S18 PREVIEW: ROUND FIVE, PART TWO
There is a bumper weekend of action ahead of us, with six matches on Saturday and a massive Australian derby on Sunday.
Most of the matches already seem like foregone conclusions on paper, however, we know anything is possible in this competition.
The main attraction on Saturday will be the huge encounter in Durban where the Sharks host the Crusaders. The Sharks remain the only unbeaten side in the competition and will want to keep that record going against a Crusaders side who are well known for being slow starters.
The other big match of the round is the all-Australian derby in Queensland where the Reds host the Waratahs. Both sides are yet to gain any sort of winning momentum and have somewhat struggled.
We look at all the Easter weekend matches below!
Saturday, March 26
The Chiefs have won seven of the nine encounters between these sides, though the Force's most recent victory came in Round Six, 2014.
The Chiefs have won three of their four matches in Super Rugby 2016, though in each of those four matches they have trailed at half-time. The Force have won two of their last three matches away from home, though they've not won in New Zealand since Round Five, 2014 against the Highlanders.
Matt Hodgson has won the most turnovers this season (nine) while teammate Pekahou Cowan has won four so far, the equal most of any player who's yet to concede a turnover. The Chiefs have scored 59 first-half points so far this season, only the Highlanders (65) have scored more.
Recent results:
Prediction: The Force will be plucky and highly determined but the Chiefs have too much class and will win by about 25 points.
Teams:
Chiefs: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Sam McNicol, 13 Seta Tamanivalu, 12 Charlie Ngatai, 11 James Lowe, 10 Aaron Cruden (co-captain), 9 Brad Weber, 8 Michael Leitch, 7 Sam Cane (co-captain), 6 Tom Sanders, 5 Taleni Seu, 4 Michael Allardice, 3 Siate Tokolahi, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Mitchell Graham.
Replacements: 16 Rhys Marshall, 17 Atu Moli, 18 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi, 19 James Tucker, 20 Sam Henwood, 21 Kayne Hammington, 22 Stephen Donald, 23 Toni Pulu.
Western Force: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Marcel Brache, 13 Ben Tapuai, 12 Junior Rasolea, 11 Semisi Masirewa, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Angus Cottrell, 7 Matt Hodgson (captain), 6 Brynard Stander, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Ross Haylett-Petty, 3 Tetera Faulkner, 2 Heath Tessmann, 1 Pekahou Cowan.
Replacements: 16 Chris Heiberg, 17 Nathan Charles, 18 Jermaine Ainsley, 19 Sitiveni Mafi, 20 Ben McCalman, 21 Ryan Louwrens, 22 Ian Prior, 23 Albert Nikoro.
Date: Saturday, March 26
Venue: FMG Stadium, Hamilton
Kick-off: 19.35 (14.35 AWST; 06.35 GMT)
Referee: Mike Fraser
Assistant referees: Paul Williams, Brett Johnson
TMO: Glenn Newman
The Rebels have won their last two against sides from New Zealand and are aiming for three consecutive wins against teams from across the Tasman for the first time, however they have lost three of four against the Highlanders.
Despite averaging 24.5 points scored across their four matches against the Highlanders, the Rebels have only defeated them once. The Highlanders have conceded only nine points in the first half of their last three matches, though they've conceded 48 points in the second half of those fixtures.
Lima Sopoaga has scored 42 points so far this season, the seventh most of any player but the most of any player who is yet to score a try. For the second week in a row, a Rebels player – John Placid – beat eight defenders in a single match, the equal most of any Rebels player since Tom English beat 11 in Round Three, 2014.
Recent results:
Prediction: The Rebels will certainly not roll over and hand the Highlanders the victory. Expect a tightly fought first half but the Highlanders' experience and class should shine through in the second half to run away with a 15-point victory.
Teams:
Melbourne Rebels: 15 Jonah Placid, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Tamati Ellison, 12 Mitch Inman, 11 Tom English, 10 Jack Debreczeni, 9 Ben Meehan, 8 Adam Thomson, 7 Sean McMahon (captain), 6 Jordy Reid, 5 Lopeti Timani, 4 Luke Jones, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 James Hanson, 1 Toby Smith.
Replacements: 16 Pat Leafa, 17 Cruze Ah Nau, 18 Jamie Hagan, 19 Sam Jeffries, 20 Scott Fuglistaller, 21 Nic Stirzaker, 22 Dan Hawkins, 23 Reece Hodge.
Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith (co-captain), 14 Jack Wilson, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Rob Thompson, 11 Patrick Osborne, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Liam Squire, 7 Shane Christie (co-captain), 6 Luke Whitelock, 5 Joe Wheeler, 4 Mark Reddish, 3 Siosuia Halanukonuka, 2 Ash Dixon, 1 Brendon Edmonds.
Replacements: 16 Liam Coltman, 17 Craig Millar, 18 Josh Hohneck, 19 Dan Pryor, 20 Elliot Dixon, 21 Josh Renton, 22 Hayden Parker, 23 Jason Emery.
Date: Saturday, March 26
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Kick-off: 19.45 (21.45 NZDT; 08.45 GMT)
Referee: Andrew Lees
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner, Jordan Way
TMO: Peter Marshall
The Bulls haven't won a Super Rugby match outside of South Africa since Round Four, 2013, losing their last 11 such games. The Sunwolves may still be searching for their maiden Super Rugby victory
but they have led at half-time in their last two matches, outscoring opponents 39-19 in that period.
The Bulls have won only one of their last six matches immediately after a draw. Two of the Bulls' seven tries so far this season have originated from lineout steals, no team has scored more from that origin.
Shinnosuke Kakinaga has conceded seven penalties in the Sunwolves inaugural Super Rugby campaign, only three players have conceded more.
Recent results:
These sides have never met before.
Prediction: The Sunwolves have showed that they are capable of taking the game to any opponent and despite holding the lead for a long period, they have not been able to close out matches. The Bulls have bagged just one victory from their three matches but their draw against the Sharks should have a positive impact on their performance. Despite the travelling, the Bulls should claim a converted try victory.
Teams:
Sunwolves: 15 Riaan Viljoen, 14 Viliami Lolohea, 13 Harumichi Tatekawa , 12 Yu Tamura, 11 Akihito Yamada, 10 Tusi Pisi, 9 Kaito Shigeno, 8 Tomas Leonardi, 7 Andrew Durutalo, 6 Yoshiya Hosoda, 5 Liaki Moli, 4 Hitoshi Ono , 3 Takuma Asahara, 2 Shota Horie (captain), 1 Keith Inagaki.
Replacements: 16 Futoshi Mori,17 Masataka Mikami, 18 Shinosuke Kakinaga, 19 Shinya Makabe, 20 Ed Quirk, 21 Yuki Yatomi, 22 Mifiposeti Paea, 23 Yasutaka Sasakura.
Bulls: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Jamba Ulengo, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Arno Botha, 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Roelof Smit, 5 RG Snyman, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Pierre Schoeman, 19 Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, 20 Nicholas de Jager, 21 Piet van Zyl, 22 Francois Brummer, 23 Jan Serfontein.
Date: Saturday, March 26
Venue: Singapore National Stadium, Singapore
Kick-off: 18.50 (12.50 SAST; 10.50 GMT)
Referee: William Houston
Assistant referees: Shuhei Kubo, Aki Aso
TMO: Takashi Hareda
The Brumbies have won eight of the 11 matches between these clubs, including a 20-3 victory in their last encounter. The Cheetahs have lost each of their last five matches on home turf, their
longest streak in Super Rugby.
On the back of an away loss to the Stormers in Round Four, the Brumbies will now be looking to avoid consecutive defeats for the first time since their last regular season trip to South Africa (Round 13, 2015).
Two of the Brumbies' eight tries conceded so far this season have come from losing their own scrum, only one other team in the competition (Chiefs – 1) have conceded such a try.
At 70 percent, the Cheetahs have the least effective scrum in Super Rugby 2016 and they lose an average of two scrums per game so far.
Recent results:
Prediction: The Brumbies will be hurting from their defeat at the hands of the Stormers and would want to return to winning ways. They are showing signs of vulnerability and the Cheetahs need to exploit that. The Cheetahs have showed that they can push sides the full 80 minutes, however, they lose steam as the match progresses. The Cheetahs will certainly push the Brumbies but the Australian side will be too motivated and should claim a 12 point win.
Teams:
Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Francois Venter (captain), 12 Joubert Engelbrecht, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Niel Marais, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Paul Schoeman, 7 Uzair Cassiem, 6 Boom Prinsloo, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Lodewyk de Jager, 3 Johan Coetzee, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Retshegofaditswe Nche.
Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Charles Marais, 18 Nicolaas van Dyk, 19 Carl Wegner, 20 Hilton Lobberts, 21 Henco Venter, 22 Tian Meyer, 23 Fred Zeilinga.
Brumbies: 15 Aidan Toua, 14 Joe Tomane, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Robbie Coleman, 10 Christian Lealiifano (captain), 9 Tomás Cubelli, 8 Ita Vaea, 7 David Pocock, 6 Scott Fardy, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore (captain), 1 Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16 Robbie Abel, 17 Allan Alaalatoa, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Tom Staniforth. 20 Jordan Smiler, 21 Michael Dowsett, 22 James Dargaville, 23 Nigel Ah Wong.
Date: Saturday, March 26
Venue: Free Sate Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 15.00 (00.00 AEDT, Sunday, March 27; 13.00 GMT)
Referee: Glen Jackson
Assistant referees: Rasta Rasivhenge, AJ Jacobs
TMO: Willie Vos
The Sharks have won three of their last five home matches against the Crusaders, though the Crusaders won the last such clash by 42 points – the biggest margin in the history of the fixture in South Africa.
The Sharks remain unbeaten in their last seven fixtures, a win or draw against the Crusaders would equal the club's longest unbeaten run in Super Rugby history.
The Crusaders have won 16 of their last 20 matches against the Sharks, though three of their losses in that span have been in South Africa. The Crusaders have won 93 percent of their line-outs so far this season, the most of any team in the competition and they are one of only two teams (Chiefs) to lose fewer than one lineout per match on average.
The Sharks remain the only team yet to concede a second half try this season, though the Crusaders have scored seven of their 13 tries in the second stanza.
Recent results:
Prediction: This is probably the toughest call to make as the result can go either way. The Sharks are defending their unbeaten streak while the Crusaders are desperate for a victory to keep in touch with the Chiefs and Highlanders on the log. The Sharks are no pushovers at home though but history suggests the Crusaders are the favourites to walk away with a five point victory.
Teams:
Sharks: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Joe Pietersen, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Stephan Lewies, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Franco Marais, 1 Tendai Mtawarira (captain).
Replacements: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Lourens Adriaanse, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Daniel du Preez, 21 Michael Claassens, 22 Garth April, 23 Odwa Ndungane.
Crusaders: 15 David Havili, 14 Johnny McNicholl, 13 Kieron Fonotia, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Richie Mo'unga, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Matt Todd, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody.
Replacements: 16 Ben Funnell, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Mike Alaalatoa, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Jimmy Tupou, 21 Tim Boys, 22 Mitchell Drummond, 23 Ben Volavola.
Date: Saturday, March 26
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 17.05 (04.05 NZDT; 15.05 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Jaco van Heerden, Cwengile Jadezweni
TMO: Johan Greeff
The Jaguares have already beaten South African opposition, and claimed a losing bonus point in their other encounter with a team from that country. The Stormers average just 15.5 points per game in their last four matches away from home, though they've gone on to win two of those matches.
In all three of the Jaguares' games so far in Super Rugby, the team trailing at half-time has gone on to win the match. The Jaguares have conceded five tries in the opening quarter of matches this season, more than any other team in the competition, though the Stormers have scored only one of their nine tries in that period.
Eben Etzebeth has made 44 tackles, the most of any player yet to miss an attempt.
Recent results:
These sides have not met before.
Prediction: The Jaguares will be looking to keep the game as unstructured as possible in order to use all their flair and unpredictability. Their fans make be behind them every step of the way and the environment could be hostile for the Stormers. The Jaguares side is filled with international stars and have to be the favourites, however, the Stormers proved they can overcome any side when they defeated the more-fancied Brumbies in Round Four. It will be a tight affair but the Jaguares should claim a three-point victory.
Teams:
Jaguares: 15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Matías Orlando, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 11 Lucas González Amorosino, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Martín Landajo, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Tomás Lezana, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Matías Alemanno, 3 Felipe Arregui, 2 Agustín Creevy, 1 Santiago García Botta.
Replacements: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Roberto Tejerizo, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Facundo Isa, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Santiago González Iglesias, 23 Santiago Cordero.
Stormers: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Juan de Jongh (co-captain), 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Kurt Coleman, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Siyamthanda Kolisi, 6 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe (co-captain), 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 17 Oliver Kebble, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Jan de Klerk, 20 Schalk Burger, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 23 Huw Jones.
Date: Saturday, March 26
Venue: Vélez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
Kick-off: 18.40 (23.40 SAST; 21.40 GMT)
Referee: Chris Pollock
Assistant referees: Jamie Nutbrown, Federico Anselmi
TMO: Santiago Borsani
Sunday, March 27
The Waratahs have won their last five matches against the Reds, conceded only 28 points across that period. Prior to that the Reds had also won five straight matches in this fixture.
The Waratahs have lost their last two matches and will be hoping to avoid a third consecutive defeat for the first time since a horror run of nine straight losses from 2012 to 2013. The Reds haven't gone two matches without a loss in Super Rugby since Round 17, 2014, and they'll be aiming to equal that after a draw against the Blues in Round Four.
The Waratahs' opposition have kicked an average of just 1.3 penalty goals per game this season, no team concedes fewer. League-convert Eto Nabuli has averaged 11.5 metres per carry so far this season, the most of any player who's made more than 20 carries in 2016.
Recent results:
Prediction: An Australian derby is always going to be a tough battle and the result can usually go either way. However, the Reds have gone through some boardroom troubles and it seems to be taking its toll on the players. The Waratahs have been under-performing and will be eyeing this encounter to get things back on track. The Reds will push the Waratahs for at least 40 minutes but the 'Tahs have too much class and should bag a 25 point victory.
Teams:
Reds: Reds: 15 Karmichael Hunt, 14 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 13 Samu Kerevi, 12 Anthony Fainga'a, 11 Eto Nabuli, 10 Jake McIntyre, 9 Nick Frisby, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Hendrik Tui, 5 Rob Simmons (captain), 4 Cadeyrn Neville, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Andrew Ready, 1 Sef Fa'agase.
Replacements: 16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 James Slipper, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Ben Matwijow, 20 Curtis Browning, 21 Scott Gale, 22 Sam Greene, 23 Ayumu Goromaru.
Waratahs: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Reece Robinson, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Jed Holloway, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 6 Jack Dempsey, 5 David Dennis, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Angus Ta'avao, 2 Tolu Latu, 1 Paddy Ryan.
Replacements: 16 Hugh Roach, 17 Benn Robinson, 18 Tom Robertson, 19 Sam Lousi, 20 Wycliff Palu, 21 Matt Lucas, 22 David Horwitz , 23 Matt Carraro.
Date: Sunday, March 27
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 15.05 (05.05 GMT)
Referee: Ben O'Keeffe
Assistant referees: Graham Cooper, Damien Mitchelmore
TMO: George Ayoub
