Exciting times ahead with only one more weekend of Rugby Championship matches to go.

Dead rubber or not, it’s the Springboks versus the All Blacks, so it will still be a cracker of a match, with Heyneke looking for that elusive first win over the men in black as coach of the Boks.

The Currie Cup is nearing the end of the regular rounds, and it’s only DHL WP and the Golden Lions that can feel certain that they will make the Top 4.

Any of the Cell C Sharks, Steval Pumas, Vodacom Blue Bulls and Toyota Free State Cheetahs are still in the running for the remaining two spots.

 

The Rugby Championship – SuperBru results, standings & predictions:

Going into the final round it is still Charo who has a clear lead in first place on 13 points. On 12,50 is Winston Champ and in third spot is Beatrix on 12,33.

Although the All Blacks have already been crowned Rugby Championship winners, the Rugby-Talk pool is still up for grabs going into the final match.

The yellow cap for Round 5 went to Superplaya who amassed 4 points between the two matches. Excellent predicting and well done.

Let’s get onto the predictions for the 6th round from Rugby-Talk and then from the experts.

 

Nortie’s predictions:

I’m sure many of us Springbok supporters will be buoyed by the score against the Australians, and especially that last ten minute blitz, that they will expect them to do the same to the All Blacks.

A word of caution though, the same results transpired in 2012 and 2013 across most of the games. Last year we also beat the Wallabies 28-8 or something and came unstuck at Ellis Park.

I realize that we were chasing a bonus point win etc., but the All Blacks have the habit of coming over from Argentina and showing less effects from travel than we do when we travel.

The Springboks haven’t beaten the All Blacks in Johannesburg since 2004 and I’m not sure they will do so this weekend.

The law of averages surely must degree that the All Blacks are due a loss and the Bokke are due a win against them, but I’m not sure our current Bok team are there yet.

• All Blacks by 8 – 13 points.

 

The Wallabies travel to Argentina after succumbing to a final 10 minute loss to the Bokke. They were asked to make more than 250 tackles, and I’m sure many Bru’s will be thinking of that and how Argentina are due for a win.

As mentioned in the Boks v AB’s prediction, it’s the same scenario as last year, where the Aussies went from a 20 point loss at Newlands to scoring more than 50 points in Argentina against the Pumas.

The All Blacks thumped the Pumas last week, and barring sloppy play once their reserves came on and allowing the Pumas a consolation try, they should have beaten them by 30 plus.

• Australia by 15 – 20

 

Grootblousmile’s predictions:

It’s a biggie between the Springboks and All Blacks and yes the Springoks have showed steady and even marvelous improvement each week of The Rugby Championship, with last weekend’s last 20 minutes against the Wallabies very, very special!

Is that enough to put the All Blacks away at Ellis Park…  hell I don’t know and don’t think so.

The All Blacks are bloody good… but there are few chinks in their armour, as much as a few mindless and frothing-from-the-mouth supporters do not want to admit!

It will require 85 minutes of pure passion, dedication and absolute heart from the Springboks though, not just 20 super minutes.

Last year, same time, the last 20 minutes killed the Springboks… due to superior All Blacks conditioning but if the first game between these 2 sides of 2014 is a true reflection, then it would appear that the Springboks are far better conditioned this season and pushed the All Blacks extremely hard at the end of the last Test in New Zealand.

We know the All Blacks have already won The Rugby Championship for 2014, so the Springboks only need to win… the pressure is off the Championship title. That means they can and should play the game plan which suits them and which is devised to beat the men in black, many tries are not the requirement.

I am really looking forward to this game!

• All Blacks by 2 – 7 points.

 

The Rugby Championship is a tournament which just gets increasingly tougher for the Argentinian Pumas, as the weeks of it passes from Round 1 to the last weekend of that year… and each week the Pumas fall one notch.

I therefore expect them to provide stiff resistence initially and then fading badly towards the end of the game… and if that happens, this Wallabies side could really punish them, even though they themselves are not a good Wallabies side by historical standards.

I think Nortie has the prediction spot on, Wallabies by 15 – 20, but hell who wants to follow Nortie’s predictions, just now he thinks we think he knows something about rugby… hahaha

So, let’s make the circle bigger… I mean make the margin bigger!

• Wallabies by 20 – 28

 

What the Bookies predict:

• Sportingbet: New Zealand, Australia
• Bet.coza: New Zealand, Australia
• Sportsbet: New Zealand, Australia

 

SARugbymag predictions:

There is a mixed bag of predictions from the fellows at SARugbymag this week.

SPRINGBOKS vs ALL BLACKS

• Simon Borchardt: All Blacks by 5
• Jon Cardinelli: All Blacks by 6
• Mark Salter: Boks by 3
• Brenton Chelin: Boks by 3
• Gary Lemke: Boks by 6

 

ARGENTINA vs WALLABIES

• Simon Borchardt: Argentina by 3
• Jon Cardinelli: Wallabies by 12
• Mark Salter: Argentina by 3
• Brenton Chelin: Argentina by 7
• Gary Lemke: Wallabies by 5

 

Planet Rugby’s predictions:

• All Blacks by less than 5
• Wallabies by 20

 

Currie Cup – Round 8 feedback and Round 9 predictions:

3 of the 4 matches in round 8 was easy and predictable, but the Cheetahs losing to the Bulls was the one game that put a damper on things for many.

It was one of those coin toss matches as both teams have had the tendency to blow hot and cold so far. The Bulls, after looking completely out of their depth at Loftus barely a week earlier, pulled themselves together and it was the Cheetahs at home who looked all at sea.

In the Rugby-Talk pool we see a complete changing of the guard in the leaderboard with Sakkie moving into 1st spot on 36,50 points followed by Snoek on 35,17 and Rudz on 35 points.

The yellow cap winner on 6,5 points on TDM over Sakkie who also managed that amount, is Modawg. Well done, great picking!

 

Nortie’s predictions:

Since the two groups have started playing their cross over games, there always seems to be one game that can go either way and isn’t quite as clear cut. This week sees almost all 4 fall into that catagory, as it’s truly an “anything can happen” weekend.

On Friday the Blue Bulls travel to Nelspruit to face a Steval Pumas side who up to a few weeks ago were still soaring. It’s not as if the wheels have come off for Jimmy’s team, but they are now feeling the effects of a long season and are facing unions who have superior depth.

The Pumas have accomplished enough this Currie Cup to avoid playing relegation matches and have won the respect of most neutral supporters, and I’m sure many will hope they reach the final four as a sort of Fairy Tale story, but not at the expense of their own team.

The Blue Bulls are desperate to salvage something from this year’s Currie Cup and anything less than a top 4 finish won’t do, so they will be desperate to win again. I doubt they will get 4 tries, they don’t score too many, but I think they might have enough firepower to pull off a win.

• Vodacom Blue Bulls by 7 – 12

 

The second match on Friday sees the Jake Whiteless Cell C Sharks face the high flying Xerox Golden Lions.

The Sharks have started waking up again and while most will automatically assume that the Lions will win based on the previous 8 rounds, I’m not quite so sure about that.

Many thought the same would happen at Loftus against a Blue Bulls side who were also struggling, and that didn’t pan out so well for them.

I have a sneaky suspicion that the Sharks might just pull off a win here, but every week it seems I get one stupid pick wrong, so I will merely go according to the log position.

• Xerox Golden Lions by between 3 – 8 points.

 

Saturday sees the Toyota Free State Cheetahs play host to DHL Western Province, and after their dismal showing against the Blue Bulls last week, expect the Free State Cheetahs to come out firing and give everything to spoil the party and topple the log leading side. They will most probably hail a victory this week as their season defining moment, whether they progress further or not.

DHL WP have started picking up injuries, and what made them successful earlier was the continuity they had with being able to pick the same side week in and week out. This is no longer the case.

Can the Free State Cheetahs beat them?… Yes!

Will they though?… I’m not so sure.

• DHL Western Province by 5 – 10

 

The final match of the weekend sees the Eastern Province Kings travel to Kimberly to face GWK Griquas.

The EP Kings have had a horrible Currie Cup and are the only side not to have registered a win, but if there is one game they can win, it’s this one.

The Griquas are more up to their speed and they are more used to playing them. Both sides have picked up season defining injuries without the depth to adequately replace the players they have lost.

Will home field advantage count?… I’m not so sure as the Griquas got thumped by almost 40 points at home last week.

The problem Griquas now have is that they will in all probability have to play relegation matches, so will they conserve their energy for those games or go full out in the remaining two weeks? They are truly in a damned if they do, damned if they don’t scenario.

Although I have a sneaky feeling that the EP Kings might just get their one and only win of the 2014 Currie Cup, I can’t see myself submitting a score with them as the winners.

• GWK Griquas by 5 – 10

 

Grootblousmile’s predictions:

I think the Steval Pumas have shot their bolt for the season, the lack of player depth has caught up to them and no matter how good a coach Jimmy Stonehouse is… and I rate him… even the woeful Blue Bulls will get past them, even in Nelspruit.

I am super peeved that the Pumas / Blue Bulls game and the Cell C Sharks / Golden Lions games are on at the same time on Friday, which means that Nortie will have to do the one LIVE GAME ARTICLE and me this one.

 

Come on Blue Bulls, click for once, please… and for goodness sakes, cut out those needless errors! Make the play-off’s, thereafter anything can appen, despite a less that stellar Currie Cup Season!

• Vodacom Blue Bulls by 11 – 18

 

The Cell C Sharks have blown hot and cold… mostly cold, in the Currie Cup of 2014, whereas the Golden Lions are playing for their coach, their season… and their lives, it seems.

So, I am left with a huge, huge question mark about this game, it is in Durban and the Sharks could have a purple patch again OR the Golden Lions could put this poorly coached Sharks side away!

I will be bold and predict a Golden Lions win… in the Shark Tank, just for spite!

• Xerox Golden Lions by between 2 – 5 points.

 

How average have the Toyota Free State Cheetahs been this Currie Cup, not good at all!

DHL Western Province should win this one comfortably, despite the fact that they have lock changes and have the untried Leyds (untried in the Currie Cup) at fullback.

No need to embroider further…

• DHL Western Province by 10 – 20

 

The Eastern Province Kings do not belong in the Currie Cup Premier Division and the engineering to ensconse them there is doing them no favours, although one sees the merits, reason and motivation for trying to uplift the region.

GWK Griquas will also put them to the sword and the EP Kings will not get a win in the year’s Currie Cup.

It’s not that Griquas have exactly been flash this season or that they have adequate depth in a longer competition like this, but surely they will have too much ammo for Carlos Spencer’s men..

• GWK Griquas by 10-17

 

What the Bookies predict:

The bookies this week have thrown a curve ball, they are predicting a Sharks and Free State Cheetahs victory. I do think the Sharks might pull it off, although I won’t be backing them, but it’s debatable whether the Cheetahs will beat WP, even if they have picked up some injuries.

• Sportingbet: Cell C Sharks, Blue Bulls, Free State Cheetahs, GWK Griquas
• Bet.coza: Cell C Sharks, Blue Bulls, Free State Cheetahs, GWK Griquas
• Sportsbet: Cell C Sharks, Blue Bulls, Free State Cheetahs, GWK Griquas

 

SARugbymag predictions:

SARugbymag only seem to agree on the 1 match for this round, being that Griquas will be victorious.

SHARKS vs GOLDEN LIONS

• Simon Borchardt: Lions by 5
• Jon Cardinelli: Lions by 6
• Mark Salter: Sharks by 5
• Brenton Chelin: Sharks by 6
• Gary Lemke: Lions by 5

 

PUMAS vs BLUE BULLS

• Simon Borchardt: Pumas by 3
• Jon Cardinelli: Bulls by 4
• Mark Salter: Pumas by 5
• Brenton Chelin: Bulls by 3
• Gary Lemke: Bulls by 4

 

FS CHEETAHS vs WESTERN PROVINCE

• Simon Borchardt: WP by 8
• Jon Cardinelli: WP by 5
• Mark Salter: Cheetahs by 5
• Brenton Chelin: WP by 10
• Gary Lemke: WP by 8

 

GRIQUAS vs EP KINGS

• Simon Borchardt: Griquas by 12
• Jon Cardinelli: Griquas by 5
• Mark Salter: Griquas by 8
• Brenton Chelin: Griquas by 12
• Gary Lemke: Griquas by 14

 

The Rugby Blog predictions:

• Blue Bulls by 6
• Golden Lions by 3
• WP by 15
• Griquas by 9

 

Planet Rugby predictions:

• Pumas by 6
• Sharks by 2

 

Rugby365 predictions:

• Blue Bulls by 7
• Golden Lions by 10
• Western Province by 15+
• Griquas by a small margin