-Jensen , 11 Ben Lam , 10 Beauden Barrett , 9 TJ Perenara (c) , 8 Blade Thomson , 7 Ardie Savea , 6 Reed Prinsep , 5 Sam Lousi , 4 Michael Fatialofa , 3 Jeff Toomaga-Allen , 2 Ricky Riccitelli , 1 Toby Smith
Replacements : 16 James O’Reilly , 17 Chris Eves , 18 Ben May , 19 Vaea Fifita , 20 Brad Shields , 21 Jamie Booth , 22 Jackson Garden-Bachop , 23 Julian Savea.
Reds
1. JP Smith, 2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa , 3. Taniela Tupou, 4. Izack Rodda, 5. Kane Douglas , 6. Angus Scott-Young , 7. George Smith , 8. Scott Higginbotham (C), 9. Ben Lucas, 10. Jono Lance, 11. Jordan Petaia, 12. Duncan Paia’aua , 13. Samu Kerevi, 14. Filipo Daugunu , 15. Hamish Stewart
Replacements ; 16. Andrew Ready, 17. Sef Fa’agase , 18. Ruan Smith, 19. Harry Hockings , 20. Liam Wright, 21. Moses Sorovi , 22. Izaia Perese, 23. Aidan Toua
Sunwolves v Stormers Super Rugby Preview
The Sunwolves are back in action this weekend after beating the Reds at home in Tokyo last weekend and in doing so earning their first win of the season.
The Sunwolves host the Stormers in Hong Kong this weekend and this will be the fifth time that these teams have met.
In the four previous matches between the sides, the Sunwolves have lost three and drawn one.
Although this match is a home match for the Sunwolves the match is not in their Singapore or Tokyo homes so they won’t have the usual home advantage.
In the two matches the Sunwolves played the Stormers outside of South Africa were both in Singapore and the Stormers won one and the teams drew in the other.
The average score when the Sunwolves play the Stormers outside of South Africa the score is : Sunwolves 24 Stormers 30
The Sunwolves have played 10 matches this season and won one. They have played six matches at home and won one.
The Stormers have played 12 matches in 2018 and they have won five. They have played 6 matches away from home and lost all six.
Average score: Sunwolves 20 Stormers 40
Last four results
Sat, 08 Jul 2017 Sunwolves v Stormers 15-52 Cape Town
Sat, 25 Mar 2017 Sunwolves v Stormers 31-44 Singapore
Sat, 14 May 2016 Sunwolves v Stormers 17-17 Singapore
Fri, 08 Apr 2016 Sunwolves v Stormers 19-46 Cape Town
Sunwolves overall record against the Stormers
Played 4 , Wins 0, Losses 3, Draws 1
Match Officials and details
Date: Saturday 19 May
Venue: Mong
Kok Stadium, Hong Kong
Kick Off local: 13:15
Referee: Nic Berry
Assistant Ref 1: Shuhei Kubo
Assistant Ref 2: Tasuku Kawara
TMO: Minoru Fuji
Teams
Sunwolves
15 Kotaro Matsushima, 14 Kenki Fukuoka, 13 Timothy Lafaele, 12 Michael Little, 11 Akihito Yamada, 10 Hayden Parker, 9 Fumiaki Tanaka, 8 Willie Britz, 7 Edward Quirk (captain), 6 Michael Leitch, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Sam Wykes, 3 Takuma Asahara, 2 Shota Horie, 1 Shintaro Ishihara
Replacements: 16 Jaba Bregvadze 17 Craig Millar, 18 Hencus van Wyk, 19 Uwe Helu, 20 Yoshitaka Tokunaga, 21 Yutaka Nagare, 22 Yu Tamura, 23 Jason Emery
Stormers
15 SP Marais, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Cobus Wiese, 6 Kobus van Dyk, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Chris van Zyl (captain), 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Ramone Samuels, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Carlu Sadie, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Jan de Klerk, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 EW Viljoen.
Blues v Crusaders Super Rugby Preview
Auckland’s Blues host Super Rugby’s leaders the Crusaders at Eden Park in the second match on Saturday and they will be aiming to end a six match losing streak.
The Blues have played the Crusaders 30 times since 1996 and the Blues have won 11 matches and lost 19. That includes two finals – one win for each team in the finals.
This weekend the Blues will have home advantage over the Crusaders as they have done in 15 of the 30 matches. The teams have met in Auckland 13 times and
in those matches the Blues have won six matches and lost seven.
The average score when the Blues play the Crusaders in Auckland is Blues 21 Crusaders 22.
The Crusaders have won the last six matches between the sides including the last two in Auckland.
The Blues have played 11 matches this season and won three. They have played five matches at home and won none.
The Crusaders have played 11 matches and won 9. Away from home they have played six matches and won two.
Average score: Blues 21 Crusaders 26
Last five results
Fri, 17 Mar 2017 Blues v Crusaders 24-33 Christchurch
Sat, 28 May 2016 Blues v Crusaders 21-26 Auckland
Fri, 04 Mar 2016 Blues v Crusaders 13-28 Christchurch
Sat, 06 Jun 2015 Blues v Crusaders 11-34 Auckland
Sat, 25 Apr 2015 Blues v Crusaders 15-29 Christchurch
Blues overall record against the Crusaders
Played 30, Wins 11 , Losses 19 , Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Date : Saturday 19 May
Venue : Eden Park, Auckland
Kick Off local: 19:15
Referee: Glen Jackson
Assistant Ref 1: Cam Stone
Assistant Ref 2: Angus Mabey
TMO: Shane McDermott
Teams
Blues
15. Matt Duffie, 14. Melani Nanai, 13. Orbyn Leger, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 11. Rieko Ioane, 10. Stephen Perofeta, 9. Augustine Pulu ©; 8. Akira Ioane, 7. Dalton Papalii or Murphy Taramai, 6. Jerome Kaino, 5. Matiaha Martin, 4. Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 3. Ofa Tuungafasi, 2. James Parsons, 1. Pauliasi Manu.
Replacements: 16. Matt Moulds, 17. Ross Wright, 18. Sione Mafileo, 19. Ben Nee-Nee, 20. Murphy Taramai or Antonio Kiri Kiri, 21. Jonathan Ruru, 22. Dan Kirkpatrick, 23 Michael Collins.
Crusaders
1. Tim Perry, 2. Codie Taylor3. Owen Franks ,4. Scott Barrett , 5. Quinten Strange , 6. Heiden Bedwell-Curtis , 7. Matt Todd (C), 8. Jordan Taufua, 9. Bryn Hall, 10. Richie Mo’unga , 11. George Bridge , 12. Ryan Crotty (VC) , 13. Jack Goodhue , 14. Seta Tamanivalu , 15. David Havili
Replacements : 16. Andrew Makalio,17. Wyatt Crockett ,18. Michael Alaalatoa , 19. Mitchell Dunshea ,20. Pete Samu , 21. Mitchell Drummond , 22. Mitchell Hunt , 23. Manasa Mataele
Waratahs v Highlanders Super Rugby Preview
The Waratahs have returned home from New Zealand where they came close to beating the Crusaders and this weekend they will play the Highlanders in Sydney.
The Waratahs played the Highlanders 22 times in Super Rugby since 1996 and they have won 13 matches and lost 9.
This weekend the teams meet in Sydney where they have met 11 times. In those 11 matches the Waratahs have won 7 matches and lost four.
The average score when the Waratahs play the Highlanders in Sydney is : Waratahs 28 Highlanders 21.
The Highlanders have won the last four Super rugby matches between the two sides – including the last two in Sydney.
The Waratahs have played 10 matches won four and drawn one. They have played five matches at home and won three.
The Highlanders have played 10 matches in 2018 and they have won seven. The Highlanders have played 5 matches away from home and won two.
Average score: Waratahs 25 Highlanders 22
Last five results
Sat, 27 May 2017 Waratahs v Highlanders 28-44 Dunedin
Fri, 18 Mar 2016 Waratahs v Highlanders 26-30 Sydney
Sat, 27 Jun 2015 Semi Waratahs v Highlanders 17-35 Sydney
Sat, 14 Mar 2015 Waratahs v Highlanders 19-26 Dunedin
Sun, 06 Jul 2014 Waratahs v Highlanders 44-16 Sydney
Waratahs overall record against the Highlanders
Played 22 , Wins 13 , Losses 9 , Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Date: Saturday 19 May
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Kick Off local: 19:45
Referee: Brendon Pickerill
Assistant Ref 1: Will Houston
Assistant Ref 2: Graham Cooper
TMO: George Ayoub
Teams
Waratahs
15 Israel Folau, 14 Cam Clark, 13 Curtis Rona, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Michael Wells, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 6 Will Miller, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Tom Staniforth, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Damien Fitzpatrick, 1 Tom Robertson
Replacements: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 18 Shambeckler Vui, 19 Ryan McCauley, 20 Jed Holloway, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Lalakai Foketi, 23 Bryce Hegarty
Highlanders
1. Daniel Lienert-Brown,2. Ash Dixon (cc),3. Tyrel Lomax,4. Jackson Hemopo,5. Tom Franklin,6. Elliot Dixon,7. Dillon Hunt,8. Luke Whitelock,9. Aaron Smith,10. Lima Sopoaga,11. Tevita Nabura,12.Sio Tomkinson,13. Rob Thompson,14. Waisake Naholo,15. Ben Smith (cc)
Replacements : 16. Liam Coltman,17. Aki Seiuli,18. Kalolo Tuiloma,19. Shannon Frizell,20. Marino Mikaele Tu’u,21. Kayne Hammington,22. Josh Ioane,23. Tevita Li
Sharks v Chiefs Super Rugby Preview
The Sharks host the first of two Super Rugby matches this weekend in South Africa and they host two time champions the Chiefs in Durban.
The Sharks have played the Chiefs 19 times in Super rugby since 1998 and they have won 8 matches and lost 11.
This weekend the match is in Durban where the teams have met on 9 occasions. In those 9 matches the Sharks have won 5 times and lost four.
The average score when the Sharks play the Chiefs in Durban is : Sharks 28 Chiefs 23.
The Sharks have played 11 matches this season, won four and drawn one. They have played 5 matches at home, drawn one and lost 1.
The Chiefs have played 10 matches this season and won 7. They have played 6 matches away from home and won four.
The Bookies have given the Sharks an 8 point start for this Match. The Chiefs should win this by 7.
Average score: Sharks 23 Chiefs 25
Last five results
Fri, 29 Apr 2016 Sharks v Chiefs 22-24 New Plymouth
Sat, 21 Mar 2015 Sharks v Chiefs 12-11 Durban
Sat, 27 Apr 2013 Sharks v Chiefs 29-37 Hamilton
Sat, 04 Aug 2012 Final Sharks v Chiefs 6-37 Hamilton
Sat, 21 Apr 2012 Sharks v Chiefs 12-18 Durban
Sharks overall record against the Chiefs
Played 19, Wins 8, Losses 11, Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Date : Saturday 19 May
Venue : Kings Park , Durban
Kick Off local: 15:05
Referee: Mike Fraser
Assistant Ref 1: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant Ref 2: Archie Sehlanko
TMO: Willie Vos
Teams
Sharks
15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Ruan Botha (captain), 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Ross Geldenhuys, 19 Stephan Lewies, 20 Jacques Vermeulen, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Makazole Mapimpi
Chiefs
15 Shaun Stevenson, 14 Sean Wainui, 13 Charlie Ngatai (captain), 12 Johnny Fa’auli, 11 Solomon Alaimalo, 10 Marty McKenzie, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Pita Gus Sowakula, 7 Liam Messam, 6 Luke Jacobson, 5 Michael Allardice, 4 Tyler Ardron, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Liam Polwart, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe
Replacements:16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Sam Prattley, 18 Sosefo Kautai, 19 Jesse Parete, 20 Matt Matich, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Luteru Laulala, 23 Toni Pulu
Lions v Brumbies Super Rugby Preview
After a disappointing tour of Australia and New Zealand the Lions have returned home to South Africa where they will play the Brumbies from Canberra.
The Lions have played the Brumbies 18 times since 1998 and the Lions have won 5 matches and lost 13.
The Lions have hosted the Brumbies 8 times in Johannesburg and they have won three and lost five. That means the Lions have only won 38% of their home matches against the Brumbies.
The average score when the Lions play the Brumbies in Johannesburg is : Lions 23 Brumbies 25.
The Lions won the last match between the sides but the last two matches played in Johannesburg were both won by the Brumbies.
The Lions have not beaten the Brumbies at home in Johannesburg since 2009.
The Lions have played 12 matches in 2018 and won six. They have played six matches at home and won four.
The Brumbies have played 10 matches this year and won three. Away from home they have played four matches and won one.
Average score: Lions 18 Brumbies 32
Last five results
Fri, 12 May 2017 Lions v Brumbies 13-6 Canberra
Sat, 16 May 2015 Lions v Brumbies 20-30 Johannesburg
Fri, 27 Apr 2012 Lions v Brumbies 20-34 Johannesburg
Sat, 14 May 2011 Lions v Brumbies 29-20 Canberra
Fri, 05 Mar 2010 Lions v Brumbies 13-24 Canberra
Lions overall record against the Brumbies
Played 18 , Wins 5 , Losses 13 , Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Date: Saturday 19 May
Venue: Emirates Airlines Park, Johannesburg
Kick Off local: 17:15
Referee: Nick Briant
Assistant Ref 1: Quinton Immelman
Assistant Ref 2: Stephan Geldenhuys
TMO: Marius Jonker
Teams
Lions
15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Sylvian Mahuza, 13 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11 Madosh Tambwe, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Franco Mostert (captain), 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Lourens Erasmus, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Robbie Coetzee, 1 Dylan Smith
Replacements: 16 Corne Fourie, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 Len Massyn, 20 Marnus Schoeman, 21 Ross Cronje, 22 Shaun Reynolds, 23 Ruan Combrinck.
Brumbies
15. Tom Banks, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Kyle Godwin, 11. Andy Muirhead, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 9. Joe Powell, 8. Isi Naisarani, 7. David Pocock, 6. Rob Valetini, 5. Sam Carter, 4. Rory Arnold, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 2. Folau Faingaa, 1. Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16. Robbie Abel, 17. Nic Mayhew, 18. Ben Alexander, 19. Blake Enever, 20. Lachlan McCaffrey, 21. Tom Cusack, 22. Matt Lucas, 23. Andrew Smith.
Jaguares v Bulls Super Rugby Preview
Argentina’s Jaguares return from the bye last weekend with a Super Rugby match against the Bulls in Buenos Aires.
The Jaguares won their last four matches on tour in Australia and New Zealand and have had a week to recover from the travel but they are back at home where they have not faired well this year.
The Jaguares have played the Bulls just twice before in Super rugby and the teams have won one match each.
The Jaguares won their match in Buenos Aires in 2016 and last year when they met in Pretoria the Bulls won. Both teams are effectively unbeaten at home against each other.
The Jaguares have played 11 matches this year and they have won six. They have played five matches at home and won two.
The Bulls have played 11 matches in 2018 and they have won five. Away from home the Bulls have played 5 and won one.
The Bookies have given the Bulls a 5 point start for this Match. The Jaguares should win this by 6.
Average score: Jaguares 21 Bulls 18
Last two results
Sat, 15 Apr 2017 Jaguares v Bulls 13-26 Pretoria
Sat, 02 Jul 2016 Jaguares v Bulls 29-11 Buenos Aires
Jaguares overall record against the Bulls
Played 2, Wins 1, Losses 1, Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Date : Saturday 19 May
Venue : Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
Kick Off local: 18:40
Referee: Federico Anselmi
Assistant Ref 1: Paul Williams
Assistant Ref 2: Pablo Deluca
TMO: Santiago Borsani
Teams
Jaguares
15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo de le Fuente, 11 Sebastian Cancelliere, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Mar’cos Kremer, 6 Tomas Lezana, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Santiago Garcia Botta
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Javier Diaz, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Leonardo Senatore, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Bautista Ezcurra, 23 Juan Cruz Mallia
Bulls
15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Handre Pollard (captain), 11 Johnny Kotze, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Marco van Staden, 7 Thembelani Bholi, 6 Roelof Smit, 5 RG Snyman, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Conraad van Vuuren, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Trevor Nyakane
Replacements : 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Nqobisiwe Mxoli, 18 Frans van Wyk, 19 Hendre Stassen, 20 Nic de Jager, 21 Andre Warner, 22 JT Jackson, 23 Divan Rossouw