1 July 2020, by: Carl Lewis

Super Rugby Aotearoa Round 4 Preview and Predictions

It’s already Round 4 of Super Rugby Aotearoa and on Saturday the Highlanders host the unbeaten Crusaders at Forsyth Barr Stadium. With the log leading Blues on bye, Sunday sees the two sides are winless so far face-off at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton.

Below is our betting preview ahead of Super Rugby Aotearoa Round 4.

Saturday 4 July

09:05 – Highlanders v Crusaders

The Highlanders have struggled this year with only two wins in their eight matches thus far. In their last game before Super Rugby was called off the Canes lost 38-13 to the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld. In Super Rugby Aotearoa, the Highlanders managed to kick a last-minute drop goal to beat the Chiefs 28-27 Dunedin but fell short against the Blues in their last match.

Despite being competitive throughout in Auckland the Highlanders-still went down 27-24 against a resurgent Blues. Flyhalf Mitch Hunt had a superb game for them and almost singlehandedly pulled off a second-half comeback with 17 point haul.

The Crusaders juggernaut have been their usual dominant selves, for the most part, this year and only suffered one loss in their six Super Rugby fixtures before it being called off. In Super Rugby Aotearoa the Saders’ have come out firing, winning their first match 39-25 against the Hurricanes in Wellington. Last week the Crusaders beat the Chiefs at home 18-13 but the match was marred by errors thanks to the inclement weather.

Throughout the hosts looked in control but handling errors allowed the Chiefs to stay in the hunt. Will Jordan grabbed a brace of tries while both were assisted by Sevu Reece. The Crusaders have now won 18 of their last 20 home matches against New Zealand sides.

The Crusaders have a 7-1 advantage over the Highlanders in their last eight meetings. The last four matches have seen the Saders’ win by 23, 26, 24 and 20 points. Their last meeting took place in February 2020 which the Crusaders won 33-13 in Christchurch.

Prediction: Crusaders win by 18.

Best Bet:

Sunday 5 July 

05:35 – Chiefs v Hurricanes

The Chiefs Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign has gotten off to the worst imaginable start. The Chiefs lost 18-13 to the Crusaders in terrible conditions in Christchurch last week although a valiant fightback secured a losing bonus point. In their only home game so far, the Chiefs lost 24-12 to the Blues and but they failed to score a try. In Round 1 away to the Highlanders, they were beaten at the death 28-27.

The Hurricanes had a bye in Round 3 and return to action looking for their first log point of the tournament. In Round 2 they lost 39-25 at home to the Crusaders and they began their campaign with a 30-20 defeat to the Blues in Auckland last Sunday. Having played one less game, the Hurricanes have conceded 69 points to the Chiefs 70 so we could be in for a high scoring affair. Also, the Canes beat the Chiefs in Super Rugby pre-COVID-19 27-24 in Hamilton and are a good price to cause an upset.

Prediction: Hurricanes by 5.

Best Bet: