This weekend Super rugby reaches the ninth round which is the half way mark of the regular season which has 18 rounds of weekly rugby.
The Crusaders are the overall leaders but they are being closely chased by the Hurricanes but these teams still have to go on tour.
The Rebels lead the Australian Conference and the Sharks are on top in the South African Conference.
In our current form rankings which is based upon the last five matches, points scored, matches won and points conceded the Blues have become the form team because they have won their last four matches which is currently the longest running streak.
The Crusaders are second in the form rankings, followed by a resurgent Chiefs team who coincidentally face the Blues this weekend.
The Rebels are the top Australian team in the form rankings and the Lions are the top South African form side.
Super rugby form guide
1 Blues -L-L-L-W-B-W-W-W
2 Crusaders -W-W-W-W-D-L-W-W
3 Chiefs -L-L-L-L-D-W-W-B
4 Hurricanes -W-L-W-W-D-W-L-W
5 Rebels -W-B-W-W-L-L-W-W
6 Reds B-L-L-L-W-W-L-W
7 Lions -W-L-L-W-W-W-B-L
8 Sharks -W-W-L-L-B-W-L-W
9 Bulls -W-L-W-W-B-L-W-L
10 Jaguares -L-W-W-L-L-B-L-W
11 Waratahs -L-W-B-W-L-W-L-L
12 Sunwolves -L-L-W-L-L-L-W-L
13 Stormers -L-W-W-B-W-L-L-L
14 Brumbies -L-W-L-L-W-L-B-L
15 Highlanders -W-W-L-L-D-L-B-L
Crusaders v Highlanders Super Rugby Preview
The Crusaders have played the Highlanders 35 times in Super rugby since 1996 and the Crusaders have won 23 matches, drawn 1 and lost 11 times.
The Crusaders 23 wins out of 35 matches gives them a record of winning 67% of their matches against the Highlanders regardless of venue.
This weekend the match will be played in Christchurch which is home for the Crusaders and the venue where the teams have met 17 times.
In those 17 matches played in Christchurch the Crusaders have won 14 matches and lost 3. This gives the Crusaders a record of winning 82% of their matches against the Highlanders at home.
The average score when the Crusaders play the Highlanders in Christchurch is : Crusaders 33 Highlanders 20.
The Crusaders have won the last three matches against the Highlanders in Christchurch. The Highlanders have not won in Christchurch since 2015.
Average score: Crusaders 28 Highlanders 20
Last five results
Fri, 06 Jul 2018 Crusaders v Highlanders 45-22 Christchurch
Sat, 17 Mar 2018 Crusaders v Highlanders 17-25 Dunedin
Sat, 22 Jul 2017 (Elim) Crusaders v Highlanders 17-0 Christchurch
Sat, 03 Jun 2017 Crusaders v Highlanders 25-22 Christchurch
Sat, 04 Mar 2017 Crusaders v Highlanders 30-27 Dunedin
Crusaders overall record against the Highlanders
Played 35 , Wins 23, Losses 11 , Draws 1
Match Officials and details
Date : Friday 12 April
Venue : AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Kick Off local: 19:35
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1:Damon Murphy
Assistant Ref 2:Angus Gardner
TMO : Glenn Newman
Teams
Crusaders
1. Joe Moody ,2. Andrew Makalio, 3. Michael Alaalatoa , 4. Scott Barrett ,5. Sam Whitelock (C) ,6. Whetukamokamo Douglas ,7. Matt Todd (VC) ,8. Kieran Read , 9. Bryn Hall ,10. Richie Mo’unga ,11. Sevu Reece ,12. Ryan Crotty (VC) ,13. Jack Goodhue ,14. Braydon Ennor ,15. David Havili
Replacements 16. Ben Funnell ,17. Harry Allan ,18. Oliver Jager ,19. Quinten Strange ,20. Jordan Taufua ,21. Mitchell Drummond ,22. Mitchell Hunt ,23. Will Jordan
Highlanders
1. Daniel Lienert-Brown ,2. Liam Coltman,3. Tyrel Lomax,4. Pari Pari Parkinson,5. Tom Franklin,6. Shannon Frizell,7. James Lentjes,8. Elliot Dixon,9. Kayne Hammington,10. Josh Ioane,11. Tevita Li,,12. Teihorangi Walden,13. Rob Thompson,14. Matt Faddes,15. Ben Smith (C)
Replacements :16. Ash Dixon,17. Ayden Johnstone,18. Siate Tokolahi,19. Josh Dickson,20. Jackson Hemopo,21. Folau Fakatava,22. Bryn Gatland,23. Patelesio Tomkinson
Rebels v Stormers Super Rugby Preview
The Rebels have played the Stormers 6 times in Super rugby since 2011 and the Rebels have won 1 matches, drawn 0 and lost 5 times.
The Rebels 1 wins out of 6 matches gives them a record of winning 17% of their matches against the Stormers regardless of venue.
This weekend the match will be played in Melbourne which is home for the Rebels and the venue where the teams have met 3 times.
In those 3 matches played in Melbourne the Rebels have won 1 matches and lost 2. This gives the Rebels a record of winning 33% of their matches against the Stormers at home.
The average score when the Rebels play the Stormers in Melbourne is : Rebels 20 Stormers 35.
The Rebels only victory over the Stormers was in Melbourne but that was in 2013. On the Stormers last visit to Melbourne they won 31-57.
Average score: Rebels 20 Stormers 35
Last five results
Fri, 27 Apr 2018 Rebels v Stormers 18-34 Cape Town
Sat, 02 Jul 2016 Rebels v Stormers 31-57 Melbourne
Sat, 23 May 2015 Rebels v Stormers 15-31 Cape Town
Fri, 17 May 2013 Rebels v Stormers 30-21 Melbourne
Sat, 14 Jul 2012 Rebels v Stormers 21-26 Cape Town
Rebels overall record against the Stormers
Played 6 , Wins 1, Losses 5 , Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Date : Friday 12 April
Venue : AAMI Park, Melbourne
Kick Off local: 19:45
Referee: Mike Fraser
Assistant Ref 1:Brendon Pickerill
Assistant Ref 2:Rasta Rasivhenge
TMO : James Leckie
Teams
Rebels
15 Reece Hodge, 14 Semisi Tupou, 13 Tom English, 12 Billy Meakes, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Isi Naisarani, 7 Angus Cottrell, 6 Luke Jones, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Ross Haylett-Petty, 3 Sam Talakai, 2 Robbie Abel, 1 Tetera Faulkner
Replacements : 16 Hugh Roach, 17 Matt Gibbon, 18 Jermaine Ainsley, 19 Esei Ha’angana, 20 Rob Leota, 21 Richard Hardwick, 22 Michael Ruru, 23 Campbell Magnay
Stormers
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Jaco Coetzee, 7 Kobus van Dyk, 6 Ernst van Rhyn, 5 Cobus Wiese, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain)
Replacements : 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Johan du Toit, 20 Juarno Augustus, 21 Justin Phillips, 22 Josh Stander, 23 Seabelo Senatla
Chiefs v Blues Super Rugby Preview
The Chiefs have played the Blues 30 times in Super rugby since 1996 and the Chiefs have won 19 matches, drawn 1 and lost 10 times.
The Chiefs 19 wins out of 30 matches gives them a record of winning 63% of their matches against the Blues regardless of venue.
This weekend the match will be played in Hamilton which is home for the Chiefs and the venue where the teams have met 10 times.
In those 10 matches played in Hamilton the Chiefs have won 6 matches and lost 4. This gives the Chiefs a record of winning 60% of their matches against the Blues at home.
The average score when the Chiefs play the Blues in Hamilton is : Chiefs 25 Blues 21.
The Chiefs have won the last four matches against the Blues in Hamilton and the Blues have not won in the city since 2011.
The Bookies have given the Blues a 6 point start for this Match – click HERE to see the latest odds.
Average score: Chiefs 26 Blues 22
Last five results
Sat, 07 Apr 2018 Chiefs v Blues 21-19 Hamilton
Fri, 02 Mar 2018 Chiefs v Blues 27-21 Auckland
Fri, 26 May 2017 Chiefs v Blues 16-16 Auckland
Fri, 03 Mar 2017 Chiefs v Blues 41-26 Waikato
Fri, 08 Apr 2016 Chiefs v Blues 29-23 Hamilton
Chiefs overall record against the Blues
Played 30 , Wins 19, Losses 10, Draws 1
Match Officials and details
Date : Saturday 13 April
Venue : FMG Stadium, Waikato
Kick Off local: 19:35
Referee: Angus Gardner
Assistant Ref 1:Damon Murphy
Assistant Ref 2:Ben O’Keeffe
TMO :Glenn Newman
Teams
Chiefs
15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Sean Wainui, 13 Tumua Manu, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Solomon Alaimalo, 10 Marty McKenzie, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Taleni Seu, 7 Lachlan Boshier, 6 Luke Jacobson, 5 Tyler Ardron, 4 Brodie Retallick (c), 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Nathan Harris, 1 Angus Ta’avao
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ryan Coxon, 18 Sosefo Kautai, 19 Jesse Parete, 20 Pita Gus Sowakula, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Alex Nankivell, 23 Ataata Moeakiola
Blues
15 Melani Nanai, 14 Caleb Clarke, 13 TJ Faiane, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Otere Black, 9 Jonathan Ruru, 8 Akira Ioane, 7 Dalton Papalii, 6 Tom Robinson, 5 Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 3 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 2 James Parsons, 1 Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Replacements: 16 Matt Moulds, 17 Alex Hodgman, 18 Sione Mafileo, 19 Josh Goodhue, 20 Jed Brown, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Harry Plummer, 23 Matt Duffie
Brumbies v Lions Super Rugby Preview
The Brumbies have played the Lions 19 times in Super rugby since 1998 and the Brumbies have won 13 matches, drawn 0 and lost 6 times.
The Brumbies 13 wins out of 19 matches gives them a record of winning 68% of their matches against the Lions regardless of venue.
This weekend the match will be played in Canberra which is home for the Brumbies and the venue where the teams have met 10 times.
In those 10 matches played in Canberra the Brumbies have won 8 matches and lost 2. This gives the Brumbies a record of winning 80% of their matches against the Lions at home.
The average score when the Brumbies play the Lions in Canberra is : Brumbies 37 Lions 14.
The Brumbies have lost the last two matches against the Lions in Canberra and they have not beaten the Lions at home since 2010.
The Bookies have given the Lions a 4 point start for this Match – click HERE to see the latest odds.
Average score: Brumbies 31 Lions 19
Last five results
Sat, 19 May 2018 Brumbies v Lions 24-42 Johannesburg
Fri, 12 May 2017 Brumbies v Lions 6-13 Canberra
Sat, 16 May 2015 Brumbies v Lions 30-20 Johannesburg
Fri, 27 Apr 2012 Brumbies v Lions 34-20 Johannesburg
Sat, 14 May 2011 Brumbies v Lions 20-29 Canberra
Brumbies overall record against the Lions
Played 19 , Wins 13 , Losses 6, Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Date : Saturday 13 April
Venue : GIO Stadium, Canberra
Kick Off local: 19:45
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Assistant Ref 1:Brendon Pickerill
Assistant Ref 2:Mike Fraser
TMO : James Leckie
Teams
Brumbies
15 Tom Banks, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Tom Wright, 11 Toni Pulu, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Joe Powell, 8 Lachlan McCaffrey, 7 Tom Cusack, 6 Pete Samu, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Folau Fainga’a, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements: 16 Josh Mann-Rea, 17 James Slipper, 18 Leslie Leulua’iali’i-Makin, 19 Darcy Swain, 20 Jahrome Brown, 21 Matt Lucas, 22 Irae Simone, 23 Andy Muirhead
Lions
15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Franco Naude, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Stephan Lewies, 6 Cyle Brink, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Rhyno Herbst, 3 Johannes Jonker, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Nathan McBeth
Replacements: 16 Robbie Coetzee, 17 Sti Sithole, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 20 Marnus Schoeman, 21 Ross Cronje, 22 Gianni Lombard, 23 Sylvian Mahuza
Sharks v Jaguares Super Rugby Preview
The Sharks have played the Jaguares 19 times in Super rugby since 2016 and the Sharks have won 5 matches, drawn 0 and lost once.
The Sharks 5 wins out of 6 matches gives them a record of winning 836% of their matches against the Jaguares regardless of venue.
This weekend the match will be played in Durban which is home for the Sharks and the venue where the teams have met 3 times.
In those 3 matches played in Durban the Sharks have won all 3 matches. This makes the Sharks unbeaten at home against the Jaguares at home.
The average score when the Sharks play the Jaguares in Durban is : Sharks 13 Jaguares 13.
Average score: Sharks 21 Jaguares 19
Last five results
Sat, 14 Jul 2018 Sharks v Jaguares 20-10 Durban
Fri, 25 May 2018 Sharks v Jaguares 13-29 Buenos Aires
Sat, 29 Apr 2017 Sharks v Jaguares 33-25 Buenos Aires
Sat, 08 Apr 2017 Sharks v Jaguares 18-13 Durban
Sat, 14 May 2016 Sharks v Jaguares 25-22 Buenos Aires
Sharks overall record against the Jaguares
Played 6 , Wins 5, Losses 1, Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Date : Saturday 13 April
Venue : Kings Park , Durban
Kick Off local: 15:05
Referee: Nick Briant
Assistant Ref 1:Federico Anselmi
Assistant Ref 2: Cwengile Jadezweni
TMO : Marius Jonker
Teams
Sharks
15. Curwin Bosch,14. Lwazi Mvovo,13. Lukhanyo Am,12. Andre Esterhuizen,11. Makazole Mapimpi,10. Robert du Preez,9. Louis Schreuder (c),8. Daniel du Preez,7. Philip van der Walt,6. Luke Stringer,5. Hyron Andrews,4. Ruben van Heerden,3. Thomas du Toit,2. Kerron van Vuuren,1. Juan Schoeman
Replacements:16. Fez Mbatha,17. Mzamo Majola,18. John-Hubert Meyer,19. JJ van der Mescht,20. Jean-Luc du Preez,21. Grant Williams,22. Kobus van Wyk,23. Aphelele Fassi
Jaguares
15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Matias Moroni, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo De La Fuente (captain), 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Domingo Miotti, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Tomas Lezana, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomas Lavanini 4 Guido Petti, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Javier Ortega Desio, 20 Rodrigo Bruni, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Juan Cruz Malva, 23 Santiago Carreras
Bulls v Reds Super Rugby Preview
The Bulls have played the Reds 19 times in Super rugby since 1998 and the Bulls have won 8 matches, drawn 0 and lost 11 times.
The Bulls 8 wins out of 19 matches gives them a record of winning 42% of their matches against the Reds regardless of venue.
This weekend the match will be played in Pretoria which is home for the Bulls and the venue where the teams have met 8 times.
In those 8 matches played in Pretoria the Bulls have won 7 matches and lost 1. This gives the Bulls a record of winning 88% of their matches against the Reds at home.
The average score when the Bulls play the Reds in Pretoria is : Bulls 45 Reds 16. That score is skewed a little by the freak 92-3 victory over the Reds in 2007 when the Bulls were playing in the final round to earn a home semi-final. That year the Bulls went on to win their first title.
The Bulls have won the last seven matches against the Reds in Pretoria and the Reds have not won in the city since 2001.
The Bookies have given the Reds a 13 point start for this Match – click HERE to see the latest odds.
Average score: Bulls 28 Reds 23
Last five results
Sat, 10 Mar 2018 Bulls v Reds 14-20 Brisbane
Sat, 16 Apr 2016 Bulls v Reds 41-22 Pretoria
Sat, 11 Apr 2015 Bulls v Reds 43-22 Pretoria
Sat, 23 Mar 2013 Bulls v Reds 18-23 Brisbane
Sat, 24 Mar 2012 Bulls v Reds 61-8 Pretoria
Bulls overall record against the Reds
Played 19 , Wins 8 , Losses 11, Draws 0
Match Officials and details
Date : Saturday 13 April
Venue : Loftus
Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick Off local: 17:15
Referee: Glen Jackson
Assistant Ref 1:Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant Ref 2:AJ Jacobs
TMO :Willie Vos
Teams
Bulls
15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Johnny Kotze, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Jade Stighling, 10 Handre Pollard (captain), 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Paul Schoeman, 7 Hanro Liebenberg, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 RG Snyman, 4 Jannes Kirsten 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Lizo Gqoboka
Replacements: 16 Corniel Els, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Wiehahn Herbst, 19 Thembelani Bholi, 20 Roelof Smit, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Divan Rossouw
Reds
1. JP Smith , 2. Alex Mafi , 3. Taniela Tupou , 4. Izack Rodda , 5. Harry Hockings , 6. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto , 7. Liam Wright , 8. Scott Higginbotham, 9. Tate McDermott , 10. Bryce Hegarty , 11. Aidan Toua, 12. Samu Kerevi (c), 13. Chris Feauai-Sautia , 14. Jack Hardy, 15. Hamish Stewart,
Replacements : 16. Brandon Paenga-Amosa , 17. Harry Hoopert, 18. Ruan Smith , 19. Angus Blyth , 20. Angus Scott-Young , 21. Moses Sorovi, 22. Duncan Paia’aua , 23. Jock Campbell