Sports After Dark

Last weekend some of the contenders continued on their winning ways, while others suffered surprise losses and some teams saw their semi final hopes disappear altogether. With the end of the round robin in sight, it’s do-or-die time for many teams.

Round 8 was a tough round to pick with teams like the Hurricanes rebounding from some bad losses to keep their chances alive, and other teams like the Sharks coming unstuck. The shock of the round was the poor play of the Crusaders, who almost suffered a shock loss to the lowly Waratahs.

The top four have a three point break on the chasing pack, but only three point covers the next four teams making this a very tight race to the finish. The fact that two top four teams play each other this week means that there is likely to be an even tight jam near the top of the table next week.

Blues vs Cheetahs
Coming off a good win over the Chiefs, the Blues will be brimming with confidence while the Cheetahs will be down on confidence after a close loss to the Highlanders. The Blues finally welcome all of their returning All Blacks back into the side, with all but winger Joe Rokocoko starting. The Cheetahs made another one of their explosive starts last week but failed to finish many of the opportunities they created and against a side as stingy as the Blues, teams need to take every chance they get. This game should be the win that secures the Blues’ semi final spot.

Highlanders vs Chiefs
In something of a rarity these two teams clash on a Saturday afternoon in Queenstown, another one of the Highlanders’ bases. Stuck in the middle of the table, both teams only have a slim chance of making the top four and a loss this week will surely take away that chance for one team. The Chiefs lost last week in an intense encounter against the table-topping Blues, while the Highlanders saw off a spirited Cheetahs’ outfit. However the Chiefs played the far better game last week despite the differing results and will likely come away with the points from this encounter.

Crusaders vs Force
The match of the round sees second place playing third in Christchurch. The Force finally proved themselves to be a real contender last week when they beat the highly rated Sharks, but they now must cross the Tasman to play the Crusaders who have not lost at home in over three seasons. The Crusaders almost came unstuck in Sydney last weekend against the Waratahs with poor goal kicking almost handing the cellar dwellers a shock win. The return of Dan Carter will fix the Crusaders’ kicking problems and make their back line even more dangerous. The Force finally have their first choice five eights pairing of James Hilgendorf and Matt Giteau playing, which helped them account for the Sharks last week. This encounter will be a close one, but the Crusaders are a vastly more experienced side and that will earn them the win.

Reds vs Sharks
After opening the season unbeaten for 7 rounds the Sharks are coming off back to back losses. But the cure for the Sharks woes will be a game against the bottom placed team. After winning their first round game the Reds have lost every game since, going from bad to worse to completely disgraceful. The return of some top players, such as fullback Clinton Schifcofske, will boost the Reds, but the Sharks will be back to their best, knowing that their tour only gets harder after this game. And the Sharks at their best are too much for the Reds to handle.

Stormers vs Lions
The Lions’ season has been one of inconsistency, beating top teams like the Crusaders and losing to the woeful Waratahs. Now they face a tough challenge, a local derby match against an opponent coming off the bye. The Stormers’ season has not been a lot better than the Lions, but a match at home after a week off will see this well drilled side take some much needed points.

Brumbies vs Waratahs
The Easter weekend brings us another rarity, Sunday night Super 14, this time from Canberra. The Brumbies struggled early in the season but now have their best players back and have hit form at just the right time. The Waratahs could have caused the upset of the season last week against the Crusaders, but that result was mostly due to the Crusaders taking the match lightly than some sort of miracle turn-around for the Waratahs. A bonus point win for the Brumbies here, which will keep the Brumbies in touch with the top four and on track for a semi final, while a Reds win could see the Waratahs drop to last place.

Similar Posts:

• Super 14 Week 11 Preview
• With seven teams still alive, the Super 14 goes down to the wire
• Super 14 Week 8 Wrap
• Super 14 Week 7 Preview
• Super 14 Week 14 Preview

The Super 14 Week 10 Preview by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.