Only 4 points separated the All Blacks from the Bokke in Wellington, but, as expected, New Zealand were the victors.

Australia managed a 7 point win against the Pumas so there were no surprises for Round 4 of the Rugby Championship.

There we many positives to be taken out of the game from a South African perspective, the biggest being the form of Handré Pollard playing in his first real big Test.

The Currie Cup results read like a Stephen King horror for many. The majority of players managed 1 or 2 games correct for the weekend, with the draw between the Cheetahs and Sharks proving the biggest surprise, and downfall of a GSP for quite a few Bru’s.

The Rugby Championship Round 4 winner: Superplaya

In the Rugby Championship pool Charo is still at No 1 on 10.50 points, closely followed by Beatrix on 10.33 points. In third, on 9.58 points is A Diligent Ruckus ( please come and tell us whether that is an anagram, and if yes, what it stands for ).

The Yellow Cap went to Superplaya who bagged 4 points from the two games. Well done!

Currie Cup Round 6 winner: Cheetah4eva

The Currie Cup pool once again sees changes at the top of the leaderboard, with Macrobull moving up 1 place to first on 27.00 points. In second place, up 4 positions is Henniek on 26.58 points, with Rudz in third on 26.50 points.

Cheetah4eva bagged the Yellow Cap with a 4,5 point haul for the weekend. Congratulations.

This weekend sees no Rugby Championship action, but the Currie Cup goes ahead, and for the first time, in the 7th week, we will now see the teams from the different sections playing against each other. This will make predictions slightly more tricky, as we have become used to gauging the strengths of the teams against those in their groups.

Currie Cup – Round 7 predictions:

Nortie’s predictions:

Xerox Golden Lions vs Steval Pumas:

First match on Friday evening sees the Lions host the Pumas. The Lions stopped the unbeaten run of Western Province last weekend and the Pumas lost to the Griquas, so they will be hoping to return to their winning ways.

I am backing the Lions at home by between 10-15 points.

DHL Western Province vs GWK Griquas:

On Saturday the WP host the Griquas, and I’m backing the boys from Province to bounce back and win between 15-20.

Vodacom Blue Bulls vs Cell C Sharks:

The big game of the weekend is the Blue Bulls against the Sharks at Loftus. I will go with the home team and pick the Bulls by between 5-10 points.

Eastern Province Kings vs Toyota Free State Cheetahs:

The only away team I will be backing this weekend is the Cheetahs, who travel to Port Elizabeth to take on the EP Kings.

Cheetahs by between 10-15.

Grootblousmile’s predictions:

Hell, who am I for making any predictions… after a weekend where I firstly forgot to make my Bru picks in time for the Currie Cup first game, then had all 3 of the rest of the Currie Cup picks for the weekend wrong!

Bummer!

Yeah, have a good laugh at me, I deserve it!

Anyway, here goes nothing!

Xerox Golden Lions vs Steval Pumas:

The Golden Lions are  playing for one another and their coach… but wait, so do the Pumas.

Can’t help but feeling that the Pumas big bubble is busy bursting though, as passion and heart only takes you so far in a season and not further.

The Golden Lions at home just made mince meat of the high-riding WP side, demolishing them to what looked like consumate ease in the end, so one has to say that at Ellis Park one would have to back the Golden Lions to put the Pumas away.

Nortie picked first, so I am loathe to pick what he has done… so let me be a bit more conservative as well as a bit more bold… and vague… hehehe… Golden Lions by 5 – 20.

DHL Western Province vs GWK Griquas:

WP, oh WP, is it the tme in the season where the big choke starts to show again??

Last week was terrible, with the Golden Lions really running you guys ragged!

At Newlands and considering their win ratio thusfar, I cannot see WP going down to a game Griquas side though!

WP by 10 – 15.

Vodacom Blue Bulls vs Cell C Sharks:

I am supposed to go to Loftus, to go sit in the Press Box for this one, in fact I have already RSVP’d to the Blue Bulls that I will do so, but now I’ve been invited to a Rugby-Talk Muppits get together at Gena’s place to watch the games and socialize with the animals… so, being an animal lover and half an animal myself, I am partial to go for the Muppits option!

With my luck, the Blue Bulls pull out the best game of the season when I’m not at Loftus on the weekend, against an over-rated and struggling Sharks team, who are looking decidedly ordinary at times… but then again, the Blue Bulls have showed exactly the same tendencies!

I predict a Blue Bulls win, by a scrape, 2 – 7 points.

Eastern Province Kings vs Toyota Free State Cheetahs:

Surely nobody is backing the EP Kings to win this one, not even the dumbest amongst us!

The Free State Cheetahs will be hurting after a close loss against the Sharks and will effect revenge on the Kings as a result, so I expect a biggish Cheetahs win, by between 15 – 25 points… hell I might even be a bit conservative in my estimates.

Predictions from Planet Rugby:

Lions by 7 points.
Province by 15
Bulls by 3
Cheetahs by 12

What the bookies say:

Sportingbet: Lions ; WP; Bulls; Cheetahs
Bet.coza: Lions; WP; Bulls; Cheetahs
Sportsbet: Lions; WP; Bulls; Cheetahs

SA Rugbymag predictions:

Golden Lions vs Pumas

Mark Salter: Golden Lions by 6
Gary Lemke: Golden Lions by 8
Jon Cardinelli: Golden Lions by 5
Brenton Chelin: Golden Lions by 7
Simon Borchardt: Golden Lions by 5
Mark Keohane: Golden Lions by 10

Western Province vs Griquas

Mark Salter: Western Province by 10
Gary Lemke: Western Province by 16
Jon Cardinelli: Western Province by 12
Brenton Chelin: Western Province by 7
Simon Borchardt: Western Province by 15
Mark Keohane: Western Province by 20

Blue Bulls vs Cell C Sharks

Mark Salter: Blue Bulls by 3
Gary Lemke: Blue Bulls by 3
Jon Cardinelli: Blue Bulls by 6
Brenton Chelin: Blue Bulls by 2
Simon Borchardt: Blue Bulls by 6
Mark Keohane: Blue Bulls by 7

EP Kings vs FS Cheetahs

Mark Salter: FS Cheetahs by 10
Gary Lemke: FS Cheetahs by 9
Jon Cardinelli: FS Cheetahs by 7
Brenton Chelin: FS Cheetahs by 5
Simon Borchardt: FS Cheetahs by 10
Mark Keohane: FS Cheetahs by 20

Rugby365 predictions:

Lions by 5
Cheetahs by 8
WP by 10+
Bulls by 7