Rugby-Talk’s SuperBru competition for the 2014 Super Rugby tournament is drawing to a close with only three matches remaining.

In last week’s Qualifying rounds JohnR earned the yellow cap with a solid 5 pointer moving him up 12 places to 31st. Carol still leads the pack of hungry wolves chasing at her heels, but refuses to relinquish her coveted 1st spot. Sharks_Lover is still a close second, with less than a point separating the two.

Both Winston Champ and Charo at 3 and 4 respectively have fallen slightly off the pace, with 3,5 and 5,2 points separating them from Carol.

Before making those SuperBru predictions, let’s have a look at some picks, tips and predictions first.

First up the predictions from Sport24 who has taken a brave stance and went for the Sharks in the first semi final:

Crusaders vs Sharks, Christchurch – 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT)

How much can we take from the result here earlier in the season when making predictions for this game? As the Sharks learnt last week, when they beat a side that had won the exact same fixture earlier in the season, not a great deal. That they won here in Round 14, then, probably won’t have a great deal of bearing on the result this weekend – although it will likely give them the confidence to know they can get a victory. The Crusaders have had a couple of weeks off so will be well rested (or rusty?) but one thing they need to ensure is that their pack hit the ground running – they will have seen the way the Sharks tight five eviscerated the Highlanders last weekend, and need to find a way of making sure the same doesn’t happen to them.

It is a very difficult game to call – probably the more difficult of the two semi-finals. The Crusaders have home advantage, but have already lost three times in Christchurch this season, so that doesn’t tell us a great deal. The Sharks have performed well against the New Zealand franchises this season, and I just feel they’ve got one more big performance in them to overcome a Crusaders side that have played too laterally at times recently.

• Prediction: Sharks by 2

Waratahs vs Brumbies, Sydney – 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 09:40 GMT)

This looks a slightly easier one to call. The Waratahs, despite having had a weekend off, bring insatiably good form into the game, have not tasted defeat since 25th April. They beat the Brumbies by 31 in this exact fixture just a few weeks ago – incidentally, their joint highest margin of victory all season. The Brumbies played well on the whole last weekend against the Chiefs, but were guilty of switching off at times and could quite easily have been held to a draw had Aaron Cruden had his kicking boots on in the last few minutes.

The Brumbies will look to fly out of the blocks and catch the Waratahs cold after their week off, but unless they can build a huge lead early on it’s tough to see them coming away from this one with a win. Whatever happens, the prospect of the likes of Toomua, Speight and Mogg going up against compatriots Beale, Ashley-Cooper and Folau is a mouthwatering one, to say the least. The way the Waratahs have played this season, though, it would be a travesty if they didn’t at least make it to the final.

• Prediction: Waratahs by 9

Next, we look at the SuperBru community and some rugby pundits:

The SuperBru community picks:

• CRUSADERS (62%) to beat Sharks by 3
• WARATAHS (86%) to beat Brumbies by 6

The odds from OddsChecker:

• CRUSADERS (4/11) to beat Sharks (11/4)
• WARATAHS (2/5) to beat Brumbies (5/2)

Every single player in ex referee Jonathan Kaplan’s private pool, All Black and Lions coach John Mitchell, ex Bok skipper Corne Krige, ex Bok centre Marius Joubert, your tour host Tank Lanning, and the referee himself, have the Crusaders and Waratahs to take the semis.

Jamie Hosie from the Rugby Blog also fancies the Sharks to make history on Saturday.

Crusaders vs Sharks

How much can we take from the result here earlier in the season when making predictions for this game? As the Sharks learnt last week, when they beat a side that had won the exact same fixture earlier in the season, not a great deal. That they won here in Round 14, then, probably won’t have a great deal of bearing on the result this weekend – although it will likely give them the confidence to know they can get a victory. The Crusaders have had a couple of weeks off so will be well rested (or rusty?) but one thing they need to ensure is that their pack hit the ground running – they will have seen the way the Sharks tight five eviscerated the Highlanders last weekend, and need to find a way of making sure the same doesn’t happen to them.

It is a very difficult game to call – probably the more difficult of the two semi-finals. The Crusaders have home advantage, but have already lost three times in Christchurch this season, so that doesn’t tell us a great deal. The Sharks have performed well against the New Zealand franchises this season, and I just feel they’ve got one more big performance in them to overcome a Crusaders side that have played too laterally at times recently.

• SuperBru prediction: Sharks by 2.

Waratahs vs Brumbies

This looks a slightly easier one to call. The Waratahs, despite having had a weekend off, bring insatiably good form into the game, have not tasted defeat since 25th April. They beat the Brumbies by 31 in this exact fixture just a few weeks ago – incidentally, their joint highest margin of victory all season. The Brumbies played well on the whole last weekend against the Chiefs, but were guilty of switching off at times and could quite easily have been held to a draw had Aaron Cruden had his kicking boots on in the last few minutes.

The Brumbies will look to fly out of the blocks and catch the Waratahs cold after their week off, but unless they can build a huge lead early on it’s tough to see them coming away from this one with a win. Whatever happens, the prospect of the likes of Toomua, Speight and Mogg going up against compatriots Beale, Ashley-Cooper and Folau is a mouthwatering one, to say the least. The way the Waratahs have played this season, though, it would be a travesty if they didn’t at least make it to the final.

• SuperBru prediction: Waratahs by 9.

From the Bowl Philosophy’s site, they see things going for the home teams:

Crusaders vs Sharks

The Sharks showed against the Highlanders that when their forwards are in form, they are incredibly hard to stop especially at scrum and lineout time. Unfortunately, going on last week’s game there is not much more to get excited about. Frans I don’t want to play for the Bokke Steyn looked better in the last 10 minutes at centre than he has looked since May at flyhalf and Jake White has wisely decided to start Pat I use Clear for Men Lambie in the vital number 10 posish. Paul Jordaan shifts to outside centre and JP Pietersen will play on the wing. In the forwards Willem Alberts replaces the injured Anton Bresler and Jean Deysel comes into the side in Man mountain’s place. Deysel was excellent last week and will be keen to make up for the brain fart face stomp that saw him red-carded the last time these two met.

For the Crusaders, Richie captain charming McCaw returns to the side after recovering from a rib injury that has kept him out since June. Kieran Read and Dan the man Carter are both fit and starting, with Carter slotting in at inside centre in order for Colin Slade to keep his place at flyhalf and Read taking his place at the back of the scrum. The Saders have never lost a play-off game at home and despite basically choking when they played a 14 man Sharks side in May, rightly start as hot favourites.

It is hard to see the Sharks winning in Christchurch twice in one season, even though they have a very good overseas record. The travel factor cannot be discounted and they will not dominate the Crusaders forwards the way they dominated the Highlanders’ last week. Lambie will bring a better tactical kicking game to the side and it should be close but unfortunately I reckon the Sharks will fall just short on Saturday. Bleaksville.

• Venue: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
• Kick-Off: Saturday 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT)
• Crusaders vs Sharks Prediction: Crusaders by less than 7

Waratahs vs Brumbies

The Brumbies were very good for the first 30 mins of the game last week and if they play like that for the full 80 mins they could well upset the table topping Tahs. Backs Nic White, Matt Toomua and Henry Speight are all in superb form and were instrumental in the win last week but it is in the lineouts where the Brumbies may have the upper hand. The feral horses have won more lineout ball and stolen more than the Tahs this season and could well use this as a way to starve the them of possession. Unfortunately for them, they have won far fewer turnovers and have missed more tackles and kicks at goal, which does not bode well.

The Waratahs have brought back fullback Israel Folau after he sat out the last game with a thigh injury and have decided to start Saffa Jacques Potgieter at lock with mahussive Will Skelton on the bench as back up. In other changes, wing Rob Horne makes a return to the side after missing the last game with the flu. Folau is of course the main attacking threat but Kurtley tache Beale has rediscovered some magical form and both Bernard Foley and Adam Ashley-Cooper are potential game breakers, so a lot will depend on the quality of the ball the forwards are able to deliver.

Coach Cheika is supremely confident and has said he is glad to be facing the Brumbies before taking on the Crusaders in the final, which Jake White will have taken note of. His side have done very well to finish top of the log and will start as big favourites at home, with the only real uncertainty being how rusty his side will be after their mini break. Smart money is on the Waratahs maintaining their impressive winning run although a sneaky Brumbies pick could earn you some mulage or a few jumps up the SuperBru ladder, just saying.

• Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
• Kick-Off: 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 09:40 GMT)
• Waratahs vs Brumbies Prediction: Waratahs by 5-12