Sports After Dark

Round five of the Super 14 has just 12 teams in action but still promises some great match ups. While there are likely to be a couple of blow out results, the clash between the Blues and Force will have even neutral fans on the edge of their seats.

Chiefs vs Stormers
Both sides got their campaigns back on track with wins last weekend, the Stormers in particular impressing. The Chiefs welcome back Richard Kahui to the line up after missed two games with an ankle injury, and have reshuffled their loose forward trio to include the speedy Tom Harding on the flank to mark Springbok Schalk Berger. The key to this game could well be goal kicking and it is in this area the Chiefs have a problem, as Stephen Donald has been well below his usual standard, while his opposite Peter Grant has routinely kept the scoreboard ticking over. The Stormers are a much better side than their position on the table would indicate, and they should get their second win of the season here.

Brumbies vs Hurricanes
These two sides have had form like yoyos this season, brilliant one week, bumbling the next. If that form continues, then both sides are in for a good game, but then again they could just as easily have shockers. The Hurricanes will be without the services of winger Ma’a Nonu who is serving a one week suspension for a high tackle but have a very able replacement in Shannon Paku and also welcome back All Black Chris Masoe who missed last week’s game with a knee injury. The Brumbies will need to stick to their game plan, and rely on the talents of backs Peter Playford and Mark Gerrard to win this one, because the young Brumbies could easily fall into the trap of trying to match the Hurricanes’ helter skelter style.

Blues vs Force
The match of the round comes from Auckland as two in form teams collide. The Blues had a very successful tour of South Africa, picking up two wins and losing to the unbeaten Sharks. Like the Blues, the Force have only lost to unbeaten teams and after pushing the table topping Crusaders last week will be brimming with confidence. Centre Ryan Cross has showed his class in just his second season since coming over from league, giving the Force back line some much needed punch in mid field. The clash of the fly halves will be a crucial one, as two of the form players in that position go head to head. Both Nick Evans for the Blues and Matt Giteau for the Force have played huge roles in their teams successes, directing the back lines and kicking goals. At week ago the Blues would have been hot favourites, but after last week’s efforts an upset is a very real possibility.

Crusaders vs Cheetahs
Things just go from bad to worse for the winless Cheetahs, after losing a close game to the Chiefs they now must face the competition’s top team on their home patch. The Crusaders have elected to rest some of their top players, leaving stars like Corey Flynn and Ali Williams on the bench and giving youngsters like Sean Maitland and Nasi Manu a run. Across the park the Crusaders are just too strong for the visiting Cheetahs, so expect a big scoreline in this one.

Reds vs Bulls
While the score may have been close at times last week, the Reds never looked like beating the Stormers and face a tougher proposition in the Bulls. Still boasting a huge forward pack, the visitors will have little trouble pushing the smaller Reds’ pack around, however their problem this year has been finishing, especially after losing live-wire Bryan Habana to a shoulder injury in the first week. While the Reds look like a good side on paper, it is obvious that little has changed from the team that lost 12 games in a row last year and it is hard to see them stopping their three game losing slide here.

Lions vs Sharks
The final game of the round features teams at opposite ends of the table. The Lions have struggled so far this year, their only win coming over the cellar dwelling Cheetahs and losing to a 14 man Bulls team last week will have drained any confidence they had.. Their opponents are unbeaten and sit in second place on the table, just two points behind the Crusaders. Keegan Daniel has been the find of the season so far, giving the Sharks a great deal of speed to the breakdown and winning a number of turnovers in the tackle. The Sharks are simply better in every facet of the game and should win this one by more than 20 points.

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The Super 14: Can the Blues be Forced down the table? by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.