We take a look at the 3 Super Rugby Trans-Tasman matches taking place on Saturday and suggest a bet on each.
REBELS v CRUSADERS
The Rebels are yet to get a log point this season and their chances of doing so don’t look great against the Crusaders at the Leichhardt Oval in Sydney this weekend. They did compete better than many expected last week, going down by 10 points to the Chiefs and that was the closest they have come to any of the New Zealand teams this season.
The problem for the Rebels, may well be, that the Crusaders will know exactly what they have to do to book their spot in the Final. They go into the final week in 3rd spot and if the Highlanders score a bonus point win over the Brumbies, they will have to do likewise against the Rebels, but also beat them by additional points. The Crusaders were a bit off colour last week, beating the Force 29-21 in Christchurch and their performance of the season was a 63-28 win over the Reds in Brisbane.
BETTING - Click here to bet
Rebels 14/1
Draw 66/1
Crusaders 1/25
Handicap: Rebels (+26.5) at 9/10, Crusaders (-26.5) at 9/10
Suggested Bet: Handicap, Crusaders (-26.5) at 9/10
If the Crusaders need a big win I don’t see the Rebels standing in their way and this game could very quickly blow out to a massive margin.
BLUES v WESTERN FORCE
The Blues top the table and they will most likely need a bonus point win to ensure they finish top of the log. They won all 4 of their matches this season, only failing to get a bonus point last week against the Reds where they won 31-24. Their two home games saw them beating the Waratahs by 27 and the Brumbies by 28 points.
The Force have lost all of their matches, but their only real blow-out was the 43-6 defeat to the Hurricanes away. They pushed the Chiefs to within a point, lost by 10 to the Highlanders and by 8 to the Crusaders.
BETTING – Click here to bet
Blues 1/20
Draw 60/1
Western Force 13/1
Handicap: Blues (-25.5) at 9/10, Western Force (+25.5) at 9/10
Suggested Bet: Handicap, Blues (-25.5) at 9/10
Is this a big enough start for the Force? I don’t think so and expect the Blues to run away with this against a Force side that has actually been one of the better performers amongst the Australian sides when compared to the handicaps.
WARATAHS v CHIEFS
The Waratahs have yet to get a log point, but they have proved to have a good attack scoring plenty of tries in the competition, although they were a bit disappointing last week going down 59-23 to the Highlanders, having been in contention at half-time.
The Chiefs were the first New Zealand side to lose to Australians going down to the Reds in Round 3 and they beat the Rebels by 10 points last week. Mathematically they enter this weekend with a chance of making the Final, but by the time this game kicks off that chance will be gone.
BETTING - Click here to bet
Waratahs 11/1
Draw 60/1
Chiefs 1/16
Handicap: Waratahs (+22.5) at 9/10, Chiefs (-22.5) at 9/10
Suggested Bet: Handicap, Waratahs (+22.5) at 9/10
I like the fight in this Waratahs team and the fact that they can score tries. They will probably concede plenty, but I fancy them to stay within the 3 converted try range against the Chiefs.
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
