Super Rugby team by team preview round 6

Super Rugby reaches the sixth round this weekend and the Highlanders are the only remaining team who are unbeaten but they face a tough test this weekend.

This weekend has six Super Rugby matches with two on Friday and four on Saturday.

The Brumbies , Waratahs and Blues have the bye.

---

Crusaders v Bulls Super Rugby Preview

Super Rugby champions the Crusaders have lost their last two matches and they will be looking to stop their losing run especially since they will be playing at home.

The Bulls are also on a losing streak and they have lost their last three matches. In 2018 the Bulls have played four and won one (they beat the Hurricanes in Rd.2).

In comparison the Crusaders have played four matches as well but they have won two and lost two. The Crusaders have yet to lose to a non New Zealand team.

The Crusaders have played the Bulls 23 times in Super Rugby and they have won 15 matches and lost 8. There have been no draws.

The Crusaders have played the Bulls at home 10 times and they have won 10 times. The Bulls have never beaten the Crusaders in New Zealand.

The average score when the Crusaders play the Bulls in NZ is Crusaders 37 Bulls 15.

The Bookies have given the Bulls a 21 point start for this Match – with an offer of up to $100 in Bonus bets. The Crusaders should be too strong for the Bulls and they should win by 15 points or more.

Average score: Crusaders 34 Bulls 24

Last five results
Sat, 06 May 2017 Crusaders v Bulls 62-24 Pretoria
Sat, 28 Mar 2015 Crusaders v Bulls 19-31 Pretoria
Sat, 16 Mar 2013 Crusaders v Bulls 41-19 Christchurch
Sat, 21 Jul 2012 Elim Crusaders v Bulls 28-13
Christchurch
Sat, 07 Apr 2012 Crusaders v Bulls 30-32 Pretoria

Crusaders overall record against the Bulls
Played 23, Wins 15, Losses 8 , Draws 0

Match Officials and details
Venue : AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Kick Off local: 19:35
Referee: Federico Anselmi
Assistant Ref 1:Nick Briant
Assistant Ref 2: Richard Kely
TMO : Aaron Paterson

Teams

Crusaders

15 David Havili, 14 Manasa Mataele, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 George Bridge, 10 Mitchell Hunt, 9 Mitchell Drummond, 8 Jordan Taufua, 7 Billy Harmon, 6 Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, 5 Sam Whitelock (captain), 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Michael Alaalatoa, 2 Codie Taylor 1 Tim Perry

Replacements: 16 Ben Funnell, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Oliver Jager, 19 Quinten Strange, 20 Tom Sanders, 21 Bryn Hall, 22 Brett Cameron, 23 Braydon Ennor.

Bulls

15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Burger Odendaal (captain), 11 Divan Rossouw, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Tim Agaba, 7 Hanro
Liebenberg, 6 Roelof Smit, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Pierre Schoeman

Replacements: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Lizo Gqoboka, 18 Frans van Wyk, 19 Hendre Stassen, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Johnny Kotze

---

Rebels v Sharks Super Rugby Preview

Melbourne’s Rebels are having their best season ever. They lead the standings in Australasia which means that although they are second they are currently the best team outside of South Africa.

The Sharks are not having a great season by their standards as they have played four matches and one won. They also have one draw but the Sharks have lost two from four matches.

The Rebels have played the Sharks five times in Super Rugby and the Rebels have yet to beat the Sharks. Last year in 2017 the Rebels and Sharks drew for the first time.

The Rebels have hosted the Sharks twice in Melbourne and they have lost both matches at an average score of Rebels 24 Sharks 28.

The Bookies have given the Sharks a 7 point start for this Match – with an offer of up to $100 in Bonus bets. The Rebels are so in form this season they should win this by 6.

Average score: Rebels 17 Sharks 31

Last five results
Sat, 22 Apr 2017 Rebels v Sharks 9-9 0:0 2-2 Durban
Fri, 29 May 2015 Rebels v Sharks 21-25 Durban
Fri, 02 May 2014 Rebels v Sharks 16-22 Melbourne
Sat, 23 Mar 2013 Rebels v Sharks 7-64 Durban
Fri, 11 Mar 2011 Rebels v Sharks 32-34 Melbourne

Rebels overall record against the Sharks
Played 5, Wins 0 , Losses 4, Draws 1

Match Officials and details
Venue : AAMI Park, Melbourne
Kick Off local: 19:45
Referee: Shuhei Kubo
Assistant Ref 1:Nic Berry
Assistant Ref 2:Damon Murphy
TMO : Ian Smith

Teams

Rebels

1. Tetera Faulkner , 2. Anaru Rangi , 3. Jermaine Ainsley , 4. Geoff Parling ,  5. Adam Coleman (c) , 6. Angus Cottrell , 7. Colby Fainga’a , 8. Amanaki Mafi , 9. Will Genia , 10. Jack Debreczeni , 11. Marika Koroibete , 12. Billy Meakes , 13. Reece Hodge , 14. Sefa Naivalu , 15. Jack Maddocks

Replacements ; 16. Mahe Vailanu , 17. Fereti Sa’aga , 18. Sam Talakai , 19. Matt Philip , 20. Ross Haylett-Petty , 21. Richard Hardwick , 22. Michael Ruru , 23. Tom English

Sharks

15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Tera Mtembu, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Jacques Vermeulen, 5 Stephan Lewies, 4 Ruan Botha (captain), 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Beast Mtawarira

Replacments : 16 Franco Marais, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Wian Vosloo, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Kobus van Wyk, 23 Garth April

---

Sunwolves v Chiefs Super Rugby Preview

The Sunwolves have returned home from South Africa and will host the Chiefs in Tokyo for the first time in Super Rugby history.

The Sunwolves and Chiefs have only played each other once before and that match ended in a 27-20 victory for the Chiefs in Waikato.

This season the Sunwolves have played 4 matches and have lost all four. The Chiefs have played three and won two.

The Bookies have given the Sunwolves a 25 point start for this Match – with an offer of up to $100 in Bonus bets. The Chiefs should win this by 14 points or more.

Average score: Sunwolves 20 Chiefs 27

Last result
Sat, 29 Apr 2017 Sunwolves v Chiefs 20-27 Waikato

Sunwolves record against the Chiefs
Played 1, Wins 0 , Losses 1, Draws 0

Match Officials and details
Venue : Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo
Kick Off local: 13:15
Referee: Will Houston
Assistant Ref 1:Akihisa Aso
Assistant Ref 2:Tasuku Kawahara
TMO :Minoru Fuji

Teams

Sunwolves

15 Ryuji Noguchi, 14 Kotaro Matsushima, 13 Timothy Lafaele, 12 Michael Little, 11 Hosea Saumaki, 10 Yu Tamura, 9 Fumiaki Tanaka, 8 Willem Britz (captain), 7 Edward Quirk, 6 Michael Leitch, 5 Uwe Helu, 4 Kazuki Himeno, 3 Hencus van Wyk, 2 Shota Horie, 1 Keita Inagaki

Replacements : 16 Yusuke Niwai, 17 Craig Millar, 18 Jiwon Koo, 19 Wimpie van der Walt, 20 Yoshitaka Tokunaga, 21 Yutaka Nagare, 22 Robbie Robinson, 23 William Tupou

Chiefs

Aidan Ross , Nathan Harris , Angus Ta’avao, Brodie Retallick, Tyler Ardron, Lachlan Boshier, Sam Cane , Taleni Seu , Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Damian McKenzie , Solomon Alaimalo, Johnny Faauli, Anton Lienert-Brown , Toni Pulu , Marty McKenzie

Replacements : Liam Polwart , Karl Tu’inukaufe, Jeff Thwaites, Michael Allardice, Mitchell Karpik , Brad Weber, Sean Wainui , Bailyn Sullivan.

---

Hurricanes v Highlanders Super Rugby Preview

This match is a rematch of the 2015 Super Rugby which ended in a 14-21 victory for the Highlanders which earned them their first title.

The Hurricanes have played three matches in 2018 and they have won two and lost one.

The Highlanders on the other hand have played three matches and won all three making them the only unbeaten team this season.

The Hurricanes have played the Highlanders 29 times in Super Rugby and they have won 16 matches and lost 13.

In Wellington the Hurricanes have hosted the Highlanders 13 times and they have won 7 matches and lost six.

This gives the Hurricanes a record of winning 54% of their home matches against the Highlanders.

The average score when the Hurricanes host the Highlanders in Wellington is : Hurricanes 28 Highlanders 23.

The Bookies have given the Highlanders a 5 point start for this Match – with an offer of up to $100 in Bonus bets. Although the Highlanders are the top NZ team and the Dunedin side are unbeaten the Hurrricanes home advantage should help them win this by 3 points.

Average score: Hurricanes 25 Highlanders 22

Last five results
Sat, 18 Mar 2017 Hurricanes v Highlanders 41-15 Wellington
Fri, 27 May 2016 Hurricanes v Highlanders 27-20 Wellington
Sat, 05 Mar 2016 Hurricanes v Highlanders 16-17 Dunedin
Sat, 04 Jul 2015 Final Hurricanes v Highlanders 14-21 Wellington
Fri, 05 Jun 2015 Hurricanes v Highlanders 56-20 Wellington

Hurricanes overall record against the Highlanders
Played 29, Wins 16, Losses 13, Draws 0

Match Officials and details
Venue : Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Kick Off local: 19:35
Referee: Mike Fraser
Assistant Ref 1:Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 2:Richard Kelly
TMO : Shane McDermott

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 Murray Douglas , 3 Ben May , 2 Ricky Riccitelli , 1 Chris Eves

Replacements : 16 Asafo Aumua , 17 Fraser Armstrong , 18 Jeff Toomaga-Allen , 19 Michael Fatialofa , 20 Reed Prinsep , 21 Richard Judd , 22 Ihaia West , 23 Vince Aso

Highlanders

1. Daniel Lienert-Brown,2. Liam Colman,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 Li,12. Teihorangi Walden,13. Rob Thompson,14. Waisake Naholo,15. Ben Smith (cc)

Replacements:16. Ash Dixon (cc), 17. Aki Seiuli, 18. Siate Tokolahi, 19. Shannon Frizell, 20. Marino Mikaele-Tu’u, 21. Kayne Hammington, 22. Josh Ioane, 23. Matt Faddes

---

Stormers v Reds Super Rugby Preview

The Stormers beat the Blues at home in Cape Town last week and this week they will be aiming to follow this up by beating the Reds.

The Stormers have played the Reds 18 times in Super rugby and they have won 11 matches and lost six.

In Cape Town the Stormers have played the Reds 9 times and they have won 7 matches. This gives the Stormers a record of winning 78% of their home matches against the Reds.

The Reds have played two matches away from home this season and they have won one and lost one. Last week they beat the Jaguares but that coupled with the travel to Argentina will no doubt give them some fatigue.

The Stormers have played two matches this season at home and they have yet to lose

The Bookies have given the Reds an 11 point start for this Match – with an offer of up to $100 in Bonus bets. The Stormers home advantage and lack of travel should help them win this by 8 points or more.  

Average score: Stormers 25 Reds 23

Last five results
Sat, 23 Apr 2016 Stormers v Reds 40-22 Cape Town
Sat, 29 Mar 2014 Stormers v Reds 17-22 Brisbane
Sat, 25 May 2013 Stormers v Reds 20-15 Cape Town
Fri, 20 Apr 2012 Stormers v Reds 23-13 Brisbane
Sat, 09 Apr 2011 Stormers v Reds 6-19 Cape Town

Stormers overall record against the Reds
Played 18, Wins 11, Losses 7 , Draws 0

Match Officials and details
Venue : Newlands, Cape Town
Kick Off local: 17:15
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant Ref 1:Egon Seconds
Assistant Ref 2:Rasta Rasivhenge
TMO : Christie du Preez

Teams

Stormers

15 Craig Barry, 14 JJ Engelbrecht, 13 EW Viljoen, 12 Damian De Allende, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Cobus Wiese, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Jan de Klerk, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Ramone Samuels, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.

Replacements: 16 Dean Muir, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Chris van Zyl, 20 Kobus van Dyk, 21 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 22 Justin Phillips, 23 George Whitehead.

Reds

1. James Slipper (C) (100th Queensland/SR cap) , 2. Alex Mafi , 3. Taniela Tupou , 4. Izack Rodda , 5. Kane Douglas , 6. Angus Scott , 7. Adam Korczyk , 8. Caleb Timu , 9. Ben Lucas , 10. Jono Lance , 11. Chris Feauai-Sautia , 12. Duncan Paia’aua , 13. Samu Kerevi , 14. Filipo Daugunu , 15. Aidan Toua – Easts

Replacements : 16. Brandon Paenga-Amosa , 17. JP Smith , 18. Sef Fa’agase , 19. Harry Hockings , 20. Scott Higginbotham , 21. Tate McDermott , 22. Hamish Stewart , 23. Eto Nabuli

---

Jaguares v Lions Super Rugby Preview

Argentina’s Jaguares have had a disappointing season so far as they have played five matches and won one.

The Jaguares only Super Rugby victory this season was against the Waratahs at home in Buenos Aires.

The Jaguares have played the Lions five times in Super Rugby and they have won two matches and lost three. There have been no draws.

The two Jaguares victories over the Lions were both in Buenos Aires so they have yet to lose to the Lions at home.

The average score when the Jaguares play the Lions in Buenos Aires is : Jaguares 35 Lions 23.

The Bookies have given the Jaguares a 10 point start for this Match – with an offer of up to $100 in Bonus bets. The Jaguares are struggling a bit this year while the Lions lead the standings. The Lions should win this by 5. 

Average score: Jaguares 28 Lions 34

Last five results
Sat, 24 Feb 2018 Jaguares v Lions 27-47 Johannesburg
Fri, 21 Apr 2017 Jaguares v Lions 21-24 Johannesburg
Sat, 11 Mar 2017 Jaguares v Lions 36-24 Buenos Aires
Sat, 16 Jul 2016 Jaguares v Lions 34-22 Buenos Aires
Sat, 21 May 2016 Jaguares v Lions 24-52 Johannesburg

Jaguares overall record against the Lions
Played 5, Wins 2 , Losses 3, Draws 0

Match Officials and details
Venue : Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
Kick Off local: 18:40
Referee: Jamie Nutbrown
Assistant Ref 1:Paul Williams
Assistant Ref 2:Pablo Deluca
TMO :Santiago Borsani

Teams

Jaguares

15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Santiago Garcia Botta

Replacements : 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Felipe Arregui, 18 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 23 Ramiro Moyano

Lions

15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Sylvian Mahuza, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Marco Jansen van Vuren, 8 Kwagga Smith, 7 Robert Kruger, 6 Cyle Brink, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Marvin Orie, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Robbie Coetzee, 1 Jacques van Rooyen

Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 Lourens Erasmus, 20 Len Massyn, 21 Dillon Smit, 22 Howard Mnisi, 23 Shaun Reynolds

---