Tag: Sharks

Rugby League: NRL Round 2 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Round 1 threw up more surprises than the results of a Tiger Woods drug test.

Round 2 could go a similar way with a series of matches that are proving difficult to predict.  The Bulldogs and Eels games looks tricky; the Rabbitohs and Roosters are almost impossible to separate; and the Warriors match too.

Let’s have a look at all the matches from Round 2:

Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs v Parramatta Eels

Bulldogs – $1.65

Eels – $2.28

The Bulldogs are slight favourites at ANZ Stadium despite losing last week and watching tonight’s rivals get the better of Manly.  Des Hasler needs a win, not because it will bring two valuable competition points, but to bring him back to reality after spending much of the week at Hogwarts.  The only changes to the sides see loose unit Josh Reynolds miss out for the Bulldogs, and Junior Paulo suspended for a mammoth nine weeks.  Brett Morris was sterling in his debut for the Bulldogs and he’ll be looking to make another strong attacking impact, while also doing his best to defuse the kicking games of Norman and Sandow. Bulldogs 1-12.

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

Eels: 1. Will Hopoate, 2. Semi Radradra, 3. Beau Champion, 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. Isaac De Gois, 15. Joseph Paulo, 16. Junior Paulo, 17. David Gower, 18. Danny Wicks, 19. Pauli Pauli.

Cronulla Sharks v Brisbane Broncos

Sharks – $1.98

Broncos – $1.85

Two first round losers square off in Friday’s second match, and un-surprisingly the Broncos feature in it.  The Broncos were woefully inept in Round 1 and must find an immediate solution to the problems at five eighth and fullback.  Whether the solution is to give Milford the freedom to roam between the two positions, or to give Kodi Nikorima some game time instead, only Wayne Bennett knows.  The Sharks have their own number six struggles with former Bronco Ben Barba, but they have forwards who could outmuscle the Bronocs pack that got humiliated last week.  Sharks 1-12.

Sharks: 1 Michael Gordon 2 Sosaia Feki 3 Gerard Beale 4 Ricky Leutele 5 Mitch Brown 6 Ben Barba 7 Jeff Robson 8 Andrew Fifita 9 Michael Ennis 10 Matt Prior 11 Jayson Bukuya 12 Wade Graham 13 Paul Gallen (c).

Interchange: 14 Chris Heighington 15 Tinirau Arona 16 Anthony Tupou 17 David Fifita 18 Valentine Holmes 21 Sami Sauiluma.

Broncos: 1 Jordan Kahu 2 Dale Copley 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

Penrith Panthers v Gold Coast Titans

Panthers – $1.23

Titans – $4.33

Top three shoo ins the Panthers will get the better off the club currently in the most disarray in the NRL.  The Titans were not at all bad last week, but they still don’t have the quality to compete with the Panthers over 80 minutes due to most of their best players being behind bars.  The Panthers were nigh on perfect for 60 minutes last week and have two of the most exciting wing prospects in the game in Watene Zelezniak and Jennings.  We’re eagerly looking forward to see what those two can do again this week.  Panthers 13+.

Panthers: 1 Matt Moylan, 2 George Jennings, 3 Dean Whare, 4 Jamal Idris, 5 Dallin Watene Zelezniak, 6 Jamie Soward, 7 Peter Wallace (c), 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, 18 Isaah Yeo

Titans: 1 William Zillman, 2 Kevin Gordon, 3 James Roberts, 4 Josh Hoffman, 5 David Mead, 6 Aidan Sezer, 7 Daniel Mortimer, 8 Luke Douglas, 9 Kierran Moseley, 10 Edward Pettybourne, 11 Ryan James, 12 Lachlan Burr, 13 Nate Myles (c)

Interchange: 14 Agnatius Paasi, 15 Mark Ioane, 16 Matt Robinson, 17 Matt Srama, 18 Ryan Simpkins

Manly Sea-Eagles v Melbourne Storm

Sea Eagles – $2.15

Storm – $1.72

The match that used to define an NRL season is now somewhat of a middle of the pack type matchup.  Both sides have been predicted to struggle this year as their ageing squads tire, inevitably get hit by origin and disband.  There’s plenty of niggle around the Daly Cherry-Evans departure which could be a disturbance as Manly look to recover from a disastrous first up effort against the Eels.  They get back a useful bit of experience from Steve Matai, but that might be enough to penetrate the structure of the consistent Storm side that pack plenty of power up front.  We’ll go the for the never flappable Storm to get up by 1-12.

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

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

Storm: 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 (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.

North Queensland Cowboys v Newcastle Knights

Cowboys – $1.38

Knights – $3.10

The Cowboys put very few smiles on the faces of their fans at their aptly named home ground in week one.  They get the chance to atone for that again this week at Smiles Stadium when they host the Newcastle Knights.  Jonathan Thurston will will never play as badly again as he did in Round 1, and he’s that good he probably only needs to be marginally better to be Dally M winner.  He’ll turn it around.  The Cowboys will be hoping to deliver a win for Antonio Winterstein who is in doubt after his brother sadly passed away during the week.  Cowboys 13+.

Knights: 1 Kurt Gidley (c), 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 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

Cowboys: 1 Michael Morgan, 2 Justin O’Neill, 3 Matthew Wright, 4 Kane Linnett, 5 Antonio Winterstein, 6 Robert Lui, 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 Lachlan Coote

South Sydney Rabbitohs v Sydney Roosters

Rabbitohs – $1.80

Roosters – $2.03

It was difficult to separate these two teams last year (in fact probably over the last two years), so we’re expecting something similar again this week.  Both teams were incredibly impressive last week in what could’ve been tricky encounters.  That bodes well for a cliffhanger this week that will be determined up front.  The George Burgess v Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is the individual match up of the round. Picking an upset, Roosters 1-12.

Rabbitohs: 1 Greg Inglis (c) 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 Ben Lowe.

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

Roosters: 1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2 Daniel Tupou 3 Michael Jennings 4 Blake Ferguson 5 Shaun Kenny-Dowall 6 James Maloney 7 Mitchell Pearce (c) 8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 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 19 Martin Kennedy 20 Nene Macdonald.

Canberra Raiders v New Zealand Warriors

Raiders – $2.08

Warriors – $1.77

It’s fair to say the Warriors got the better of the Raiders in last years two games.  They won 54-12 and 54-18 in two utter hidings.  On 2015’s evidence the Warriors won’t make it three 50-pointers in a row.  Simply put, they still don’t have the leadership in the halves that will deliver them more wins than losses, or get them to a third Grand Final.  They had some positives last week; particularly Kata and Lolohea, however their inability to register second half points is a big worry.

The Raiders got past the Sharks thanks to two Jordan Rapana tries, and a scintillating Jack Wight effort. In addition, Frank-Paul Nuuausala and Iosia Soliola made pleasing starts to their Raiders careers.  With no confidence at all we’ll give it to the Warriors by 1-12.

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

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

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 Matthew Allwood

West Tigers v St George Illawarra Dragons 

Tigers – $1.55

Dragons – $2.50

The final match of the round could be one of the more one-sided.  A Benji Marshall sub-plot is one of the only interesting storylines for two teams that have enjoyed an inauspicious week in build up.  Pat Richards helped his Tigers side get past the Titans last week, while the Dragons were outclassed in a low scorer by the Storm.

A team that consists of Dugan, Marshall and Widdop that only scores four points in a game is a massive headache for the coaching staff.  Sure they played the Storm but Farah, Woods and Taupau are some of the best middle of the park defenders in the game and they could well struggle for points again.  Therefore we’re going Tigers by 1-12.

Wests 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 (c) 10 Keith Galloway 11 Curtis Sironen 12 Sauaso Sue 13 Martin Taupau.

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

Dragons: 1 Josh Dugan 2 Etonia Nabuli 3 Dane Nielsen 4 Dylan Farrell 5 Jason Nightingale 6 Gareth Widdop 7 Benji Marshall 8 Leeson Ah Mau 9 Mitch Rein 10 George Rose 11 Tyson Frizell 12 Joel Thompson 13 Ben Creagh (c).

Interchange: 14 Rory O’Brien 15 Trent Merrin 16 Mike Cooper 17 Jack de Belin 19 Jake Marketo 21 Heath L’Estrange.

The Multi

The margin multi on these predictions pays $4191.31

Super Rugby Round 5 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

No one could have accurately predicted the spanners thrown into the mix by the Lions and the Highlanders in last week’s Super Rugby action.  Round 5 shouldn’t feature as many potential banana skins, but it probably includes more games that could go either way.  Particularly, the Chiefs start to their South African tour against the table topping Stormers.

Our picks for Round 5 below:

Hurricanes v Blues

Hurricanes – $1.21

Blues – $4.50

John Kirwan is under all sorts of pressure and an away match against the New Zealand conference’s only unbeaten team is not what he needs.  Thus, the Blues could be heading back over the Bombay Hills winless and coachless after they lose to the Hurricanes on Friday night.  Coming off the bye won’t be a factor for the Canes, nor will throwing Nehe Milner-Shudder a first Super Rugby start.  Hurricanes too strong from 6-13, they’ll win by 13+.

Force v Rebels

Force – $1.62

Rebels – $2.30

The poor cousins of the Australian conference will battle it out in what shapes to be an incredibly even contest.  For once the Force are favourites (they have won just two of the eight encounters between the teams in Super Rugby history), probably because of the home advantage rather than compelling form.  Both sides have won one game thus far, both coming in the first week against more fancied opponents.  Since then though it’s been slim pickings.  The Rebels had a bye last week too, but in their last match were unlucky in a narrow loss to the Brumbies.  The Force seem to be getting worse, so we’re backing the Rebels by 1-12.

Crusaders v Lions

Crusaders – $1.09

Lions – $8.00

There’s is zero possibility of the Lions doing to the Crusaders what they did to the Blues last week.  The Crusaders will be far too strong at home, and I for one like their approach of using Dan Carter at 12.   The All Blacks will like the approach too.  Because of Aaron Cruden’s kicking woes (you can’t play him in a World Cup final at the moment), they need to see Slade at ten to see how he’s progressing, but also need Carter on the paddock because he might be the best option even with all the injuries.  The return of Kieran Read and Sam Whitelock also delivers a big boost for the home side.  Crusaders 13+.

Highlanders v Waratahs

Highlanders – $2.40

Waratahs – $1.59

We might be the only ones but we like the Highlanders in this one.  The New Zealand side have shown a resolute defence in the tournament thus far and that’s exactly what they need to contain the talented Waratahs backs.  Israel Folau is expected to spend some time in the centres, creating a mouth watering showdown against All Black Malakai Fekitoa.  Fekitoa’s defence has improved markedly since becoming an All Black and has added breakdown turnovers to his repertoire; the winner of that particular contest could determine the overall victor.  The Waratahs are unchanged and despite them having the better overall record, we’ll go Highlanders 1-12.

Reds v Brumbies

Reds – $3.60

Brumbies – $1.30

Unfortunately, this match is a foregone conclusion.  The Brumbies are the best team in the conference, and the Reds are a rabble of misfits and past performers.  They’re also badly affected by injuries with James O’Connor again ruled out, Lachie Turner sitting out due to a concussion and Quade Cooper still on the sidelines.  They were well off the pace against last week and don’t deserve much attention against the Brumbies.  Brumbies 13+.

Stormers v Chiefs

Stormers – $1.75

Chiefs – $2.10

This is the toughest game of the round to call.  The table topping Stormers against the third placed Chiefs is a dream come true for Rugby fans who are noticing their sport suddenly lose marketshare to cricket.  The fifth round rugby savour will match up two of the more dangerous midfielders in the world – Sonny Bill Williams and Damian de Allende.  The match up between Liam Messam and Duane Vermeulen is also worth the admission alone.  Both teams have opted for a significant number of changes to their teams, presumably managing the workload of a busy calendar year.  We’ll vote against the masses and pick the Chiefs 1-12.  We think they’ll be embarrassed by last week and bounce back strongly.

Cheetahs v Sharks

Cheetahs – $2.15

Sharks – $1.72

Two teams who are playing hot and cold rugby face off and make the final match of the round also difficult to predict.  The Cheetahs have two wins and the Sharks, surprisingly, have just one.  Bismarck du Plessis returns to lead the Sharks, and former England international Mouritz Botha also enters the fray.  Free State Stadium may give the Cheetahs an advantage if they can recover from the shock points ambush inflicted by Handre Pollard and the Bulls last week.  Cheetahs 1-12.

The Multi

A head to head multi on these selections pays $38.40

A margin mutli on these selections pays $282.64

Rugby League: NRL Round 1 Review

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The first week of NRL action featured plenty of rust, and more than a few surprises.

The Rabbitohs, Roosters and Panthers look head and shoulders over the others in the competition, but it’s unfair to make rash comments like that this early in the season.  It’s not rash to quit Fantasy NRL after one week though.  598 points (including 11 to Milford and 20 to Josh Jackson) warrants quitting.

Here’s how the round played out:

Brisbane Broncos (6) v South Sydney Rabbitohs (36)

The year’s season opener was an unexpected boilover as last years champions eased past a disappointing Brisbane side at Suncorp.  Led by the astute direction and expert goal kicking of Adam Reynolds, the Bunnies were the better side throughout and chalked up their first two points without a hint of fuss.

Glenn Stewart’s ball playing abilities added versatility to an already strong side, indicating that the Rabbits will again be tough to beat.  Test players Dylan Walker and Greg Inglis both got on the scoresheet, while the Broncs were left to rue ill-discipline and a stuttering halves pairing of Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford – desperately lacking cohesion in their first outing together.

Parramatta Eels (42) v Manly Sea Eagles (12)

Anthony Watmough’s grudge match against his old club was not nearly as brutal as experts predicted.  Instead, the Eels overwhelmingly got the better of the injury hit Sea Eagles, who appear to be on the brink of an internal halves crisis with rumours swirling around both Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans.

The enigmatic Chris Sandow was brilliant for the Eels, as was Semi Radradra who bagged the first hat-trick of the season.  Will Hopoate took over from Jarryd Hayne with aplomb; leading raids into Sea Eagles territory often, and showing some positive signs with his defensive reads.

In a word, Manly were, useless.

Newcastle Knights (24) v New Zealand Warriors (14)

More of the same for the frustrating New Zealand outfit.  The Warriors butchered a nice start, and a dominating share of possession to go scoreless in the second half and gift Newcastle two competition points.

The Warriors had positives in the performances of youngsters Kata, Lolohea, and Lisone, but will be dreadfully disappointed with their poor completion rate, poor fifth tackle kicking options and soft one and one defence.

For the Knights, Joey Leilua was dangerous with ball in hand and Tyler Randell played nicely from the bench.  They’ll still feel as though they escaped with points from this one though.

Gold Coast Titans (18) v Wests Tigers (19)

The Titans put to the side and incredibly challenging buildup, and a host of unavailable players to surprise many with a  fighting effort adjacent the West Tigers.  Pat Richards slotted a late field goal to complete a greedy individual haul for him and a win for his side.

Earlier, the James’ were dominating the scoring.  James Roberts had two tries for the Titans,  Ryan James also crossed the line, and walking sick note James Tedesco dotted over for the Tigers.

Robbie Farah and Aaron Woods were in the thick of everything for the visitors, while the Titans just want their players to return from a long pool game.

North Queensland Cowboys (4) v Sydney Roosters (28)

We predicted a Roosters win, but the manner and margin still surprised us.  That’s factoring in many people’s predictions that 2015 is the year of the Cowboys.

The Roosters proved Sonny Bill Williams wasn’t the key to their NRL success, with a complete team performance capped off by a memorable Mitchell Pearce showing.  They still look an excellent side and with Guerra and Cordner picking up the SBW slack, they will go along way.

The Cowboys shouldn’t play this badly again; Jonathan Thurston certainly won’t.  So don’t hit the panic button just yet if you’re a Cowboys fan or have Thurston in your fantasy team.

Penrith Panthers (24) v Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs (18)

Penrith were incredible for 60 minutes; the Bulldogs were good for twenty minutes.  The net result was a close win to the Panthers in a difficult first round match.

After building their squad, their experience and confidence over the past two season under Ivan Clearly, the Panthers are now genuine title contenders, and displayed their credentials in an efficient first 60 minutes.  They’ll be smarting they gave the Bulldogs a sniff but pleased they withheld the fast finishers.

Individually, James Segeyaro has carried on his form from last season’s playoffs; George Jennings justified the hype; and for the Doggies, Brett Morris was impressive in joining his brother at the club.

Cronulla Sharks (20) v Canberra Raiders (24)

Canberra’s win was a little surprising to tell the truth, but thoroughly deserved in a close encounter with the Cronulla Sharks.  Jack Wighton was the star of the show, both for his electric running that led to two tries and his almighty haymaker aimed at Sosaia Feki.  The young fullback was involved in everything, and although lucky to escape sanction for the punch (don’t the NRL have a one punch rule?), his performance suggests he’ll be a Dally M smokey this year.

Fifita and Gallend were excellent for the Sharks as they so often are, however, Ben Barba failed to find opportunities in the number 6 jersey.  The kindest thing we can say about Barba’s performance was that he was on the field.  I’m calling the fullback to number 6 failed experiments – the Lockyer curse.

St George-Illawarra Dragons (4) v Melbourne Storm (12)

Just the 16 points in a pretty dour encounter at Jubilee Oval.

The less said about this game the better.  Although we were pleased for former hotel porter Eto Nabuli crossing for a try on debut.

The statistic that sums up how much of an arm wrestle this match was is the tackle count of the two hookers; Cameron Smith had 48; Mitch Rein had 47.

Don’t expect either of these sides to set your pulse racing this season.

Super Rugby Round 4 Review

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Super Rugby continues to throw up its share of surprises after a couple of absolute shockers in Round 4.  The jet-setting Chiefs suffered their first loss of the year to fellow New Zealand outfit, the Highlanders, and the Blues lost at home to the perennial under-achevers, the Lions in a match that heaps even more pressure on coach John Kirwan.

Not only was Round 4 difficult on punters, it was also a difficult watch for rugby fans.  The games were incredibly boring, and only the Bulls and Brumbies were worth watching.  Here’s our take on Super Rugby Round 4.

Chiefs (17) v Highanders (20)

An error prone performance subjected the Chiefs to their first loss of the 2015 campaign and with it costed them top spot on the Super Rugby ladder.  Friday night’s poor execution was in stark to their exemplary performance of a week ago against the Crusaders, but was somewhat understandable in the face of committed Highlander’s defence.

The sloppy loss is not worth panicking over, however it does reinforce Steve Hansen’s comments about rugby getting boring if teams continue to play a high defensive line and place too great an emphasis on killing opposition momentum rather than countering it with their own.  No heroes to point out for either side.

Chiefs: Tries – Penalty try 2, Pen – A.Cruden, Con – A.Cruden 2

Highlanders: Tries – P.Osborne, Pen – L.Sopoaga 3, M.Banks 2

Brumbies (27) v Force (15)

The Brumbies were the most efficient Australian conference side of the round.  They secured a four try bonus point win in comfortable circumstance against a trying Western Force side, who despite asking the Brumbies to make 234 tackles in the game, couldn’t find any real momentum.

The skill of the Brumbies lies in their ability to soak up vast amounts of defensive pressure, which came in spades on Friday night, but was suitably death with for the third week in a row.

Even Nick Cummins return to the score sheet wasn’t enough to spark the Force.  They did improve from a week ago against the Highlanders, but they need to get more inventive on attack to compete regularly.

Brumbies: Tries – R.Arnold, J.Tomane, B.Alexander, N.White, Pen – C.Lealiifano, Con – C.Lealiifano 2

W.Force: Tries – N.Cummins, S.Mafi, Pen – Z.Holmes, Con – Z.Holmes

Blues (10) v Lions (13)

The Blues are in crisis mode after their fourth straight loss.  They are now the only team without a win in 2015, and looking increasingly like welcoming a new coach at some stage during the year.  The Blues fell from 10-3 up to lose to one of the least successful franchises in the history of Super Rugby.

The home defeat was especially disappointing given the Blues actually dominated in every facet of the game.  Sure, they lack leadership – Kain, Cowan and Braid are asked to shoulder too much responsibility, but they have All Blacks in Piatau, Halai and Saili who need to start shepherding the backline and making more penetrative plays when offered the opportunity.

Well done to the Lions for sticking at it in Albany, exceptional resolve.

Blues: Tries – J.Kaino, Pen – I.West, Con – I.West

Lions: Tries – R.Combrinck, Pen – E.Jantjies 2, Con – E.Jantjies

Reds (5) v Waratahs (23)

Folau is inside the top five for defenders beaten, offloads, metres and carries.  The attacking weapon is one of the reasons the Waratahs have fought back so strongly from their shock first round defeat.  Him, and the rest of the backline that is.  The uber-talented backs including the likes of Foley, Beale, Ashley-Cooper and Betham were excellent against the Reds despite some moments of sloppiness.

Reds could be in for a long season.

Reds: Tries – M.Kotze

Waratahs: Tries – B.Foley, P.Betham, Pen – B.Foley 3, Con – B.Foley 2

Cheetahs (20) v Bulls (39)

The game of the round featured a plethora of tries and the first time we were able to bring out the drop goal on the match scoreboard below.  Handre Pollard got the entire set of point options (try, conversion, penalty, droppy) in a characteristically awesome individual display.  The Bulls now look super dangerous, and if I was going to place any Super Rugby bet this week, it would be on them to win the South African conference.

The Cheetahs have been very decent this year, and they were unfortunate to run into such an emphatic Bulls side, to end their unbeaten run.

Pollard could not have asked for a better platform from his forwards that put in an impressive shift and completely dominated their opponents.  The Cheetahs pack showed some signs of weakness that will need to be addressed before the meet the Sharks this week.

Cheetahs: Tries – R.Rhule, B.Prinsloo, Pen – J.Pietersen 2, Con – J.Pietersen 2

Bulls: Tries – H.Pollard, B.Basson, J.Serfontein, Pen – H.Pollard 5, Con – H.Pollard 3, Drop – H.Pollard

Stormers (29) v Sharks (13)

The Stormers remain unbeaten and at the peak of the Super Rugby summit after a win against pre-tournament favourites the Sharks.  The Stormers flawless start to the season is showing no signs of slowing, after an imperious display in this match.  The Sharks who we gave a real chance to, failed to get in to the contest, and are now languishing in 10th position on the ladder.

Stormers centre Damian de Allende was arguably the player of the round.

Stormers: Tries – J.Kotze, Penalty try, Pen – D.Catrakilis 4, K.Coleman, Con – D.Catrakilis, K.Coleman

Sharks: Tries – P.Lambie, Pen – P.Lambie 2, Con – P.Lambie

Super Rugby Round 3 Review

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Super Rugby table seems to be separating into three strong teams (Hurricanes, Stormers, Chiefs – maybe harsh on the Brumbies) and then everyone else.  The three unbeaten sides look comfortably better than most on show and are destined to spend a fair bit of time near the top of the table this year.

Read below for our review of Round 3.

Highlanders (20) v Reds (13)

Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr stadium (or “the Zoo” as its affectionately known) hosted a bumper crowd for Friday night’s Super Rugby Round 3 opener, and the stadium demographic (drunk students) were treated to an even encounter between the Reds and the Highlanders.  The Reds are still finding their feet this year; they’ve had injury concerns, off field distractions and look a little unfit if we’re honest, and again struggled to build on a good start, this time against the Otago men.  The visitors dominated the opening thirty minutes with Reds recruit James O’Connor and veteran Will Genia combining nicely, however, they fell behind when another new recruit, the Highlander’s Waisake Naholo crossed the line to effectively seal the points.

The Highlanders need to find the right balance between their world class backline and workmanlike forward pack.  The forwards just dragging the chain.  Still they’re on the board in 2015.

Highlanders: Tries – W.Naholo, Pen – M.Banks 4, H.Parker

Reds: Tries – J.Schatz, Pen – J.O.Connor 2, Con – J.O.Connor

Force (13) v Hurricanes (42)

The Hurricanes continued the unbeaten start to the Super Rugby season with a comfortable win over the Force in Perth.  Basing their game on strong defence, the Wellington side are now three from three without having played a match at home.  Chris Boyd is having no trouble getting the best out of his All Blacks – Cory Jane, Victor Vito and Beauden Barrett all going up a gear from last year.  The Hurricanes are out on their own at the top of the Super Rugby table, and we’re already looking forward to their New Zealand conference showdown with the Chiefs.

The Force’s opening win is now a distant memory as they disappointed in their first effort in front of home fans.  Not many positives in this one unfortunately.

Force : Tries – M.Scott, Pen – Z.Holmes, S.Ebersohn, Con – L.Burton

Hurricanes: Tries – C.Jane, M.Abbott,V.Vito, J.Savea, J.Marshall, Pen – B.Barrett 3, Con – B.Barrett 2, J.Marshall 2

Cheetahs (25) v Blues (24)

The Cheetahs are unexpectedly still unbeaten after disposing of the Blues in Bloemfontein.  Mind you, they shouldn’t be.  The Blues lost this one rather than the Cheetahs winning it.  The Blues should have sealed the match comfortably but some questionable decision making led to the one point loss that heaps even more pressure on John Kirwan.  As likeable as he is, JK just hasn’t been able to come up with a winning game plan at the Blues and his position is becoming increasingly untenable.

The Cheetahs look okay.  They’ll play better than this and still lose though when they meet sterner competition.

Cheetahs: Tries – C.Hendricks 2, S.Pretorius, Pen – J.Pietersen 2, Con – J.Pietersen 2

Blues: Tries – L.Braid, C. Faumuina, J.Kaino, Pen – I.West, Con – I.West 3

Chiefs (40) v Crusaders (16)

The Chiefs signalled their title aspirations with a demolition of the consistently decent Crusaders outfit at home on Saturday night.  The bonus point win, built around another fine performance from the most impressive 9, 10, 12 in the competition, is certain to worry the other sides due to make the trip to Waikato.  The Highlanders make the trip next, but are unlikely to fare any better.

The Crusaders are still struggling to shake the early season rust, and while they’ll have easier matches to make up the points, they are looking fractured and unenthused.  Tom Taylor struggled at fullback, Colin Slade didn’t run enough and Todd Blackadder needs to give his whole troop some advice on decision-making.

Chiefs: Tries – SB Williams, A.Pulu, C.Ngatai, T.Marshall, J.Lowe, Pen – A.Cruden 3, Con – A.Cruden 3

Crusaders: Tries – A.Ellis, Pen – C.Slade 3, Con – C.Slade

Rebels (15) v Brumbies (20)

The driving rain put paid to any chance of this one being an entertaining classic.  It also curtailed the Rebels chance of winning the game, as the Brumbies’ Wallabies-packed forward unit exercised complete control to stifle their opponents.  Led by the retuning Stephen Moore, the Brumbies choked the life out of the game with a possession based tip of the hat to percentage footy.

Nothing really to write home about in the entire eighty minutes, but enough to put the Brumbies in control of the Australian conference.

Rebels: Pen – M.Harris 5

Brumbies: Tries – T.Kuridrani, J.Butler, Pen – C.Lealiffano 2, Con – C.Lealiffano 2

Bulls (43) v Sharks (35)

The match of the round saw six tries and plenty of points as the Bulls finally recorded a win at home.  Facing the South African conference favourites, the Sharks, the Bulls scored four tries to two and survived the boot of Patrick Lambie to get their 2015 Super Rugby campaign back on course.

The battle featuring Adriaan Strauss and Pierre Spies against Ryan Kankowski was epic, with Kankowski celebrating his return from Japan with a try, as did Spies.

Neither the Sharks or Bulls are looking like contenders at this early stage of the competition.  Both have plenty to work on – and we suggest it begins with defence.  The Sharks have conceded the most points in Super Rugby, and the Bulls the second most.

Bulls: Tries – F.Hougaard, D.Stegmann, P.Spies, J.Serfontein , Pen – H.Pollard 3, T. Schoeman, Con – H.Pollard 3, T.Schoeman

Sharks: Tries – R.Kankowski, C.Reinach, Pen – P.Lambie 7, Con – P.Lambie 2

Lions (19) v Stormers (22)

The Stormers have started the best out of any of the South African teams and just as everyone was singing their praises they almost suffered a shock loss to the Lions.  It could have been a tie too, with the Lions turning down a shot at goal to tie things up after being awarded a penalty late on; instead seeking an unlikely win.

The enterprise wasn’t rewarded, much to the dismay of the home stand, but they put up a brave fight that was worth more than their place at the bottom of the Super Rugby table.  They are a lot more competitive than in seasons gone by and will not be easy beats at home.

The Stormers have their work cut out for them next week when they meet the high flying Stormers in Cape Town.  They must improve.

Lions: Tries – W. Tecklenburg, Pen – E.Jantjies 4, Con – E.Jantjies

Stormers: Tries – S.Kolisi, Pen – D.Catrakilis 5, Con – K.Coleman

Super Rugby Round 3 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It’s that time of the week again, Super Rugby Round 3 Preview with odds from Sportingbet Australia.

Highlanders v Reds

Highlanders – $1.35

Reds – $3.25

James O’Connor’s return from rehab Europe is the major feature of Round 3’s opener at Forsyth Barr.  The Reds are the underdogs for their trip to Dunedin despite their strong performance against the Force last week, and will look to the former Wallaby to provide the inspiration.  The Highlanders have gone for Marty Banks instead of Lima The Highlanders will be without Lima Sopoaga who hasn’t trained all week.  Just one spot separates the two teams on the Super Rugby ladder so it should be a close encounter.  In the end we’re tipping the Highlanders backline to be the difference in a 11 point win to the home side.

Force v Hurricanes

Force – $2.10

Hurricanes – $1.75

The Force have an appealing record against the Hurricanes having won just 1 match in the prior 8 encounters.  However, 2015’s matchup could be a different story with the Perth franchise showing some okay form in their win against defending champions, the Waratahs.  That was balanced out with a subdued loss against the Reds.  The Hurricanes, who enter as slight favourites, had an immeasurably good run in South Africa winning both their road matches.  They haven’t found an attacking spark yet but should still be too strong for the Force.  Therefore, we’re predicting 2015 is not the year the Force get another win against the Canes.  Canes by 13+.

Cheetahs v Blues

Cheetahs – $1.65

Blues – $2.26

The Blues will be filthy the Cricket World Cup is taking away their beloved Eden Park fortress, and while New Zealand and Australia destroy the turf with a drop in pitch, the Blues will travel to Bloemfontein to try and get their 2015 campaign up and running. 0 from 2 is a poor return for a side packed with All Blacks and led by the mercurial Jerome Kaino.  They’ve moved Charles Piutau to centre, while the well-rested Cheetahs welcome back Springbok wing Cornal Hendricks.  The Cheetahs have never won their first two games of a Super Rugby season, but if they were ever going to do it this is the year.  We’re picking them to be as impressive as they were in Round 1 with a 6 point win.

Chiefs v Crusaders

Chiefs – $1.60

Crusaders – $2.36

The perennial clash of the New Zealand conference titans is at its sumptuous best this year.  A powerful Chiefs backline vs a dogged Crusaders forward pack makes for a gripping contest of contrasting styles.  The Chiefs have SBW and the form winger in the competition in James Lowe, whereas the Crusaders will rely on Richie McCaw and the improving Scott Barrett.  Dan Carter’s injury is offset by Colin Slade’s impressive form so we find this incredibly difficult to pick.  At the flip of a coin, we’ll go with the Chiefs by 5.

Rebels v Brumbies

Rebels – $3.00

Brumbies – $1.40

We’ll say it now – the Brumbies will win the comp this year.  Stephen Larkham will celebrate his elevation to the National coaching set-up with another backroom scripted win.  To do so, they’ll need to overturn a horrible run of just one win from their last four matches against the Rebels, and hope the Rebels can’t rediscover their Crusaders beating form.  Stephen Moore returns to captain the Brumbies, and Nic Stirzaker is coming back from suspension, in the two major additions to each side.  Brumbies to win by 8.

Bulls v Sharks

Bulls – $1.83

Sharks – $2.00

The bookmakers have predictably called this one to be especially close.  The traditionally strong Bulls up against the always there or there about Sharks, should in most years be the match that settles the South African conference.  But this year is different.  The Sharks have won one, the Bulls none, in surprising early season form.  The Bulls in particular have uncharacteristically dropped games at home, but get the chance to atone in Super Rugby Round 3.  The most exciting inclusion this week, is Ryan Kankowski the man mountain, who reruns from a Japanese rugby stint for the Sharks.  In a tricky decision, we will tip the Sharks by 6.

Lions v Stormers

Lions – $2.50

Stormers – $1.54

Another Super Rugby Round 3 all South African affair sees the unbeaten and table topping Stormers face off against the Lions in Johannesburg.  The Stormers have gone with a similar side to last week and are hoping to continue their unbeaten run, which has been matched by only the Chiefs and Hurricanes.  The Lions are yet to going this year, they have the worst record in the competition.  Accordingly, they’ve sprung a major surprise and dropped Marnitz Boshoff and given a start to Elton Jantjies.  We don’t think the tactical move will help them get up against the Stormers, we’ll back them by 10.

This Week’s Multi

A head to head multi on our picks pays $25.32

A margin multi pays $1597.84