Tag: Sharks

Rugby League: NRL Round 4 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

After a promising round of predictions last week, we bring you our NRL Round 4 Preview hoping for a perfect 8.  Check out the rounds matches and teams below:

Parramatta Eels v South Sydney Rabbitohs

Eels – $3.25

Rabbitohs – $1.36

The Eels need all the help they can get in the Round’s opener at Pirtek Stadium.  Home ground advantage will give them a small boost against the Rabbitohs, but’s its unlikely to get them over the line against the best side in the competition.

The Rabbitohs look increasingly like defending champions already after winning their three openers, two of which were against other top 4 contenders.  They’ve lost Dylan Walker for a month through a hand injury but are otherwise at full strength.  They are fortunate to have the best player in the NRL leading their side from fullback, and one of the toughest in Isaac Luke at hooker.

The Rabbits x-factor will be too much for an Eels line-up still missing ‘Semi-trialer’ and a number of other key personnel.  Rabbitohs to win this one by 13+.

Eels: 1. Will Hopoate 2. John Folau 3. Ryan Morgan 4. Brad Takairangi 5. Reece Robinson 6. Corey Norman 7. Chris Sandow 8. Darcy Lussick 9. Nathan Peats 10. Tim Mannah (C) 11. Manu Ma’u 12. Tepai Moeroa 13. Anthony Watmough.

Interchange: 14. Issac De Gois 15. Joseph Paulo 16. Danny Wicks 17. David Gower.

Rabbitohs: 1. Greg Inglis (c) 2. Alex Johnston 3. Daryl Millard 4. Bryson Goodwin 5. Joel Reddy 6. Luke Keary 7. Adam Reynolds 8. George Burgess 9. Issac Luke 10. David Tyrrell 11. Glenn Stewart 12. Chris McQueen 13. Tim Grant

Interchange: 14. Cameron McInnes 15. Jason Clark 16. Chris Grevsmuhl 17. Thomas Burgess 18. Ben Lowe 19. Nathan Brown

West Tigers v Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs

Tigers – $3.05

Bulldogs – $1.40

The all Sydney second encounter should be settled in favour of the Superior Bulldogs side.  They have made a good fist of the 2015 season and have plenty of go-forward from their in-form pack, particularly props Tolman and Graham.  The Tigers look a better side in 2015, but still ely too heavily on Robbie Farah and Aaron Woods.  While Tedesco, Moses and Brooks are fine young players and will are all future superstars, they’re all too defensively vulnerable and too easily targeted by opposition teams.

Pat Richards is serving a suspension and won’t play for the Tigers; he’s been replaced by Delouise Hoeter.  Aaron Woods is also a doubtful starter despite being named.

The Bulldogs are unchanged.  We think they’ll win this one, but only by 1-12.  They’re not really big scorers no matter how dominant.

Tigers: 1 James Tedesco 2 Kevin Naiqama 3 Tim Simona 4 Chris Lawrence 5 Delouise Hoeter 6 Mitchell Moses 7 Luke Brooks 8 Aaron Woods 9 Robbie Farah 10. Keith Galloway 11. Curtis Sironen 12. Sauaso Sue 13. Martin Taupau.

Interchange: 14. Dene Halatau 15. Ava Seumanufagai 16. Jack Buchanan 17. Brenden Santi 18. Kyle Lovett

Bulldogs: 1 Brett Morris 2 Curtis Rona 3 Josh Morris 4 Tim Lafai 5 Sam Perrett 6 Moses Mbye 7 Trent Hodkinson 8 Aiden Tolman 9 Michael Lichaa 10 James Graham 11 Josh Jackson 12 Tony Williams 13 Greg Eastwood.

Interchange: 14 Sam Kasiano 15 David Klemmer 16 Frank Pritchard 17 Tim Browne.

Newcastle Knights v Penrith Panthers

Knights – $2.00

Panthers – $1.85

Second on the NRL ladder plays third in what shapes as an entertaining Saturday afternoon encounter between the Knights and the Panthers.  The Knights are the surprise packages of 2015, winning all three games (one of only two teams to do so).  They are playing an attractive brand of football entering around enterprising centre Dan Gagai.  Gagai is about to be the most sought after property in the player market and Wayne Bennett has already made a play to bring him to the Broncos.

They got a little lucky last week, but will compete strongly again against the Panthers.  The Panthers, like the Knights, had a TMO controversy last week, but this one went against them when Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was denied a freakish try.

Both teams have well-settled squads so this is tricky to pick.  We’ll have Panthers 1-12.

Knights: 1 Kurt Gidley 2 James McManus 3 Dane Gagai 4 Joseph Leilua 5 Akuila Uate 6 Jarrod Mullen 7 Tyrone Roberts 8 Kade Snowden 9 Adam Clydsdale 10 David Fa’alogo 11 Beau Scott 12 Robbie Rochow 13 Jeremy Smith.

Interchange: 14 Tyler Randell 15 Chris Houston 16 Paterika Vaivai 17 Jack Stockwell 18 Sione Mata’utia.

Panthers: 1. Matt Moylan 2. Josh Mansour 3.Dean Whare 4. Jamal Idris 5. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 6. Isaac John 7. Peter Wallace 8. Sam Mckendry 9. James Segeyaro 10. Brent Kite 11. Sika Manu 12. Lewis Brown 13. Elijah Taylor.

Interchange: 14. Tyrone Peachey 15. Jeremy Latimore 16. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 17. Bryce Cartwright

Cronulla Sharks v Gold Coast Titans

Sharks – $1.52

Titans – $2.60

Cronulla have lost Ben Barba to suspension, but it may be a blessing in disguise for a team who are struggling for points.  Wade Graham will play five-eighth instead, and will be hoping to use the for again Luke Lewis in a similar ball playing role to make it easier. Youngster Jack Bird is on the interchange bench if needed.

The Titans were okay last week.  The TMO cost them dearly, as they didn’t struggle at all with the addition of the drug baron trio.  The Sharks are favourites but the Titans could easily surprise.  If you fancy adding some grunt to your multi this week, seriously consider the Titans.  However, we’ll play it safe and tip the Sharks 1-12.

Sharks: 1 Michael Gordon 2 Sosaia Feki 3 Gerard Beale 4 Ricky Leutele 5 Valentine Holmes 6 Wade Graham 7 Jeff Robson 8 Andrew Fifita 9 Michael Ennis 10 Chris Heighington 11 Jayson Bukuya 12 Anthony Tupou 13 Paul Gallen.

Interchange: 14 Luke Lewis 15 Matt Prior 16 Jack Bird 17 David Fifita 18 Tinirau Arona.

Titans: 1 Josh Hoffman 2 Anthony Don 3 James Roberts 4 William Zillman 5 David Mead 6 Aidan Sezer 7 Kane Elgey 8 Luke Douglas 9 Beau Fallooon 10 Nate Myles 11 Ryan James 12 Dave Taylor 13 Greg Bird.

Interchange: 14 Eddy Pettybourne 15 Matt White 16 Ryan Simpkins 17 Kierran Moseley 18 Agnatius Paasi.

St George Illawarra Dragons v Manly Sea Eagles

Dragons – $2.30

Sea Eagles – $1.65

The worst team of the first two weeks (the Dragons) surprised all last week by sneaking some points against the Raiders in a fast finish.  They need to thank youngster Euan Aitken and experienced frontman Trent Merrin for doing so after the pair put in huge efforts in the second half.  Aitken was a revelation at centre, and he keeps his place after running for more than 200m on debut. Want-away Merrin was also huge and finally gets a start this week with Jack de Belin absent.

They’ll need a similar effort against the always professional Manly side who welcome back Jamie Lyon and Kieran Foran.  Those two will add a huge amount of experience and nous to the side.  The additions should be enough to get them home, by 13+ in our view.

Dragons: 1 Josh Dugan 2 Eto Nabuli 3 Euan Aitken 4 Dylan Farrell 5 Jason Nightingale 6 Gareth Widdop 7 Benji Marshall 8 Leeson Ah Mau 9 Mitch Rein 10 Mike Cooper 11 Tyson Frizell 12 Joel Thompson 13 Trent Merrin.

Interchange: 14 Rory O’Brien 15 Jack de Belin 16 Jake Marketo 17 Heath L’Estrange 20 George Rose.

Sea Eagles: 1 Brett Stewart 2 Cheyse Blair 3 Jamie Lyon 4 Steve Matai 5 Peta Hiku 6 Kieran Foran 7 Daly Cherry-Evans 8 Luke Burgess 9 Matt Ballin 10 Willie Mason 11 Feleti Mateo 12 Jamie Buhrer 13 Dunamis Lui.

Interchange: 14 Jesse Sene-Lefao 15 Jake Trbojevic 16 Tom Symonds 17 Ligi Sao 18 Justin Horo.

New Zealand Warriors v Brisbane Broncos

Warriors – $1.67

Broncos – $2.25

The Warriors are slight favourites to pip the Broncos at home in one of the closest games of the round.  Both sides enjoyed relatively comfortable wins last week, with the Broncos in particular looking strong as Ben Hunt finally took a game by the scruff of the neck.

The Warriors youngsters of Kata, Lolohea, Vete and Lisone continue to impress.  But Tomkins is a huge loss at the back of the field.  We feel as though that’s determinative in this one, and that Hunt will take control of the game better than Shaun Johnson will.  Broncos to cause an upset and win by 1-12.

Warriors: 1 Tuimoala Lolohea, 2 Jonathan Wright, 3 Matt Allwood, 4 Solomone Kata, 5 Manu Vatuvei, 6 Chad Townsend, 7 Shaun Johnson, 8 Jacob Lillyman, 9 Thomas Leuluai, 10 Ben Matulino, 11 Bodene Thompson, 12 Ryan Hoffman, 13 Simon Mannering.

Interchange: 14 Nathan Friend, 15 Ben Henry, 16 Sam Lisone, 17 Albert Vete, 18 Dominique Peyroux.

Broncos: 1 Jordan Kahu, 2 Corey Oates, 3 Jack Reed, 4 Justin Hodges, 5 Lachlan Maranta, 6 Anthony Milford, 7 Ben Hunt, 8 Josh McGuire, 9 Andrew McCullough, 10 Adam Blair, 11 Alex Glenn, 12 Matt Gillett 13, Corey Parker,

Interchange: 14 Jarrod Wallace, 15 Joe Ofahengaue, 16 Sam Thaiday 17 Kodi Nikorima 18 Todd Lowrie

Sydney Roosters v Canberra Raiders

Rossters – $1.16

Raiders – $5.50

The Roosters will be buoyed by Blake Ferguson’s return to form.  He scored two tries last week against the Panthers and looked impressive eon defence and attack.  His form completes the puzzle for the Roosters who look well on their way to a top 4 finish this year.  The interchange strength of the Roosters continues to wow – Kane Evans and Sio Siua Taukeiaho some of the biggest and most exciting forwards in our game.

The Raiders, despite being much improved from last year, can’t quite finish off games.  The win adjacent the Sharks could have been followed up with Warriors and Dragons scalps if their execution had of been better.  they have Jack Wighton back, along with Fensom and Buttriss.

They don’t have a chance though.  Roosters by 13+.

Roosters: 1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2 Daniel Tupou 3 Michael Jennings 4 Blake Ferguson 5 Shaun Kenny-Dowall 6 James Maloney 7 Mitchell Pearce 8 Jared WaereaHargreaves 9 Matt McIlwrick 10 Sam Moa 11 Boyd Cordner 12 Aidan Guerra 13 Isaac Liu

Interchange: 14 Mitchell Aubusson 15 Dylan Napa 16 Kane Evans 17 Sio Siua Taukeiaho 18 Willie Manu 19 Lagi Setu

Raiders: 1. Jack Wighton, 2. Sisa Waqa 3. Jarrod Croker © 4. Edrick Lee 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Blake Austin 7. Mitch Cornish 8. Josh Papalii 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Dane Tilse 11. Jarrad Kennedy 12. Iosia Soliola 13. Shaun Fensom

Interchange: 14. Glen Buttriss 15. Frank-Paul Nuuausala 16. Paul Vaughan 17. Shannon Boyd

North Queensland Cowboys v Melbourne Storm

Cowboys – $1.80

Storm – $2.05

A Cowboys side getting no effort from a tired looking forward-pack are desperate to get some competition points before their 2015 chances fade away.  They host the Storm on Monday, and will be hoping LoLo and Thurston can bring their international experience to a squad lacking in direction.  We’d have them use Jake Granville in the starting hooker spot to spark something different than Kostjasyn, but instead they have dropped O’Neil and Feldt for Wright and Winterstein.

No changes to the Storm.  They played nice against the Sharks last week and will prevail the Cowboys too.  Picking an upset here, Storm 1-12.

Cowboys: 1 Lachlan Coote 2 Matthew Wright 3 Tautau Moga 4 Kane Linnett 5 Antonio Winterstein 6 Michael Morgan 7 Johnathan Thurston 8 Matthew Scott 9 Rory Kostjasyn 10 James Tamou 11 Gavin Cooper 12 Ethan Lowe 13 Jason Taumalolo.

Interchange: 14 Jake Granville 15 Kelepi Tanginoa 16 Scott Bolton 17 Ben Hannant 18 John Asiata.

Storm: 1. Billy Slater 2. Young Tonumaipea 3. William Chambers 4. Kurt Mann 5. Marika Koroibete 6. Blake Green 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith (c) 10. Jordan McLean 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Tohu Harris 13. Dale Finucane

Interchange: 14. Ryan Hinchcliffe 15. Tim Glasby 16. Dayne Weston 17. Felise Kaufusi 18. Tom Learoyd-Lahrs 19. Hymel Hunt

Odds available at Sportsbet.

Rugby League: NRL Round 3 Review

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

We enjoyed our strongest week of tipping last week, correctly picking the winning team in 7 of the 8 games, and the winning team and margin in 6 0f the 8 games.  It counts for nothing in a multi bet without boxing it though and we were left to rue the Dragons late win against the Raiders.  A team that had scored 8 points in 160 minutes of Rugby League in the first two weeks somehow found a way to score 8 points in the last 11 minutes of their Round 3 match.  The surge providing one of the few surprises of the weekend.

Here’s how the rest of the games finished up:

Manly Sea Eagles (12) v Canterbury Bulldogs (16)

The Bulldogs got the better of an intense froward battle at Brookvale, edging the contest by two points despite a contentious refereeing decision going against them.  That decision was the bizarre overturning of a Matt Ceccin no-try call by the TMO when he blindly guessed Steve Matai had scored a four pointer amongst several strewn bodies.  That said, the Bulldogs survived the strange call and a late try Pita Hiku to chalk up their second win of the season.  They got plenty of metres out of Aidan Tolman and James Graham, while Sam Perrett and Tim Lafai were dangerous in the outside backs.  Manly’s effort was full of enthusiasm and energy, unfortunately their execution was again missing.  Barring Daly Cheery-Evans, who was one again at the heart of everything his side did in both attack and defence, there were no Manly standouts.

Brisbane Broncos (44) v North Queensland Cowboys (22)

North Queensland’s abysmal start to the season got worse with a heavy defeat to the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp in Friday night’s second game.  An entertaining affair early on with the Broncos opening their account twice inside 12 minutes courtesy of Ben Hunt and Josh MacGuire only to have a the Cowboys break the Broncos defense a few minutes later with Michael Morgan dotting down after a well constructed Cowboys play. Broncos dominated the late stages of the half with a 10 minute master class of finesse and power resulting in 3 tries to Corey Parker, Lachlan Maranta, and McCullough, 32-6 into half time. Winger Kyle Feldt crossed the line 2 minutes into the half to get the Cowboys revival going only to have the Broncos captain Justin Hodges snap up a loose pass moments later and dot down to extend his teams lead. Winger Kyle Feldt picked up a second try with a runaway try in the final minutes to soften the blow for the Cowboys, still a very dominant performance from the Broncos.

New Zealand Warriors (29) v Parramatta Eels (16)

Saturday started off with the Warriors hosting the Eels at Mt Smart. The host’s dominant early on with their new signing Ryan Hoffman crashing over the white wash courtesy of lazy marking, and five minutes later a pin point grubber was snapped up by Solomone Kata. 80 meters out Thomas Leuluai took advantage of lazy marking once again racing away and drawing the last man perfectly with Tuimoala Lolohea dotting down to have the hosts 16-0 up. Manu Vatuvei was on the end of more lazy marking as Chad Townsend cut up the Eels to send the Beast over. The Warriors dominant into the half time break 22-0 up. Early into the second half another pin point kick from Townsend was diffused by Solomone Kata as he rose high to claim the spoils for his second.  Moments later the Eels were back in the game with Takairangi racing down the line to dot down Parramatta’s first of the game. What looked like a strip from Watmough saw the Eels break a Warriors attacking set early, the Eels pouncing on the mistake to dot down in quick successions courtesy of David Gower.

The Eels were in a purple patch and were looking the better of the two claiming another try mid way through the second half with Reece Robinson staying in field to roll over the try line for his second. Shaun Johnson showed his maturity with a drop goal on the 75th minute to put the game out of reach.

Canberra Raiders (20) v St George Illawarra Dragons (22)

Next up was the Raiders hosting the Dragons at GIO stadium. The visitors were the quickest out of the blocks nearly touching down out wide only to be wrestled into touch millimeters away from the goal line. In return the hosts dominated possession with new signing Josh Hodgson crashing over from 10 out to put the Raiders ahead. Some slick footwork from the Raiders halves and creative passing put Sia Soliola into space and the big man took the advantage close to the line to bust through and open his account. The hosts struck again 5 minutes later after a unforced error from the Dragons gifted the Raiders a scrum 30 out with Blake Austin running at the defense dummying multiple times only to race through the defensive line un touched for a try of his own.

The Dragons denied themselves another try scoring opportunity with a fumble then Blake Austin was denied a second deemed to have made a double movement as he touched down. Dragons captain Nightingale then stripped Crocker and the Dragons were on the attack to once again lose possession but resilient defense saw the Dragons keep the Raiders in their half, 2 out from half time Merrin rumbled over for a well deserved try. On the stroke of half time an early charge by the Raiders saw the Dragons gifted another 2 points for the penalty. Halftime, 18-8 Raiders.

The second half opened with a Dragons attack as Nightingale scored out wide through some quick hands. Moments later the Dragons were penalized for holding a player off the ball resulting in a converted penalty by Crocker to extend the lead 20-12. Josh Dugan was sent to the bin moments later for interfering with the Raiders dead ball restart, deemed a professional foul.  Mitch Rein cut through the guts of the Raiders exposing lazy marking and poor tackling 10 minutes from time to ignite a Dragons comeback. Ex Raider Joel Thompson muscled his way over after quick hands through the line gave him the advantage at contact locking the game up 20-20 kick to come which was slotted beautifully 22-20 fulltime, spoils to the Dragons in an excellent come back.

Melbourne Storm (36) v Cronulla Sharks (18)

The Melbourne Storm hosted the Sharks at AAMI Park with the visitor’s winless coming into the game. Melbourne absorbed an early attack from the Sharks only to return the favor which the Sharks could not the brute strength of Tohu Harris crashing over to open the Storms account. Cooper Cronk was next on the board after putting up a bomb which was fumbled by the Sharks defense and fed back Cronk’s way he darted over to put the Storm up 8-0 inside 20. The Storm continued with pressure through the centre of the pitch and finding the Sharks right hand defense weak with Tohu Harris crashing over again from 10 meters out. A wealth of possession 5 minutes from half time saw the Sharks get one back through sustain pressure, Jeff Robson dotting down, halftime 18-6.

Like the first the Storm were back on the scoreboard early, Marika Koroibete claiming the spoils out wide after the Sharks defense swarmed Tohu Harris. More pressure from the Storm was rewarded through Cameron Smith dotting down after a failed strip by the Sharks and messy defense the Captain guided through. Will Chambers crashing over 5 minutes out this time exposing the left hand defense. What looked to be a big defeat for the Sharks was reduced when the Sharks decided to open up more on attack and wild pass from Barba saw Valentine Holmes dot down out wide. With 10 to go a short ball close to the line saw Andrew Fifita crash over to close in on the deficit, for the Sharks too little too late.

South Sydney Rabbitohs (20) v Wests Tigers (6)

ANZ hosted the Rabbitohs and Tigers. The first 30 minutes saw multiple chances from both sides declined through offside and forward pass plays, the Tiger’s intentions were to be the more physical side with some early big hits and runs. Farah darted through the ruck close to the line to open the Tigers account, only to have the Rabbitohs replied minutes later through quick hands out wide with Inglis feeding Alex Johnston. Rabbitohs continued to dominate the remainder of the half scoring again with a Tigers handling knock on in their own half saw the Rabbitohs pounce at the mistake and Reynolds grubber through for Dylan Walker to race through and dot down on the stroke of half time. 10-6 Rabbitohs. 6 minutes into the half Rabbitohs captain Inglis claimed his own 4 pointer with a powerful run 10 out, crashing over his opposite. The remainder of the half continued the physical battle and tempers flared on multiple occasions with Galloway and Grant squaring up after Galloway received some unwanted attention in a tackle.

The reigning premiers closing out the game in the final 5 minutes with Dylan Walker gliding through for his second.

Gold Coast Titans (18) v Newcastle Knights (20)

The Gold Coast Titans hosting the Newcastle Knights with the Titans stars Bird, Taylor, and Fallon returning from their respective drug investigations. The Titans out wide opened the scoring through some slick hands, Anthony Don dotting down with Aiden Sezar slotting the kick from touch. A flat footed Newcastle defense was caught napping and Beau Scott strolled through a gaping hole to open his teams account. The Knights were denied another try after an amazing run from Gagai, a knock on earlier in the play taking away the brilliance of the would be try. The remainder of the half relatively uneventful with Tyrone Roberts slotting a late penalty to end the half 14-6, Knights. Aiden Sezar claimed a try 3 minutes in when two Knights hesitated under a highball. Midway through the second half Aiden Sezar was at it again running nicely off a tackled player to dot down and converted to take the Titans 4 up with 15 to go. The Knights claiming victory minutes out from full time as Jeremy Smith crashes through the line and Roberts converts.

Sydney Roosters (20) v Penrith Panthers (12)

The final game of the round had the Roosters and Panthers at Allianz Stadium. Both sides with similar form in the 2015 season. The Roosters opened the scoring early on through some hard yards up the middle only to have the ball swung out to Kenny-Dowall who dotted down out wide. Panthers denied shortly after catching the Roosters napping out wide man for man only for the diving effort to be deemed lost forward. A rake cost the Panthers another 2 points. Minutes out from half-time a big bomb was claimed by the Panthers and Mansour off loaded in the tackle to Idris who powered over close to the line. Halftime, 8-6 to the Roosters.

After being dominated by Idris, Blake Ferguson got the better of his opposite by easily stepping inside to open his season account 3 minutes into the half. Ferguson crossing 20 minutes later with the Roosters showing quick hands to get the outside men an overlap and Ferguson picking up his second. 15 minutes from time a rather complacent Roosters outfit were caught napping and Lewis Brown cut through the centre and a slick pass to beat the last man saw Segeyaro dot down. The Panthers guilty of the same play moments later was well received with Dylan Napa smashing Segeyaro and forcing a fumble to round out the match 20-12.

Super Rugby Round 6 Review

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Super Rugby’s Round 6 had everything.  Red Cards, yellow cards, slurs, tries and upsets.  Catch up on Round 6 in our wrap up below:

Highlanders v Hurricanes

Round 6 kicked off with the Highlander’s hosting the unbeaten Hurricanes in Dunedin. What promised to be a spectacle of attacking rugby between two confident sides turned out to be a rather sluggish first half affair as both teams pushed passes and spoiled opportunities for that elusive first try. Half time, 3-3. The Hurricanes took a solid pick and go approach building phases early into the second half finally scoring through a powerful Reggie Goodes drive for the line. Both team continued to battle for supremecy however the Hurricanes struck again close to the line with Perenara driving through a weak fringe defence. A late consolation try (77min) courtesy of Sopoga brought the Highlanders back into the game and after the restart the men from the deep south found themselves attacking a tired Hurricanes defensive line and looked to have broken the Hurricanes defense to dot down with a kick to come for a draw, however the officials ruled a forward pass to save the Hurricanes and keep their unbeaten record.

Hurricanes win 20-13.

Rebels v Lions

The Melbourne Rebels played host to the Lions, both teams lingering just outside the top half of the competition ladder. The hosts dominating possession and territory for the first half,  dotting down twice through Mitch Inman and debutant at fullback Jonah Placid. The Rebels pressure was not always rewarded as they blew multiple chances throughout the half to extend the lead. Half time 13-3. The Lions came out of halftime with a long range try early on, Mastriet drew the last defender perfectly and offloaded to Boshoff who dotted under the posts and converted to bring the match level. Mike Harris replied with a penalty (2 from 5) midway through the second half to lead 16-13. A strong phase of attack and strength from the Lions in the dying minutes caught the Rebels short on the wing, Lions dotting down to take the game 20-13.

Lions win 20-13

Crusaders v Cheetahs

Saturday evening the Crusaders hosted the Cheetahs in Christchurch. A 6th minute yellow card early on for Keiron Fonotia for taking the man in the air resulted in a relatively quiet opening 15 minutes from both teams. Taufua strong drive for the line after some good pressure from the Crusaders saw the hosts go up 7-0. Cheetahs had the better of the half dotting down twice in quick succession through a 70 metre interception to Francois Venter then 3 minutes later to Sadie courtesy of some slick play. Carter working on the defecet with a penalty goal on half time, Cheetahs up 10-14. The second 40 painted a different picture for both sides, fullback Willy le Roux binned early into the second half for a high tackle on Nadolo and sustained pressure resulted in a penalty try. The Cheetahs appear helpless with le Roux in the bin as the Crusaders ruthlessly chalked up 4 tries in his absence. The Crusaders continued their onslaught of a degraded Cheetahs outfit dotting down another 3 times throughout the game. Carter returning to his former best with 2 tries and 7 conversions. Full time 57-14.

Crusaders win 57-14.

Bulls v Force

Loftus hosted the Bulls and Western Force Saturday, prior to the game the pitch subject to torrential rain and a spectacular display of lightening. The Western Force the more aggressive on attack throughout the half seeing them go up 7-0 inside 15 minutes however the Force had discipline issues early on and a dead eye Pollard ensured the hosts kept close with 3 converted penalties going into the break, 9-7 Bulls. Early into the second the Force were reduced to 13 men with cynical infringements at ruck and maul time through sustained Bulls pressure, seeing Coleman and Faulkner binned within minutes of each other. Bulls taking full advantage of the extra men, dotting down minutes later. Pollard ensured the Forces’ ill discipline was punished with converting 2 more chances throughout the half. A light footed Kyle Goodwin took advantage of props in the defensive line and dotted down on the 71st minute mark seeing the defecit return to one as Ebersohn converted. An Ebersohn penalty put the visitors ahead with 3 to go. A match marred by ill discipline for the Force came back to haunt them with Steve Mafi spearing Pollard who bravely converted the penalty to ensure the hosts took the win by 1. 25-24 Bulls.

Bulls win 25-24

Sharks v Chiefs

Sharks hosted the Chiefs in Durban, an ugly affair, both team guilty of ill-discipline. Both Lambie and Cruden converted early penalties. Chiefs hooker Hika Elliot cited for a shoulder charge in the ruck, this saw him red carded inside 15 minutes. Not to be out done by his opposite Bismarck du Plessis lashed out with a boot against a off the ball tackler resulting in a red card 2 minutes later. 10 minutes later Frans Steyn was sent from the field for a cringing spear tackle on Chiefts 10, Aaron Cruden. Lambie and Cruden continued to trade penalties with Same Cane dotting down for the Chiefs  late into the half, 9-11 Chiefs. Much like the first half, ill discipline cost both sides momentum and Lambie clinching the only points on the half with a penalty on the 60th minute. A game that promised much in terms of attacking flair and positional match ups resulted in a flop.

Sharks win 12-11

Waratahs v Brumbies

Sunday afternoon rugby went to Sydney for the Waratahs hosting the Brumbies. A physical battle between two sides in the running for conference honors. At times the game looked much like other games throughout the weekend with cynical play and red mist tempers. The Brumbies opened their account early on with a try to Matt Toomua inside 10 minutes with Fardy binned for intentionally knocking the ball down. Foley and Lealiífano traded penalties with Foley getting the better of the Brumbies in a five minute route dotting down and Folau shortly after. Beale converted a penalty early to extend the lead and a physical half resumed by starving both teams of any spoils until sustained pressure late in the game saw Latu dot down out wide and then in the dying minutes receive a yellow for collapsing the maul after multiple team warnings. The match tainted by claims of Waratah players using homophobic slurs which are being investigated.

Waratahs win 28-13.

Super Rugby Round 6 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Check out the Super Rugby Round 6 Preview below with team news, odds, predictions and analysis.

Highlanders v Hurricanes

Highlanders – $1.87

Hurricanes – $1.77

Two New Zealand franchises in strong form face off in the first of the Super Rugby Round 6 action.  The Highlanders host the unbeaten Hurricanes at Forsyth Barr in what is set to be one of the closest games of the round.  The halfback matchup between All Blacks TJ Perenara and Aaron Smith may ultimately decide the battle of the H’s, as both teams turn to their number 9 live wires to spark the majority of their attack.  Speaking of individual battles, the lookalike Smith’s (Ben and Conrad) are also set to feature heavily for the respective teams.  We’ll go for Hurricanes in this one, by 1-12.

Rebels v Lions

Rebels – $1.45

Lions – $2.31

A shock win against the Blues was followed up by a pasting at the hands of the Crusaders in the Lions’ Australasian tour matches so far.  The contrasting performances make it difficult to predict which Lions team will turn up, especially faring off against the equally unpredictable Melbourne Rebels unit.  The Rebels did just enough against the Force next week; the match coming down to who had the most nerve in a tense finish.  We’ll go for a similar winning margin, 1-12, in favour of the Lions.

Crusaders v Cheetahs

Crusaders – $1.08

Cheetahs – $8.25

Israel Dagg has the biggest point to prove for the Crusaders as he returns at fullback for the seven time Super Rugby champions.  Dagg has shaken off injury concerns in a bid to maintain his All Black spot in the face of stiff competition from Ben Smith.  His return cancels out the resting of another influential All Black, Richie McCaw.  McCaw’s resting comes at the most strategic time given the Crusaders are unbackable favourites at just a smidgen over $1.  They beat the Cheetahs by 13+ on Saturday night.

Bulls v Force

Bulls – $1.11

Force – $6.95

In another example of a heavily backed team being expected to easily dispatch weaker opponents, the Bulls are the preferred team this time round.  Loftus Versfeld is always a difficult proposition for any touring team, and the Force have to make the trip with a solitary win and inconsistent form.  The solitary win came in Round 1 so its been a barren run of form ever since.  The Bulls have got better and better as the tournament has progressed, and are our pick to win the South African conference.  They’ll win this one by 13+.  Bulls 13+.

Sharks v Chiefs

Sharks – $1.72

Chiefs – $2.15

The match of the round features two enterprising teams near the peak of their games.  Firstly, the Chiefs, who were exceptional last week in beating the Stormers in their first match of their South African tour.  The Sharks just started to find some mojo after a crushing victory over the Cheetahs last week.  Expect the ball to get plenty of air in an exciting match with both teams promising running rugby.  The impressive wing duo of James Lowe and Bryce Heem continue to keep ex-All Black Hosea Gear on the sideline, and will probably cross the line for more tries this week too.

Waratahs v Brumbies

Waratahs – $1.72

Brumbies – $2.15

The Australian derby to close out the round features an impressive attacking team packed to the brim with pace and power, against a disciplined defensive unit without any real fear, but plenty of grunt.  Michael Chieka has at his disposable a quality collection of outside backs led by one of the competing best Israel Folau.  He’ll need to find a way to penetrate the best defence in the competition (the Brumbies having conceded 40 points less than any other side), and start putting some pressure on the wild card teams currently holding knockout spots.  We prefer the Brumbies in this one, also by 1-12.

Rugby League: NRL Round 3 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The NRL season is now in full flight after a riveting first two rounds of Rugby League action.  Round 3 is set to continue the trend of upsets, crushers, and Brett Morris heroics.   Round 3 also features our worst article introduction.

Check out our NRL Round 3 Preview:

Manly Sea Eagles v Canterbury Bulldogs 

Sea Eagles – $2.05

Bulldogs – $1.80

The Bulldogs are slight favourites to get the better of Manly in the round’s opener at Brookvale.  The Bulldogs have played exactly as you would expect; ruthless, disciplined and favouring solid defence patterns over expansive attacking plays.  The approach has led them to one win and one loss thus far.  The loss coming in close fashion against the impressive Panthers.  The Bulldogs are also enjoying a settled line-up with just Josh Reynolds facing time off.

The Sea Eagles are also one and one.  A win last week against arch rivals the Storm atoning for a weak effort against the Eels in round one.  The win against the Storm was delivered by the experienced trio of Cheery-Evans, Matai and Lyon; all stepping up to help during a minor injury crisis.  The crisis does have a silver lining.  Feleti Mateo gets to show off his ball skills at five-eighth and the promising Jake Trbojevic gets to show off his ability.

We’ve gone Bulldogs 1-12.

Sea Eagles: 1 Brett Stewart 2 Cheyse Blair 3 Jamie Lyon (c) 4 Steve Matai 5 Peta Hiku 6 Feleti Mateo 7 Daly Cherry-Evans 8 Luke Burgess 9 Matt Ballin 10 Willie Mason 11 Jamie Buhrer 12 Tom Symonds 13 Dunamis Lui.

Interchange: 14 Jesse Sene-Lefao 15 Blake Leary 16 Jake Trbojevic 17 Ligi Sao 18 Justin Horo.

Bulldogs: 1 Brett Morris 2 Curtis Rona, 3 Josh Morris 4 Tim Lafai 5 Sam Perrett 6 Moses Mbye 7 Trent Hodkinson 8 Aiden Tolman 9 Michael Lichaa 10 James Graham (c) 11 Josh Jackson 12 Tony Williams 13 Greg Eastwood

Interchange: 14 Sam Kasiano 15 David Klemmer 16 Frank Pritchard 17 Tim Browne 18 Lloyd Perrett.

Brisbane Broncos v North Queensland Cowboys

Broncos – $1.94

Cowboys – $1.90

The Queensland derby is in danger of being a Broncos boiler.  Not for the form of the Broncos, but for the woeful start the nervy Cowboys have made with three time Dally M Medal winner and captain Johnathan Thurston uncharacteristically uncertain.  The Broncs have one win to their names, but have at least improved slightly from week to week as Hunt and Milford find out more about each other’s games.  Their also likely to get more out of origin stars Corey Parker and Matt Gillett as they build into the season and get accustomed to following Wayne Bennett’s new Brisbane vision.

We expect them to beat North Queensland by 13+.  Mainly due to the horrific form of the Cowboys outside backs and halves.  They’ve turned to Lachlan Coote at fullback and asked Michael Morgan to replace Robert Lui at five-eighth.  It won’t have an impact in our view.  They’ll slump to 0-3 and in straight to panic mode.

Broncos: 1 Jordan Kahu 2 Corey Oates 3 Jack Reed 4 Justin Hodges (c) 5 Lachlan Maranta 6 Anthony Milford 7 Ben Hunt 8 Josh McGuire 9 Andrew McCullough 10 Adam Blair 11 Alex Glenn 12 Matt Gillett 13 Corey Parker

Interchange: 14 Jarrod Wallace 15 Jo Ofahengaue 16 Sam Thaiday 17 Kodi Nikorima

Cowboys: 1 Lachlan Coote 2 Justin O’Neill 3 Matthew Wright 4 Kane Linnett 5 Kyle Feldt 6 Michael Morgan 7 Johnathan Thurston (c) 8 Matthew Scott (c) 9 Rory Kostjasyn 10 Ben Hannant 11 Gavin Cooper 12 Ethan Lowe 13 Jason Taumalolo

Interchange: 14 Jake Granville 15 Kelepi Tanginoa 16 Scott Bolton 17 James Tamou 18 John Asiata

New Zealand Warriors v Parramatta Eels

Warriors – $1.38

Eels – $3.05

Mt Smart gets its first look at the 2015 Warriors when New Zealand hosts the Ells on Saturday afternoon.  The locals will see a vastly different Warriors outfit with some unfamiliar names that are turning out to be real superstars.  Sam Lisone and Albert Vete are names for the future.  They have both made an immediate contribution to a squad that was short of a couple of their household names.  So much so, Sam Rapira has signed to play in the Super League, presumably understanding Lisone and Vete are the future.

The Warriors are favourites after picking up a win in Canberra last week.  However, the money on the Eels will no doubt prove attractive for some who witnessed the first round domination they inflicted on the Sea Eagles.  Sandow’s the key.  He plays well against the Warriors and should have some decent memory bank ammunition to kickstart his side into contention.

Last year, the teams thrashed each other at home.  That’s why we’ll give the Warriors the win on account of the home advantage.  Warriors 13+.

Warriors: 1. Sam Tomkins 2. Jonathan Wright 3. Tuimoala Lolohea 4. Solomone Kata 5. Manu Vatuvei 6. Chad Townsend 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Jacob Lillyman 9. Thomas Leuluai 10. Ben Matulino 11. Bodene Thompson 12. Ryan Hoffman 13. Simon Mannering (C).

Interchange: 14. Nathan Friend 15. Ben Henry 16. Sam Lisone 17. Albert Vete 18. Matt Allwood (One to be omitted).

Eels: 1. Will Hopoate 2. Vai Toutai 3. Ryan Morgan 4. Brad Takairangi 5. Reece Robinson 6. Corey Norman 7. Chris Sandow 8. Darcy Lussick 9. Nathan Peats 10. Tim Mannah 11. Manu Ma’u 12. Tepai Moeroa 13. Anthony Watmough

Interchange: 14. Isaac De Gois 15. Joseph Paulo 16. Danny Wicks 17. David Gower

Canberra Raiders v St George Illawarra Dragons

Raiders – $1.60

Dragons – $2.35

Two rounds into the competition these two sides have accumulated 38 points collectively at an average of just 9.5 points a game.  The Raiders contribute 30 of those and the Dragons just 8.  Thus, we wouldn’t expect this match to be a cracker.

The Dragons points problem are not their halves doing.  They have no go forward from their forward pack. They need more out of Frizell, Ah Mau and Merrin.  They need to give Widdop and Marshall more opportunity to control the game.

For the Raiders, who look to be the most improved team in the competition, they need to reduce their error count if they are to pick up two more completion points.  Without all the errors last week against the Warriors they might have had more of a chance of releasing Wighton and Soliola down the left hand side.  Unfortunately, Wighton is out with injury in a blow for the Raiders.  They should still win though.  Raiders 1-12.  Opt to read about this one rather than watch it live.

Raiders: 1 Jordan Rapana, 2 Sisa Waqa, 3 Jarrod Croker (c), 4 Jarrad Kennedy, 5 Edrick Lee, 6 Blake Austin, 7 Mitchell Cornish, 8 Shannon Boyd, 9 Josh Hodgson, 10 Dane Tilse, 11 Josh Papalii,12 Iosia Soliola, 13 Shaun Fensom

Interchange: 14 Josh McCrone, 15 Frank-Paul Nuuausala, 16 Paul Vaughan, 17 Luke Bateman

Dragons: 1 Peter Mata’utia, 2 Etonia Nabuli, 3 Dane Nielsen, 4 Dylan Farrell, 5 Jason Nightingale (c), 6 Gareth Widdop, 7 Benji Marshall, 8 Leeson Ah Mau, 9 Mitch Rein, 10 George Rose, 11 Tyson Frizell, 12 Joel Thompson, 13 Jack de Belin

Interchange: 14 Trent Merrin, 15 Heath L’Estrange, 16 Rory O’Brien, 17 Mike Cooper, 19 Jake Marketo

Melbourne Storm v Cronulla Sharks

Storm – $1.28

Sharks – $3.65

Apparently the Sharks season ticket holders haven’t received their seat passes this years despite playing two games at home this season.  Fortunately, they needn’t worry this week as Melbourne hosts them at AAMI park where there is no chance of something similar happening to the Storm fans.  There’s also no chance of a Sharks win.

The match will be one of the most interesting forward battles of the whole season.  Gallen and Fifita against Procter and Bromwich, with Smith, Finucane, Graham and Ennis thrown in their too.  The bruising battle up front might take away from the action outside them, though will likely settle the match either way.

Huge pressure on Ben Barba to front this week.  His place looks like going to Jack Bird if he’s a passenger through another 80 minutes.  Storm 1-12 in a low scorer.

Melbourne: 1. Billy Slater 2. Young Tonumaipea 3. Will Chambers 4. Kurt Mann 5. Marika Koroibete 6. Blake Green 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Jordan McLean 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Tohu Harris 13. Dale Finucane

Interchange: 14. Ryan Hinchcliffe 15. Tim Glasby 16. Dayne Weston 18. Tom Learoyd-Lahrs

Cronulla: 1. Michael Gordon 2. Sosaia Feki 3. Gerard Beale 4. Ricky Leutele 5. Valentine Holmes 6. Ben Barba 7. Jeff Robson 8. Andrew Fifita 9. Michael Ennis 10. Sam Tagataese 11. Jayson Bukuya 12. Wade Graham 13. Paul Gallen

Intercharge: 14. Matt Prior 15. Chris Heighington 16. Anthony Tupou 17. David Fifita 18. Luke Lewis 19. Tinirau Arona

South Sydney Rabbitohs v Wests Tigers

Rabbitohs – $1.22

Tigers – $4.25

The NRL frontrunners are overwhelming favourites to make it three from three to start the season when they meet the West Tigers in the first of the Sunday action.  The all conquering Rabbitohs (NRL, Nines, World Club, Arizona Night Life) will look to inflict the first loss of the season on a young Tigers side that is building nicely under Jason Taylor with Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses at the helm.

No injury issues for either side, therefore, form will give the best indication of the winner.  Almost impossible to argue with the form of the Rabbits.  We can see them using George Burgess and the rest of the forward pack to run at Luke Brooks all day; inflicting serious pain.  Bunnies 13+.

Rabbitohs: 1 Greg Inglis 2 Alex Johnston 3 Dylan Walker 4 Bryson Goodwin 5 Joel Reddy 6 Luke Keary 7 Adam Reynolds 8 George Burgess 9 Issac Luke 10 Dave Tyrrell 11. Glenn Stewart 12 John Sutton 13 Chris McQueen

Interchange: 14 Chris Grevsmuhl 15 Jason Clark 16 Ben Lowe 17 Thomas Burgess 18 Tim Grant 19 Cameron McInnes 20 Darryl Millard.

Tigers: 1 James Tedesco 2 Kevin Naiqama 3 Tim Simona 4 Chris Lawrence 5. Pat Richards 6 Mitchell Moses 7 Luke Brooks 8 Aaron Woods 9 Robbie Farah 10 Keith Galloway 11. Curtis Sironen 12 Sauaso Sue 13 Martin Taupau

Interchange: 14 Dene Halatau 15 Ava Seumanufagai 16 Matthew Lodge 17 Brendan Santi 18 Lamar Liolevave.

Gold Coast Titans v Newcastle Knights

Titans -$2.15

Knights – $1.70

Another of the “avoid” games of the round gets slightly more interesting thanks to the return of drug barons Beau Falloon, Dave Taylor and Greg Bird.  The three previously suspended stars get their first chance of the season and will be looking to make an immediate impact for the winless Titans.

The Titans have been conceding points for fun in the two outings this season, and they won’t get any respite from surprise packages the Knights on Sunday.  In Gagai and Leilua the Knights have two of the form centres in the competition, both capable of destroying any opposition flank defence, especially one welcoming back three new faces into their setup.

Close game predicted, but we’ll go the Knights to get another 1-12 win.

Titans: 1 Josh Hoffman, 2 Anthony Don, 3 James Roberts, 4 William Zillman, 5 David Mead, 6 Aiden Sezer, 7 Daniel Mortimer, 8 Luke Douglas, 9 Beau Falloon, 10 Nate Myles, 11 Ryan James, 12 Dave Taylor, 13 Greg Bird.

Interchange: 14 Eddy Pettybourne, 15 Matt White, 16 Ryan Simpkins, 17 Kierran Moseley

Knights: 1 Kurt Gidley 2 James McManus 3 Dane Gagai 4 Joey Leilua 5 Akuila Uate 6 Jarrod Mullen 7 Tyrone Roberts 8 Kade Snowden 9 Adam Clydsdale 10 Korbin Sims 11 Beau Scott 12 Robbie Rochow 13 Jeremy Smith.

Interchange: 14 Tyler Randell 15 Chris Houston 16 David Fa’alogo 17 Jack Stockwell 18 Sione Mata’utia.

Sydney Roosters v Penrith Panthers

Roosters – $1.42

Panthers – $2.85

The third round finale should be the game of the season.  It’s a shame it’s been scheduled for a Monday and the crowds might not give it the attention it warrants.  If any club can get numbers through a Monday gate though its Sydney.  Their membership is booming and they’re again looking like genuine title contenders.  So too are Penrith however; looking mightily handy in two unbeaten rounds.

Penrith’s strong squad gets a boost from the retuning man-beast Josh Mansour, coming on to the wing at the expense of youngster George Jennings, and offsetting the loss of Jamie Soward.  Penrith’s unity will allow Sowards’ replacement Isaac John to settle in seamlessly and assist Peter Wallace to steer the ship.

It will need to be manoeuvred well too; the Roosters are incredibly strong 1 through 17.  We’ll give it to the Roosters by 1-12.

Roosters: 1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 2 Daniel Tupou 3 Michael Jennings 4 Blake Ferguson 5 Shaun Kenny-Dowall 6 James Maloney 7 Mitchell Pearce 8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9 Matt McIlwrick 10 Sam Moa 11 Boyd Cordner 12 Aidan Guerra 13 Isaac Liu.

Interchange : Mitchell Aubusson 15 Dylan Napa 16 Kane Evans 17 Sio Siua Taukeiaho 18 Willie Manu 19 Martin Kennedy.

Panthers: 1 Matt Moylan 2 Josh Mansour 3 Dean Whare 4 Jamal Idris 5 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 6 Isaac John 7 Peter Wallace 8 Sam McKendry 9 James Segeyaro 10 Brent Kite 11 Sika Manu 12 Lewis Brown 13 Elijah Taylor.

Interchange: 14 Tyrone Peachey 15 Jeremy Latimore 16 Reagan Campbell-Gillard 17 Bryce Cartwright.

Round 3 Mutli

A $1 multi on the above predictions will return the following:

Head to Head = $28.68

Margin = $1209

Odds available at CrownBet (formerly BetEasy)

Super Rugby Round 5 Review

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

We were one game short of the perfect round in our predictions last week.  The Cheetahs falling to the Sharks at home was the only match we tipped incorrectly.  In hindsight, it was an ambitious ask of the Bloemfontein franchise, however, we did the same to the Chiefs, Rebels and Highlanders and they served us well.

The rugby was slightly more watchable this week with a couple of crackers making up for a lacklustre few weeks.  Check out the individual results below:

Hurricanes (30) v Blues (23)

You have to admire the Blues’ desire to play even in the face of such massive adversity.  Without a win in the competition, and with the media turning on coach John Kiran (rather than questioning the player efforts), the Blues played with expansive abandon and tested and probed the Hurricanes often during the first 60 minutes.  However, the final 20 proved to be the winning and losing of the match as the Hurricanes  sealed the points with a late Julian Savea try.  The Hurricanes remain unbeaten, while the Blues are firmly rooted to the bottom of the table and rumoured to be feeling out Robbie Deans for a return to top level coaching.

Hurricanes: Tries – TJ Perenara, M.Proctor, J.Savea 2, Pen – B.Barrett, Con – B.Barrett 3

Blues: Tries – L.Visinia, F. Halai, Pen – I.West 3, Con -I .West 2

Force (17) v Rebels (21)

The Melbourne Rebels put a couple of unfortunate losses behind them to get back in the winners circle against fellow strugglers the Western Force. After an opening round win against the Crusaders, they have suffered narrow losses to the Waratahs and Brumbies.  Friday night was to be different though as they immediately benefited from their attacking intent.  Mike Harris and Mitch Inman scything through early; Harris scoring on his own and Inman teeing up Dom Shipperley.

The Force on the other hand couldn’t find much momentum of their own, and it took former All Black, Alby Mathewson to eventually cross the line; diving around asleep forwards close to the line.

The Rebels controlled most of the encounter despite not scoring themselves after the 66th minute, and even with a late late try to Tetera Faulkner.

Force: Tries – A.Mathewson, T. Faulkner, Pen – L.Burton, Con – L.Burton 2

Rebels: Tries – M.Harris, D.Shipperley, Pen – M.Harris 3, Con – M.Harris

Crusaders (34) v Lions (6)

Todd Blackadder stacked his side with All Blacks and was rewarded with the easiest win of his coaching tenure on Saturday afternoon.  The Black (and Reds) completely dominated their overwhelmed opponents in every facet and got decent returns out of Colin Slade and Dan Carter.  The 57th / 58th minutes were decisive at Christchurch Stadium as a penalty try for a collapsed scrum and a quick follow up to Kieron Fonotia effectively sealed the points (four try bonus point included) for the Crusaders.  The competition points take the Crusaders to just 9 points after their four games and languishing in 10th place.  The Lions three places worse on five points and facing a challenging couple of weeks in Australia.

Crusaders: Tries – A.Ellis. Penalty try, K. Fonotia, K.Read, Pen – D.Carter 2, Con – D.Carter 4

Lions: Pen – E.Jantjies 2

Highlanders (26) v Waratahs (19)

The first major upset of the round came courtesy of  an excellent performance from potential competition dark horses, the Highlanders.  The Otago outfit rolled on from beating the Chiefs at home to toppling the defending champions the Waratahs with a fine all round display.

The Waratahs got the better of the start.  Free flowing backline plays straight out of the playbook saw the Tahs hit the early lead.  Rather than lose composure the Highlanders gained in strength and tries to Wiasake Naholo, Ben Smith and Patrick Osborne – all who would do an All Black jersey justice this year – justified their hype and delivered them a deserved win.

The Tahs a bit too fumbly, too impatient to win this one.  They need to lift to compete with the Brumbies next week.

Highlanders: Tries – T. Franklin, W.Naholo, B.Smith, P.Osborne, Con – L.Sopoaga 3

Waratahs: Tries – N.Phipps, M.Carraro, S.Hoiles, Con – B.Foley 2

Reds (0) v Brumbies (29)

The Reds were held scoreless and resorted to wrestling moves to make an impact against the Brumbies.  Liam Gill impersonated WWE wrestler Batista when he “bombed” Brumbies scrum half Nic White when clearing a ruck in the only significant contribution to the match by a Reds player.  The move was super dangerous and, ironically, cleared the ruck long enough for Ben Alexander to dive over and score.

The Brumbies look as composed and controlled as ever.  They lead the competition outright after having played one more match than the Hurricanes.  The Brumbies look the only Australian team likely to feature in the qualifying rounds, and could possibly go all the way if there defence is anything to go by.

Reds:

Brumbies: Tries – S.Moore, B.Alexander 2, I.Vaea, C.Lealiifano, Con – C.Lealiifano 2

Stormers (19) v Chiefs (28)

The Chiefs were expertly guided to an away win against the Stormers by All Black first five eighth Aaron Cruden.  Cruden sparked an impressive turnaround for his side that had suffered a shock loss to the Highlanders only a week prior.  He was in everything as the Chiefs ran through and around a surprisingly sedate Stormers outfit.  Sonny Bill Williams survived a nasty head clash with Vincent Koch, James Lowe continued his try-scoring feats, and the entire Chiefs forward pack were staunch in the face of a first half onslaught.  The win capped off a great week for the New Zealand conference.

Chiefs still very much the team to beat in New Zealand.

Stormers: Tries – K.Van Wyk, Pen – K.Coleman 3, Catrakilis, Con – K.Coleman

Chiefs: Tries – A.Cruden, J.Lowe, S.Cane, Pen – A.Cruden 3, Con – A.Cruden 2

Cheetahs (10) v Sharks (27)

The Sharks have two playing temperatures; Hot and Cold.  The hot is good, South African conference winning good, but the bad that has reared its ugly head on too many occasions this year. They opted for the hot option in the final match of the round against the Cheetahs.  The solid win, just their second of the year was brought about thanks to a season high four tries, including two to the tournament’s joint top try scorer, Marcell Coetzee.

For Sharks fans the win will hopefully put their side’s season back on track.

Cheetahs: Tries – F.Venter, Pen – W.du Plessis, Con – F,Brummer

Sharks: Tries – F.Steyn, M.Coetzee 2, J.Wilson, Pen – P.Lambie, Con – P.Lambie 2