Rainbow Cup & Super Rugby Trans-Tasman | 2021-06-10

Our punter Neal Hoogwerf is back this weekend and has his eyes set on a full house. We preview every match from Super Rugby Trans-Tasman and the Rainbow Cup.

Brumbies v Highlanders

Friday 11 June – 11:45

The Brumbies enter their final home fixture of the season after recording their first victory of the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition when they downed the Hurricanes by 2 points in a dull fixture. The Highlanders remain unbeaten in SR TT to date, and have an opportunity to contest the grand final next weekend if they manage to get a full house at GIO Stadium.

The Highlanders have rewarded their backers in recent times, having covered 7 of their last 9 away fixtures. The Brumbies have traditionally outperformed against NZ opposition, having beaten the handicap in 5 of their last 6 fixtures at home. I foresee this fixture being settled by a single score, so I am more than happy to side with the Brumbies at home bas

Rebels v Crusaders

Saturday 12 June – 05:35

The Rebels are still without a win but had their closest game to date is going down 26-36 against the Chiefs in Sydney. Having been all square at the break, their stagnant attack turned to be their downfall as the Chiefs managed to close out the fixture. The Crusaders remain unbeaten in SR TT, however, their performances have been far from pretty.

The Crusaders have won 4 straight against the Rebels by an average of 48 points. The Rebels have been valiant in the competition to date, having covered 3 of their 4 fixtures. I expect a big response from Razor Robinson’s Crusaders this weekend and I can’t see past anything other than one way traffic. Take the minus and put on the red jersey.

Stormers v Lions

Saturday 12 June – 16:00

The Stormers return home to Cape Town stadium with the Springbok rest protocols presenting them with a unique scenario as they will be without influential players such as Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Damian Willemse and Herschel Jantjies. The Stormers let a 10-point halftime lead slip as they ultimately went down 31-27 against the Bulls at Loftus. The Lions were unable to build on their victory against the Bulls as they were outclassed by a much-changed Sharks outfit in Johannesburg.

The Stormers will be eyeing out a strong finish to their season at Cape Town Stadium with an ideal chance to blood the next generation. The Lions have the luxury of not losing too many players to the Springboks and will have continuity to lean on this weekend. History indicates that there is little to separate these two sides and I’ll be happy to take the visitors with a generous head start.

Sharks v Bulls

Saturday 12 June – 18:15

The Bulls travel to Durban needing only a single point out of the fixture to book their flights to Italy for the Rainbow Cup final next weekend. It has been a commanding season for Jake White’s chargers, with their only slip upcoming against the Lions a fortnight ago. The Sharks have slowly built on recent performances and they will be quietly confident going into the weekend’s fixture.

The betting indicates that there is little to separate between the two sides with the Bulls having the extra motivation to put in a performance. Home ground advantage has proved the difference in the last few fixtures between these sides and I can’t see past a commanding Bulls display to book their flights to Italy. Bet on the Bulls in what promises to be a humdinger.