We did well again last week, getting 5 results right out of 7. That’s 19 out of 34 for the season so far, which is definitely creeping up towards the percentage we’d like to see. Let’s look at round 6.
Highlanders v Rebels 30 March at 08:35
The Landers lost their first game last week and have been forced into changes, while the Rebels have some key men back in the form of James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale. That said, I doubt there’s the quality in the Rebels side to upset the Highlanders in their Invercargill ice fortress, so will go with the Highlanders by 7.
Highlanders: 15. Ben R Smith, 14. Kade Poki, 13. Tamati Ellison, 12. Shaun Treeby, 11. Hosea Gear, 10. Chris Noakes, 9. Aaron Smith, 8. Nasi Manu, 7. Adam Thomson, 6. James Haskell, 5. Jarrad Hoeata, 4. Josh Bekhuis, 3. Chris King, 2. Jason Rutledge, 1. Jamie MacKintosh (Captain)
Replacements: 16. Brayden Mitchell, 17. Ma’afu Fia, 18. Culum Retallick, 19. Doug Tietjens, 20. Jimmy Cowan, 21. Phil Burleigh, 22. Buxton Popoalii
Rebels: 15. Kurtley Beale, 14. Mark Gerrard, 13. Lachlan Mitchell, 12. Lloyd Johansson, 11. Cooper Vuna, 10. James O`Connor, 9. Nick Phipps, 8. Gareth Delve (Captain), 7. Tom Chamberlain, 6. Jarrod Saffy, 5. Hugh Pyle, 4. Luke Jones, 3. Laurie Weeks, 2. Adam Freier, 1. Nic Henderson
Replacements: 16. Ged Robinson, 17. Rodney Blake, 18. Alister Campbell, 19. Michael Lipman, 20. Nick Stirzaker, 21. James Hilgendorf, 22. Julian Huxley
Hurricanes v Toyota Cheetahs 31 March at 06:30
The Canes have been very good this year, while the Cheetahs have also been good value for money so far. The visitors came closer than expected against the Crusaders last week, but after a month on the road, I’m sure they’ll probably already have both feet on the plane ahead of this one. Canes to win by 12 or more.
Hurricanes: 15 Andre Taylor, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith (captain), 12 Charlie Ngatai, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Brad Shields, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Faifili Levave, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 James Broadhurst, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Tristan Moran.
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu’u, 17 Michael Bent, 18 Mark Reddish, 19 Jack Lam, 20 Chris Eaton, 21 Daniel Kirkpatrick, 22 Jayden Hayward.
Cheetahs: 15. Hennie Daniller, 14. Rayno Benjamin, 13. Robert Ebersohn, 12. Andries Strauss, 11. Willie Le Roux, 10. Johan Goosen, 9. Piet van Zyl, 8. Heinrich Brussow, 7. Philip Van der Walt, 6. Justin Downey, 5. Izak van der Westhuizen, 4. George Earle, 3. WP Nel, 2. Adriaan Strauss (Captain), 1. Coenie Oosthuizen
Replacements: 16. Hercu Liebenberg, 17. Trevor Nyakane, 18. Andries Ferreira, 19. Ashley Johnson, 20. Tewis de Bruyn, 21. Sias Ebersohn, 22. Philip Snyman
Chiefs v Waratahs 31 March at 08:35
The Chiefs have been the surprise package so far this season and are sitting pretty atop the New Zealand conference ahead of their more-fancied rivals. The Tahs, in contract, have endured something of a nightmare start to the year, but did well to arrest the slide with a good win against the Sharks last week. While the men from Sydney are on the up, I doubt they’ll have what it takes to unseat a settled and rested Chiefs team in the latter’s back yard. Chiefs to win by 8.
Chiefs: 15 Robbie Robinson , 14 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Tim Nanai-Williams, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Kane Thompson, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Craig Clarke (capt), 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Arizona Taumalolo.
Reserves: 16 Mahonri Schwalger, 17 Josh Hohneck, 18 Michael Fitzgerald, 19 Sam Cane , 20 Augustine Pulu, 21 Andrew Horrell, 22 Lelia Masaga.
Waratahs: 15. Bernard Foley, 14. Tom Kingston, 13. Rob Horne, 12. Tom Carter, 11. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 10. Berrick Barnes, 9. Brendan McKibbin, 8. Wycliff Palu, 7. Chris Alcock, 6. Dave Dennis, 5. Kane Douglas, 4. Dean Mumm, 3. Sekope Kepu, 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1. Benn Robinson (Captain)
Replacements: 16. John Ulugia, 17. Paddy Ryan, 18. Sitaleki Timani, 19. Lopeti Timani, 20. Jono Jenkins, 21. Sarel Pretorius, 22. Daniel Halangahu
Brumbies v Sharks 31 March at 10:40
Comparing these sides on paper, I’m afraid the Brumbies don’t stand a chance; then again, it’s just then that other factors such as coaching, home ground advantage and dare we say refereeing, tend to level the playing field. The Sharks may well go into this game just a little more desperate than the hosts, knowing that a loss would signal a very poor return from the Australian leg of their tour. It’s a long shot, given how seldom they’ve won in Canberra in the past, but I’m going Sharks by 3 in this one.
Brumbies: 15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Pat McCabe, 13 Andrew Smith, 12 Christian Lealiifano, 11 Henry Speight, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Ian Prior, 8 Ben Mowen (capt), 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Peter Kimlin, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Leon Power, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Ruadhri Murphy.
Reserves: 16 Anthony Hegarty, 17 Scott Sio, 18 Scott Fardy, 19 Ita Vaea, 20 Nic White, 21 Zack Holmes, 22 Joe Tomane.
Sharks: 15. Riaan Viljoen, 14. Odwa Ndungane, 13. JP Pietersen, 12. Tim Whitehead, 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 10. Frederic Michalak, 9. Charl McLeod, 8. Keegan Daniel (Captain), 7. Willem Alberts, 6. Marcell Coetzee, 5. Jandre Marais, 4. Steven Sykes, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 1. Dale Chadwick
Replacements: 16. Craig Burden, 17. Wiehahn Herbst, 18. Anton Bresler, 19. Jean Deysel, 20. Jacques Botes, 21. Meyer Bosman, 22. Louis Ludik
Force v Reds 31 March at 12:40
The Reds are coming back from a big hiding at Loftus, whilst the Force also lost unexpectedly last week. Aussie derbies are about as fun to predict as they are to watch, but my gut tells me that Ewen McKenzie’s side are simply too good to lose three in a row. Reds by 5.
Force: TBA
Reds: 15. Rod Davies, 14. Dom Shipperley, 13. Joelin Rapana, 12. Ben Tapuai, 11. Luke Morahan, 10. Dallan Murphy, 9. Will Genia, 8. Jake Schatz, 7. Liam Gill, 6. Scott Higginbotham, 5. James Horwill (Captain), 4. Van Humphries, 3. James Slipper, 2. James Hanson, 1. Ben Daley
Replacements: 16. Albert Anae, 17. Greg Holmes, 18. Rob Simmons, 19. Ed Quirk, 20. Beau Robinson, 21. Nick Frisby, 22. Nathan Eyres-Brown
MTN Lions v Crusaders 31 March at 17:05
The Lions have so many injuries that they won’t name their lineup until tomorrow. The Crusaders have Dan Carter back. In case anyone is still even reading this far (I would already be standing in line at the bookmakers), it’s going to be Crusaders by at least 20.
Lions: TBA
Crusaders: 15. Israel Dagg, 14. Sean Maitland, 13. Robert Fruean, 12. Tom Taylor, 11. Zac Guildford, 10. Dan Carter, 9. Andy Ellis, 8. Kieran Read (Captain), 7. Matt Todd, 6. George Whitelock, 5. Sam Whitelock, 4. Luke Romano, 3. Owen Franks, 2. Corey Flynn, 1. Wyatt Crockett
Replacements: 16. Quentin MacDonald, 17. Ben Franks, 18. Tom Donnelly, 19. Luke Whitelock, 20. Willi Heinz, 21. Ryan Crotty, 22. Tom Marshall
DHL Stormers v Vodacom Bulls 31 March at 19:10
We end the round with a big Saffa derby, where the Bulls and Stormers will aim to bliksem each other into submission for 80 minutes with top spot in the SA conference at stake. I’m going to buck the trend here and go with the Stormers to win a dour encounter, by around 5 points. Their defence hasn’t really been bested at all this year and while the Bulls look great on attack against weak sides, my feeling is they’ll struggle against the well-drilled Stormers. This game isn’t really going to be about attack, though, with the prize at stake doubtless mandating a low-risk approach from both sides.
Stormers: 15. Johan Pietersen, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Juan de Jongh, 12. Jean de Villiers (Captain), 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Peter Grant, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Rynhardt Elstadt, 6. Siya Kolisi, 5. Andries Bekker, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: 16. Deon Fourie, 17. Frans Malherbe, 18. De Kock Steenkamp, 19. Nick Koster, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Burton Francis, 22. Gerhard van den Heever
Bulls: 15. Zane Kirchner, 14. Akona Ndungane, 13. Johann Sadie, 12. Wynand Olivier, 11. Bjorn Basson, 10. Morné Steyn, 9. Francois Hougaard, 8. Pierre Spies (Captain), 7. Jacques Potgieter, 6. CJ Stander, 5. Juandre Kruger, 4. Flip van der Merwe, 3. Werner Kruger, 2. Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1. Dean Greyling
Replacements: 16. Mbongeni Mbonambi, 17. Frik Kirsten, 18. Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19. Arno Botha, 20. Jano Vermaak, 21. Louis Fouche, 22. JJ Engelbrecht
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I eeny meeny miny moed my picks for this round 😈
5 out 7 the same, Bulls and Force got my vote.
im hoping th Saders/Lions game is a bit closer .. But who knows …
I just realised that I havent made a single pick against the Sharks 😳
Sharks only by 3…u guys gonna be surprised…i say Sharks by about 8 🙂 I think Cheetahs can surprise the Canes, one of the better starting lineups the Cheetahs have named this season…i backing Cheetahs to take it by 3. Rebels can also take down the Highlanders.
I went for Force and Bulls, and if my record is anything to go by, it’s these close ones that I will get right, while the easy games go awry
Bulls and Reds also to win their games.
@JJR (Comment 4) : I don’t know so much, bro. Brumbies top of their conference and Sharks languishing after 3 losses and looking a bit toothless (pardon the Lambie pun). They’ll have to bring a special performance on Saturday and tackle for the full 80 minutes.
I agree with 5/7. I tiped the Brumbies and Bulls
@CapeShark (Comment 7) : U talk like a classic sports journo…Sharks have lost 3 away games against 3 very solid teams(got losing Bonus point in all 3 and had the chance to win all 3), we have won our home games, and we getting our injured players back. Look who Brumbies have played…and where, it’s not impressive winning against middle of the road teams at home. Aussie conference is useless, so topping Aussie conference doesn’t say anything.
Just look at the Sharks lineup and the Brumbies lineup and compare…the past is the past and this Sharks lineup is a lot more powerful and better than the Brumbies one.
We will talk after the game, i’m very confident of a Sharks win.
Not sure about any of these games for my LMS pick. Cheetahs gave me a real scare last week!
ive given up on Anthony Fainga’a and Michael Harris
@vanmartin (Comment 10) : I made my pick very early this week and might regret it later 🙄
@Franshark (Comment 12) : I’ll go check out yours once I’ve made my pick. Good luck!
@Franshark (Comment 12) : It seems that I might regret mine too then! 😀
@JJR (Comment 9) : I get what you`re saying and I`m tempted to back the sharks for a win ( again when will I ever learn ? ) as well, however there are a few other factors to consider:
Keith Brown
Jake White
Bismark and Keegan`s obligatory transgressions . . .
@JJR (Comment 9) :
ok . so the Brumbies beat the Highlanders who are now second on the Nzl conference . So does that mean being second on the NZL conference also means nothing ?
heck why are we even bothering with SR …
@Zibbie (Comment 16) : I like the half-time ads
@vanmartin (Comment 17) :
i bet you flirt with the telemarketers as well 😛
@JJR (Comment 9) : Say what you will but the Highlanders are no longer a middle of the road team or even bottom of the pile. They’re a really competitive outfit and the Brumbies beat them. Admittedly at home, but that’s where we have to play them.
I’d like to say I have the utmost trust in the Sharks ability to win, but the past 6 months has really destroyed that belief.
Might be stating the obvious here but if the Stormers can keep Hougie under control they should win this.
He`s got the x factor to rip the famous stormer defense apart.
So if Kolisi and Duvenage can neutralize the Hougaardt threat they`re in with a good shout here.
Storm Saam !!
Oh wait, cancel that, Craig Joubert is the ref ! 🙄
A bit harsh on the Lions Rob. i don’t think it will be such a mauling even though they have a lot of injuries 🙄
Same picks as me, same sort of margins…except for the last game…
@Zibbie (Comment 18) : Wanna know what the best strategy is for dealing with telemarketers? When you answer the phone and their overly-chipper voice is on the other end, react as though you’re thrilled to be taking their call. Act very interested in everything they have to say and then suddenly ask if they can hold for one second because you have another incoming call. They’ll always be very accommodating at this point. Never take them off hold. They won’t phone back. 😈
@vanmartin (Comment 23) : so that was you 🙂
@vanmartin (Comment 23) :
haha . EVIL !!! 😈 i like . one thing that worked for me . i had one of them call me and i asked them to call back the following day at a certain time . One of the programers where from Zim (african Zimbabwean). At the time the telemarketer should call i diverted my number to the Zim guy . He told the telemarketer he has no idea who i am and he has always had this number . Never heard from the telemarketer again
@vanmartin (Comment 23) : Of equal entertainment value, when they send you their ‘mirracle service’ application via snail mail with the postage paid envelope included, fill the envelope with all your junkmail and send it back, see how they like a mailbox full of crap
@Die Kriek (Comment 26) : 😆
@Die Kriek (Comment 26) : LOVE IT!!!
1 death because of none selection in LMS
@Zibbie (Comment 29) : Only 1 😯 🙁
@Die Kriek (Comment 26) : I used to do that in the US when everyone and their mother sends you junk. I swear you could solve half the worlds tree problems if the US banned junk mail.
@Zibbie (Comment 25) : @Die Kriek (Comment 26) : Like!