Super Rugby reaches the fourth round this weekend and all teams are in action with the exception of the Chiefs who have their bye.
The weekend has seven matches with two on Friday and five on Saturday.
The Lions lead the Super Rugby standings on 14 but they have played one more match than the second placed Rebels and third placed Crusaders who both have ten points.
Highlanders v Stormers Super Rugby Preview
The Highlanders return to Super Rugby after a weekend off with a bye to host the South Africa’s Stormers who they have beaten in their last two meetings.
The Highlanders have played the Stormers 19 times in Super Rugby since 1998 and the Highlanders have won 53% of their matches or 10 of the 19 matches.
There has been one draw between the sides and that was in 2006 at Invercargill.
These two teams have met 8 times in Dunedin and the Highlanders have won 6 matches or 75 % of the meetings.
The average score when these teams meet in Dunedin is : Highlanders 32 Stormers 19.
The Stormers have not won in Dunedin since 2012.
Average score: Highlanders 25 Stormers 22
Last five results
Fri, 28 Apr 2017 Highlanders v Stormers 57-14 Dunedin
Sat, 28 Mar 2015 Highlanders v Stormers 39-21 Dunedin
Sat, 03 May 2014 Highlanders v Stormers 28-29 Cape Town
Sat, 07 Apr 2012 Highlanders v Stormers 6-21 Dunedin
Fri, 11 Mar 2011 Highlanders v Stormers 6-18 Cape Town
Highlanders overall record against the Stormers
Played 19 , Wins 10 , Losses 8 , Draws 1
Match Officials and details
Venue : Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Kick Off local: 19:35
Referee: Glen Jackson
Assistant Ref 1:Paul Williams
Assistant Ref 2:Angus Mabey
TMO : Glenn Newman
Teams
Highlanders
1. Daniel Lienert-Brown,2. Liam Coltman,3. Siate Tokolahi,4. Jackson Hemopo,5. Tom Franklin,6. Liam Squire,7. Dillon Hunt,8. Luke Whitelock,9. Aaron Smith,10.Lima Sopoaga,11. Tevita Nabura,12. Teihorangi Walden,13. Rob Thompson,14. Waisake Naholo,15. Ben Smith (c)
Replacements : 16. Greg Pleasants-Tate, 17. Ski Seiuli, 18. Tyrel Lomax, 19. Shannon Frizell, 20. Elliot Dixon, 21. Josh Renton, 22. Fletcher Smith, 23.
Matt Faddes
Stormers
15 SP Marais, 14 Dillyn Leyds, 13 EW Viljoen, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Kobus van Dyk, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Chris van Zyl, 4 Jan de Klerk, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Ramone Samuels, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Dean Muir, 17 JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Pieter-Steph du Toit (George Whitehead), 21 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 22 Justin Phillips, 23 JJ Engelbrecht.
Rebels v Brumbies Super Rugby Preview
Australian conference leaders the Rebels are back at home this weekend where they will host Canberra’s Brumbies.
The Rebels have played the Brumbies 3 times in Super Rugby since 2011 and the Rebels have won 4 matches and lost 9.
There have been no draws between the teams in the 13 matches.
These two teams have met 7 times in Melbourne and the Rebels have won just three matches. This gives them a record of winning 43% of their home matches against the Brumbies.
The average score when the Rebels play the Brumbies in Melbourne is : Rebels 21 Brumbies 25.
The Rebels won the last meeting of the teams in 2017 but the two clashes before that were won by the Brumbies,
Average score: Rebels 16 Brumbies 27
Last five results
Sat, 03 Jun 2017 Rebels v Brumbies 3-32 Canberra
Sat, 15 Apr 2017 Rebels v Brumbies 19-17 Melbourne
Fri, 13 May 2016 Rebels v Brumbies 22-30 Melbourne
Sat, 18 Apr 2015 Rebels v Brumbies 13-8 Canberra
Sat, 28 Feb 2015 Rebels v Brumbies 15-20 Melbourne
Rebels overall record against the Brumbies
Played 13 , Wins 4 , Losses 9 , Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Venue : AAMI Park, Melbourne
Kick Off local: 19:45
Referee: Will Houston
Assistant Ref 1:Graham Cooper
Assistant Ref 2:James Leckie
TMO : Ian Smith
Teams
Melbourne Rebels
Tetera Faulkner, Jordan Uelese, Jermaine Ainsley, Matt Philip, Ross Haylett-Petty, Lopeti Timani, Angus Cottrell, Amanaki Mafi, Will Genia, Jack Debreczeni, Sefa Naivalu, Reece Hodge, Tom English (c), Jack Maddocks, Dane Haylett-Petty
Replacements : naru Rangi, Ben Daley, Sam Talakai, Colby Fainga’a, Richard Hardwick, Michael Ruru, Billy Meakes, Marika Koroibete
Brumbies
1. Scott Sio,2. Josh Mann-Rea,3. Allan Alaalatoa,4. Rory Arnold,5. Sam Carter (C),6. Lachlan McCaffrey,7. Lolo Fakaosilea,8. Isi Naisarani,9. Joe Powell,10. Christian Lealiifano,11. Chance Peni,12. Kyle Godwin,13. Tevita Kuridrani,14. Henry Speight,15. Tom Banks
Replacements : 16. Folau Faingaa,17. Faalelei Sione,18. Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin,19. Richie Arnold,20. Tom Cusack,21. Matt Lucas,22. Wharenui Hawera,23. Andy Muirhead
Hurricanes v Crusaders Super Rugby Preview
2016 Super Rugby champions the Hurricanes host the current Super Rugby champions the Crusaders in the first match on Saturday.
Given that this match is between the two most recent champions this is the weekend’s must see contest.
The Hurricanes have played the Crusaders 32 times in Super Rugby since 1996 and the Hurricanes have won 11, matches lost 18 and drawn three.
That gives the Hurricanes a record of winning 34% of their matches against the Crusaders.
These two teams have met 13 times in Wellington and the Hurricanes have won 6 matches, lost 5 and drawn 2. The average score when these teams meet in Wellington
is : Hurricanes 20 Crusaders 23.
For this match the Crusaders had to travel from Christchurch while the Hurricanes had to travel from Argentina after touring South Africa the week earlier. Travel
fatigue could easily outweigh home advantage.
Average score: Hurricanes 20 Crusaders 26
Last five results
Sat, 15 Jul 2017 Hurricanes v Crusaders 31-22 Wellington
Sat, 13 May 2017 Hurricanes v Crusaders 12-20 Christchurch
Sat, 16 Jul 2016 Hurricanes v Crusaders 35-10 Christchurch
Fri, 29 May 2015 Hurricanes v Crusaders 18-35 Christchurch
Sat, 02 May 2015 Hurricanes v Crusaders 29-23 Wellington
Hurricanes overall record against the Crusaders
Played 32, Wins 11, Losses 18, Draws 3
Match Officials and details
Venue : Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Kick Off local: 19:35
Referee: Brendan Pickerill
Assistant Ref 1:Paul Williams
Assistant Ref 2:Cam Stone
TMO : Glenn Newman
Teams
Hurricanes
15 Jordie Barrett , 14 Julian Savea , 13 Matt Proctor , 12 Ngani Laumape , 11 Ben Lam , 10 Beauden Barrett , 9 TJ Perenara , 8 Gareth Evans , 7 Ardie Savea , 6 Brad Shields (c) , 5 Sam Lousi , 4 Vaea Fifita , 3 Ben May , 2 Ricky Riccitelli , 1 Chris Eves
Replacements : 16 Asafo Aumua , 17 Fraser Armstrong , 18 Marcel Renata , 19 Michael Fatialofa , 20 Blade Thomson , 21 Richard Judd , 22 Ihaia West , 23
Vince Aso
Crusaders
1. Wyatt Crockett , 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Michael Alaalatoa , 4. Scott Barrett , 5. Sam Whitelock (C), 6. Heiden Bedwell-Curtis , 7. Matt Todd (VC) , 8. Jordan Taufua 22. Mike Delany, 9. Bryn Hall 23. Manasa Mataele, 10. Mitchell Hunt , 11. George Bridge , 12. Ryan Crotty (VC) , 13. Jack Goodhue , 14. Seta Tamanivalu , 15. David Havili,
Replacements : 16. Ben Funnell ,17. Chris King ,18. Oliver Jager , 19. Luke Romano ,20. Billy Harmon ,21. Mitchell Drummond
Reds v Bulls Super Rugby Preview
2011 Super Rugby champions the Reds host the 2010 Super Rugby champions the Bulls in the second match on Saturday.
Although both of these teams have won a Super Rugby title in the last ten years they have been struggling while rebuilding in recent years.
The Reds have played the Bulls 18 times in Super Rugby since 1998 and they have won 10 matches and lost eight. There have been no draws. This gives the Reds a record of winning 56% of their matches against the Bulls.
These teams have met 9 times in Brisbane over the years and the Reds have won all but one match. The sole Bulls victory in Brisbane was in 2004. This gives the Reds a record of winning 89% of their home matches against the Bulls.
The average score when the Reds play the Bulls in Brisbane is : Reds 30 Bulls 17
The Bulls have not won in Brisbane since 2004.
Both teams look to have improved this season but the Bulls rarely travel well outside of South Africa and history shows they don’t travel well to Queensland.
Average score: Reds 23 Bulls 29
Last five results
Sat, 16 Apr 2016 Reds v Bulls 22-41 Pretoria
Sat, 11 Apr 2015 Reds v Bulls 22-43 Pretoria
Sat, 23 Mar 2013 Reds v Bulls 23-18 Brisbane
Sat, 24 Mar 2012 Reds v Bulls 8-61 Pretoria
Sat, 16 Apr 2011 Reds v Bulls 39-30 Brisbane
Reds overall record against the Bulls
Played 18 , Wins 10 , Losses 8, Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Venue : Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick Off local: 18:45
Referee: Jamie Nutbrown
Assistant Ref 1:Will Houston
Assistant Ref 2:Graham Cooper
TMO : Damien Mitchelmore
Teams
Reds
1. James Slipper (C) , 2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 3. Taniela Tupou, 4. Izack Rodda, 5. Kane Douglas, 6. Adam Korczyk, 7. Liam Wright , 8. Caleb Timu, 9. James Tuttle , 10. Jono Lance, 11. Eto Nabuli , 12. Samu Kerevi , 13. Chris Feauai-Sautia , 14. Filipo Daugunu, 15. Aidan Toua
Replacements : 16. Alex Mafi, 17. JP Smith, 18. Sef Fa’agase , 19. Harry Hockings, 20. Angus Scott-Young, 21. Tate McDermott, 22. Hamish Stewart, 23. Duncan Paia’aua
Bulls
15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Johnny Kotze, 11 Duncan Matthews, 10 Handre Pollard (captain), 9 Andre Warner, 8 Nick de Jager, 7 Hanro Liebenberg, 6 Roelof Smit, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Frans van Wyk, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Lizo Gqoboka, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Jason Jenkins, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Marnitz Boshoff, 23 Divan Rossouw
Sharks v Sunwolves Super Rugby Preview
Super Rugby moves to Durban South Africa in third match on Saturday where the Sharks host Japan’s Sunwolves.
The Sharks have only played the Sunwolves twice in Super Rugby and both matches have been won by the Sharks.
The Durban side has scored an average of 39 points to the Sunwolves 23 points across the two matches.
The teams have met once in Durban and once in Singapore and ironically the match in Durban was the closer contest.
Neither team has won a match yet this season but last week the Sharks settled for a draw against the Waratahs at home in Durban. While they have not had to travel for this match the Sunwolves have flown from Tokyo.
Average score: Sharks 39 Sunwolves 23
Last two results
Sat, 20 May 2017 Sharks v Sunwolves 38-17 Singapore
Fri, 15 Jul 2016 Sharks v Sunwolves 40-29 Durban
Sharks overall record against the Sunwolves
Played 2 , Wins 2, Losses 0 , Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Venue : Kings Park Stadium, Durban
Kick Off local: 15:05
Referee: Federico Anselmi
Assistant Ref 1:Egon Seconds
Assistant Ref 2:Archie Sehlako
TMO : Shaun Veldsman
Teams
Sharks
15. Curwin Bosch, 14. Sbu Nkosi, 13. Lukhanyo Am, 12. Andre Esterhuizen, 11. Makazole Mapimpi, 10. Robert du Preez, 9. Louis Schreuder, 8. Tera Mtembu, 7. Jacques Vermeulen, 6. Wian Vosloo, 5. Stephan Lewies, 4. Ruan Botha (c), 3. John-Hubert Meyer, 2. Akker van der Merwe, 1. Tendai Mtawarira, ,
Replacements: 16. Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17. Juan Schoeman, 18. Ross Geldenhuys, 19. Gideon Koegelenberg, 20. Keegan Daniel, 21. Cameron Wright, 22. Marius Louw, 23. Lwazi Mvovo
Sunwolves
15 Kotaro Matsushima, 14 Lomano Lemeki, 13 Sione Teaupa, 12 Michael Little, 11 William Tupou, 10 Harumichi Tatekawa, 9 Keisuke Uchida, 8 Ed Quirk, 7 Yoshitaka Tokunaga, 6 Michael Leitch, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Kazuki Himeno, 3 Takuma Asahara, 2 Yusuke Niwai, 1 Craig Millar
Replacements: 16 Atshushi Sakate, 17 Shintaro Ishihara, 18 Hencus van Wyk, 19 Wimpie van der Walt, 20 Lappies Labuschagne, 21 Yutaka Nagare, 22 Ryoto Nakamura, 23 Robbie Robinson
Lions v Blues Super Rugby Preview
Super Rugby leaders the Lions are at home again in the fourth match on Saturday and they host Auckland’s Blues.
The Lions have played the Blues 18 times in Super Rugby and they have won six matches and lost 12. There have been no draws.
This gives the Lions an overall record against the Blues of winning 33% of their matches.
The Lions have played the Blues 9 times in Johannesburg and they have won four out of the nine matches or 44% of the clashes.
The average score when these teams play in Johannesburg the score is : Lions 30 Blues 36.
While the Blues have played two and lost two so far this season the Lions have played three and won three and all of their matches have been on the highveld
– as they are again this weekend.
The last two matches between these teams in Johannesburg were won by the Lions. The Blues have not won in the city since 2011.
Average score: Lions 21 Blues 31
Last five results
Sat, 14 May 2016 Lions v Blues 43-5 Johannesburg
Sat, 07 Mar 2015 Lions v Blues 13-10 Albany
Sat, 15 Mar 2014 Lions v Blues 39-36 Johannesburg
Fri, 11 May 2012 Lions v Blues 3-25 Auckland
Fri, 04 Mar 2011 Lions v Blues 32-41 Johannesburg
Lions overall record against the Blues
Played 18, Wins 6, Losses 12, Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Venue : Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Kick Off local: 17:15
Referee: Nic Berry
Assistant Ref 1:AJ Jacobs
Assistant Ref 2:Jaco Pretorius
TMO :Willie Vos
Teams
Lions
15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Sylvian Mahuza, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Franco Mostert, 6 Cyle Brink, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Jacques van Rooyen
Replacements: 16 Robbie Coetzee, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Jacobie Adriaanse, 19 Lourens Erasmus, 20 Albertus Kwagga Smith, 21 Ashlon Davids, 22 Harold Vorster, 23.Hacjivah Dayimani
Blues
1. Alex Hodgman, 2. James Parsons (c), 3. Ofa Tuungafasi, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu, 5. Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 6. Jerome Kaino, 7. Antonio Kiri Kiri, 8. Akira Ioane; 9. Sam Nock, 10. Bryn Gatland, 11. Melani Nanai, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Matt Duffie,15. Michael Collins.
Replacements: 16. Ross Wright, 17. Pauliasi Manu, 18. Michael Tamoaieta, 19. Scott Scrafton, 20 Jimmy Tupou, 21. Murphy Taramai, 22. Jonathan Ruru, 23. Stephen Perofeta.
Jaguares v Waratahs Super Rugby Preview
The final Super Rugby match of the fourth round is in Buenos Aires Argentina where the Jaguares host the Waratahs.
The Jaguares and Waratahs have only met once before in Super Rugby and that match was played in Sydney and won 27-40 by the Jaguares.
The Jaguares have played two matches so far this season and lost both.
The Waratahs have played two and they have won one and drawn one which effectively means they are unbeaten this season.
For this match the Jaguares have not had to travel but the Waratahs have flown from Durban South Africa so they could suffer from fatigue.
Average score: Jaguares 40 Waratahs 27
Last result
Sat, 08 Jul 2017 Jaguares v Waratahs 40-27 Sydney
Jaguares record against the Waratahs
Played 1 , Wins 1, Losses 0, Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Venue : Estadio Jose Amalfitani, Buenos Aires
Kick Off local: 18:40
Referee: Mike Fraser
Assistant Ref 1:Nick Briant
Assistant Ref 2:Pablo Deluca
TMO : Santiago Borsani
Teams
Jaguares
15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Orlando, 12. Santiago G Iglesias, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8.Javier Ortega Desio, 7. Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (captain), 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Felipe Arregui.
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Santiago G. Botta, 18 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 19 Guido Petti Pagadizaval, 20 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 21. Felipe Ezcurra, 22. Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, 23 Sebastian Cancelliere.
Waratahs
1. Tom Robertson, 2. Damien Fitzpatrick , 3. Paddy Ryan, 4. Ned Hanigan, 5. Tom Staniforth , 6. Michael Wells , 7. Michael Hooper (c), 8. Jed Holloway , 9. Jake Gordon , 10. Bernard Foley , 11. Curtis Rona, 12. Kurtley Beale, 13. Lalakai Foketi, 14. Alex Newsome , 15. Israel Folau ,
Replacements: 16. Tolu Latu , 17. Harry Johnson-Holmes , 18. Kalivati Tawake, 19. Nick Palmer, 20. Will Miller, 21. Nick Duffy , 22. Bryce Hegarty, 23. Taqele Naiyaravoro,