Sports After Dark

The Super 14 hits the midway point with Week 7 and the competition is still wide open. Week 7 also marks the last week that the 22 top All Blacks are unavailable to play, most are likely to be at least on the bench next week, strengthening the line ups of all New Zealand teams.

As the All Blacks return next week this is also the last chance many New Zealand players will get to start matches, and their last chance to push for places in the Tri-Nations squad.

Chiefs vs Lions
The Chiefs’ luck simply could not get any worse. Their last two outings were a loss and a draw, both of which were decided on the stroke of full time, and now they are faced with the news that All Black utility back Mills Muliaina will not play a single game in Chiefs’ colours this year after breaking his foot. The Chiefs do welcome back Tasesa Lavea to the midfield after a long injury. Last weekend the Lions failed to cope when playing at a higher tempo. The Lions like to slow the game down and play a forwards based game, but against the explosive Blues backline the Lions were lost in the jungle. While the Chiefs are not nearly in the same class as the Blues, the Lions are unlikely to turn around their performance and the Chiefs will finally chalk up their first win.

Force vs Reds
After finally winning their first home game ever last week, the Force now must play without play-maker Matt Giteau and halfback Matt Henjak, both of whom are out with injury. Giteau has played well in the unfamiliar spot of first five and his play making skills will be a huge loss to the Force backline. Giteau is replaced by James Hilgendorf who returns from a groin injury suffered back in Week 1. The Reds have been solid in some areas this season, especially up front, and could trouble the Force in that area, but the loss of prop Rodney Blake to knee surgery weakens an already depleted Reds’ pack. This game will be close, but the Force should have too much skill out wide despite missing two of their best players.

Crusaders vs Bulls
Next week the Crusaders get back 7 All Blacks, so a number of Crusaders will be starting for the last time on Saturday night. Add to that the face that the Crusaders will be well rested after the bye last week and the Crusaders are going to be a formidable opponent for the Bulls. The Bulls played excellent rugby last week in their demolition of the Waratahs, but the lost two of their best players: JP Nel to suspension and captain Viktor Matfield, who was demoted to the bench in order to save his body for the Tri-Nations and World Cup later this year. The Bulls’ unbeaten run on tour is about to come to an end against a hungry and motivated Crusaders’ team.

Waratahs vs Stormers
Two of the most disappointing teams in this year’s Super 14 clash in Sydney on Saturday night and most punters are greeting this match with a big yawn. The Stormers played their “surprise win” card two weeks ago against the Hurricanes and then failed to impress against the Brumbies last week. The Waratahs, meanwhile, are coming off a bad lose to the Bulls last week, and an even worse draw with the Force two weeks ago. The addition of big money signing Lote Tuqiri to the Waratahs back line could give them a boost, but fan have wondered for years if Tuqiri is really worth all those dollars. Despite the Stormers being well drilled and coached, they simply cannot match up to the Waratahs fire power.

Cheetahs vs Brumbies
The Cheetahs have scored a couple of surprises wins this season, largely thanks to their explosive starts to matches. Unfortunately for them they have had a tendency to fall away of late. Contrast that with the ever consistent effort of the Brumbies who are finally starting to hit form and the likely result of this game becomes rather obvious. While the Brumbies will struggle with the Cheetahs’ fast and mobile forward pack initially, once the Cheetahs drop off the Brumbies’ outstanding back-line will tear them to shreds.

Sharks vs Hurricanes
In true Hurricanes’ style, they win the hard ones and lose the easy ones. The Hurricanes have beaten the Blues and pummelled the Reds, before losing to also rans the Stormers and Reds. Meanwhile the Sharks have kept their unbeaten record intact with a victory away to the Cheetahs. The real test of the Sharks is coming up in the next few rounds when they find themselves on tour to New Zealand and Australia. The up-and-down Hurricanes should not be too much of a challenge for the Sharks, but when the Hurricanes are playing, nothing is a certainty.

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The Super 14 Week 7 Preview by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.