Rugby 7s Predictions
Super Rugby continues in its brave new world this weekend, with four fixtures in New Zealand and Australia on Friday and Saturday.
Rugby 7s Schedule
It’s round one of Super Rugby Aotearoa, with the Crusaders visiting the Highlanders and the Hurricanes hosting the Blues.
Super Rugby AU, meanwhile, reaches the second round of fixtures, with the Reds welcoming the Rebels to Brisbane while the Brumbies are at home to the Waratahs.
Gallagher Premiership match, between Bath Rugby and Newcastle Falcons on February 16, 2019 at the Recreation Ground in Bath, England. Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images Today, in a letter to rugby clubs in England, Bill Sweeney, RFU CEO, has confirmed the end of the 2019/20 season. Free USA 7s vs England 7s betting tips - World Rugby Sevens Series - Canada - Placement Matches predictions 2020-03-09 00:31:00. Stats comparison, H2H, odds, Rugby Union analysis from our experts. Major League Rugby 2021 Preview, Eagles 7s Update, Global Headlines, New Segments. YouTube Video UCz-7CrWD3AiW9jtKM012MLwIEX3uMpEeHI.
Super Rugby Aotearoa & AU 2021: Predictions for 26-27 February
Prediction methodology explained: The expected win percentage is based off publicly available odds. For example, if a team’s odds are 2.30, the expected chance of winning is 43%. If the odds are 1.62 the expected chance of winning is 62% and so on. These are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change. Where there is no value listed, the odds were not available at the time of writing. Score margins use the methodology developed by Rugby Vision.
Super Rugby Aotearoa: Highlanders vs Crusaders
Super Rugby Aotearoa kicks off this Friday with the opening fixture between the Highlanders and Crusaders at the Forsyth Barr Stadium, as New Zealand continues as a post-Covid-19 sporting oasis.
The stands will be packed in Dunedin as the serial Super Rugby champions visit the south-east coast of Otago.
Nine All Blacks bejewel the visitors’ line up including Joe Moody and Codie Taylor in the front row, while Scott Barrett skippers the side alongside Sam Whitelock in the lock pairing.
Richie Mo’unga will dictate play from fly-half, with Sevu Reece and Will Jordan the first-choice outside back duo.
The home side have gone for Mitch Hunt at fly-half, opting to leave Josh Ioane among the replacements.
Liam Squire will start for the first time since 2019, with Aaron Smith and Ash Dixon selected as co-captains for the hosts.
Highlanders Starting XV: 15 Solomon Alaimalo, 14 Connor Garden-Bachop, 13 Ngatungane Punivai, 12 Patelesio Tomkinson, 11 Jona Nareki, 10 Mitch Hunt, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Marino Mikaele-Tu’u, 7 Billy Harmon, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Jack Regan, 4 Josh Dickson, 3 Siate Tokolahi, 2 Ash Dixon, 1 Daniel Lienert-Brown.
Replacements: 16 Liam Coltman, 17 Josh Hohneck, 18 Jeff Thwaites, 19 Bryn Evans, 20 Liam Squire, 21 Folau Fakatava, 22 Josh Ioane, 23 Hugh Renton
Crusaders Starting XV: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Dallas McLeod, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Cullen Grace, 7 Tom Christie, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Michael Alaalatoa, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements: 16 Brodie McAlister, 17 George Bower, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Quinten Strange, 20 Sione Havili, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Fergus Burke, 23 Chay Fihaki
Super Rugby AU: Reds vs Rebels
Super Rugby AU reaches its second round on Friday with a clash between the Queensland Reds and the Melbourne Rebels at the Suncorp Stadium.
The hosts kicked off the all-Australian season with a booming 41-7 home win over the New South Wales Waratahs.
Suliasi Vunivalu has been given the nod to join the replacements’ bench by coach Brad Thorn, with the new signing having served his playing ban for an alleged late-night scuffle that will see him up in court in April.
Taniela Tupou at tighthead prop is the only change to the starting line up, as the Brisbane side look to go two from two on home turf.
The Rebels make their first impression on the Aussie competition after receiving a bye on the first weekend of fixtures.
And they will do so looking to put a Covid-19 restriction nightmare in the rear-view mirror, with their Melbourne home in particular going in and out of lockdown during the tournament build up.
Dane Haylett-Petty continues his long recovery from concussion, leaving Matt To’omua to captain the side for the foreseeable future.
Isi Naisarani also misses out at eighth man, while new scrum-half Joe Powell will make his first Rebels appearance.
Rugby 7s Series
Reds Starting XI: 15 Jock Campbell, 14 Jordan Petaia, 13 Hunter Paisami, 12 Hamish Stewart, 11 Filipo Daugunu, 10 James O’Connor (captain), 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Angus Scott-Young, 5 Seru Uru, 4 Angus Blyth, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Alex Mafi, 1 Dane Zander.
Replacements: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 Harry Hoopert, 18 Feao Fotuaika, 19 Ryan Smith, 20 Sam Wallis, 21 Moses Sorovi, 22 Bryce Hegarty, 23 Suliasi Vunivalu.
Rebels Starting XV: 15 Tom Pincus, 14 Lachlan Anderson, 13 Stacey Ili, 12 Reece Hodge, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Matt To’omua (captain), 9 Joe Powell, 8 Michael Wells, 7 Richard Hardwick, 6 Brad Wilkin, 5 Trevor Hosea, 4 Steve Cummins, 3 Pone Faamausili, 2 Jordan Uelese, 1 Cabous Eloff.
Replacements: 16 Ed Craig, 17 Isaac Aedo Kailea, 18 Rhys van Nek, 19 Rob Leota, 20 Josh Kemeny, 21 James Tuttle, 22 Glen Vaihu, 23 Frank Lomani.
Super Rugby Aotearoa: Hurricanes vs Blues
Super Rugby Aotearoa concludes its first round with a battle between the Hurricanes and Blues at the Sky Stadium on Saturday.
Wellington is the venue for the North Island derby, as both sides seek to make an immediate mark on the New Zealand competition.
It’s a Savea story for the hosts with Ardie captaining the side on his 100th appearance, while brother Julian makes a start on the wing for the first time since 2018.
From the old to the new, the Blues will hand debuts to three players for the competition opener including both props, Nepo Laulala and James Lay.
Hurricanes Starting XV: 15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Wes Goosen, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 9 Jonathan Taumateine, 8 Devan Flanders, 7 Ardie Savea (captain), 6 Vaea Fifita, 5 Scott Scrafton, 4 James Blackwell, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Fraser Armstrong.
Replacements: 16 Ricky Riccitelli, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Alex Fidow, 19 Reed Prinsep, 20 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 21 Luke Campbell, 22 Peter Umaga-Jensen, 23 Salesi Rayasi.
Blues Starting XV: 15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Mark Telea, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Harry Plummer, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Otere Black, 9 Sam Nock; 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papalii, 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Kurt Eklund, 1 James Lay.
Replacements: 16 Luteru Tolai, 17 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18 Ofa Tuungafasi, 19 Josh Goodhue, 20 Tom Robinson, 21 Adrian Choat, 22 Jonathan Ruru, 23 Tanielu Tele’a.
Super Rugby AU: Brumbies vs NSW Waratahs
Super Rugby AU completes its second round with a game between the Brumbies and the New South Wales Waratahs at the GIO Stadium.
The pair had contrasting starts to the rebooted Australian competition during last Friday’s first round.
A 27-11 victory away to the Western Force represented a decent first outing for this weekend’s home side, while the Waratahs were thrashed 41-7 away to the Reds.
The Tahs make four changes as Australian international Lachie Swinton comes in to bolster the pack.
Captain Jake Gordon’s injury-enforced absence means Jack Grant will make his starting debut in the half-backs, while Tepai Moeroa comes in at centre.
The home side make one change for the rival clash, with Connal McInerney coming in to bolster the front row.
Brumbies Starting XV: 15 Tom Banks, 4 Andy Muirhead, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Irae Simone, 11 Mack Hansen, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Nic White, 8 Pete Samu, 7 Jahrome Brown, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Cadeyrn Neville, 4 Darcy Swain, 3 Allan Alaalatoa (captain), 2 Connal McInerney, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements: 16 Lachlan Lonergan, 17 Harry Lloyd, 18 Tom Ross, 19 Nick Frost, 20 Tom Cusack, 21 Ryan Lonergan, 22 Reesjan Pasitoa, 23 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa.
NSW Waratahs Starting XV: 15 Jack Maddocks, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Alex Newsome (captain), 12 Tepai Moeroa, 11 James Ramm, 10 Will Harrison, 9 Jack Grant, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Lachlan Swinton, 5 Jack Whetton, 4 Sam Caird, 3 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 2 Tom Horton, 1 Angus Bell.
Replacements: 16 David Porecki, 17 Te Tera Faulkner, 18 Sio Tatola, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Hugh Sinclair, 21 Henry Robertson, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Triston Reilly.
CELEBRATION TIME: Jake White awoke the slumbering giant and on Saturday his team will lift a trophy to celebrate the accomplishment.
It has been a decade since the heady days of their last Super Rugby success.
However, given they are ending a 10-year drought, Duane Vermeulen and his team will celebrate with as much gusto and gleefulness as Victor Matfield’s Bulls did in winning a Super 14 title in the Orlando Stadium back in 2010.
In the wake of the COVID-19-enforced cancellation of the Sharks versus Stormers match, no team is likely to overtake the Bulls.
The only thing that can, perhaps, put a spanner in the works is if the Pumas achieve the unthinkable and beat the Bulls by 43 points or more.
However, most compos mentis people will bank on a Bulls win.
“There will be a trophy handover and celebrations on Saturday,” Bulls coach and Director of Rugby Jake White told a virtual media briefing.
“We are going to enjoy it,” he said of the planned celebrations.
The Bulls believe they deserve their win, despite the cancellation of some COVID-19-affected games.
“You have to be resilient and be able to adapt,” White said of the curveballs thrown at teams this year.
“Let me tell you, it is great to win,” White said, adding: “We got bonus-point wins against the two teams closest to us on the standings [the Stormers and Sharks] and we beat them convincingly.
(Article continues below standings … )
“It is enjoyable to win and we all knew it was going to be a curtailed tournament.
“We needed to hit the ground running.
“I am not being arrogant, but we enjoy winning.
“It is something for us to celebrate.
“These players deserve the accolades they are getting.”
He said it means a lot to him to help end a decade-long drought at Loftus.
“I didn’t join this union just to finish off my career, or just get a job.
“I came here on the basis that this is a sleeping giant. We knew that when it wakes up it is going to be a powerhouse in World Rugby again.”
The Bulls skipper, Vermeulen, said it is nice to know that after 10 years the Bulls have won something again.
“However, we should look ahead to the great opportunities ahead and build towards that,” Vermeulen said.
“We will close one chapter this weekend, but there are many more chapters to follow in this story.”
(Continue below …)
The only other match scheduled for the weekend is the Cheetahs hosting Griquas in a central-union derby in Bloemfontein.
Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie, who spoke about the conditions and the chance of rain, said winning is vital after a fractured campaign.
After two early wins, including edging the Bulls, they had a game cancelled through COVID-19 and then had a bye.
They just did not manage to regain their momentum after that.
“We have spoken about where we are on the standings [fourth place] and what awaits us,”he said of the Currie Cup part of the season.
“We have now added this [Super Rugby Unlocked] encounter with Griquas to the six remaining game and said our Currie Cup season starts now.
“The points are being carried over, so it is vital that we get five points out of Saturday’s game.
“That is our mindset now. Our goal is to start with 17 points in the second half of the season, when we will play three of the four big guns at home [in Bloemfontein].
“Our goal is to be in the top two to have home ground advantage in the [Currie Cup] play-offs.”
Teams and predictions for Round Seven below video!
Saturday, November 21
Bulls v Pumas
(Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria – Kick-off: 14.00; 12.00 GMT)
This will be the first meeting between the Bulls and Pumas in Super Rugby Unlocked.
The Bulls have won their last three Super Rugby Unlocked games on the bounce, including a come-from-behind win against the Lions in their last fixture (Round Five).
The Pumas have led at half-time in two of their last three Super Rugby Unlocked fixtures.
However, they have managed to go on to win only once in that stretch.
The Bulls have conceded fewer clean breaks (3.4) and fewer defenders beaten (14.4) per game this Super Rugby Unlocked season than any other team in the competition.
Eddie Fouche (Pumas) has kicked 15/15 goals in Super Rugby Unlocked.
The Stormers’ Tim Swiel (6/6) is the only other player with a 100 percent success rate.
Prediction
@rugby365com:The Bulls by 25 points
Head to head
Teams
Bulls: 15. David Kriel, 14. Travis Ismaiel, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Cornal Hendricks, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Duane Vermeulen (captain), 7 Arno Botha, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Corniel Els, 1 Jacques van Rooyen.
Replacements: 16 Joe van Zyl, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Marcel van der Merwe, 19 Sintu Manjezi, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Clinton Swart, 23 Marco Jansen van Vuren.
Pumas: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Luther Obi, 13 Erich Cronje, 12 Wayne van der Bank, 11 Etienne Taljaard, 10 Theo Boshoff, 9 Chriswill September, 8 Willem Engelbrecht, 7 Phumzile Maqondwana, 6 Francois Kleinhans, 5 Pieter Jansen van Vuren (captain), 4 Darrien Landsburg, 3 Ruan Kramer, 2 HP van Schoor, 1 Morgan Naude. Replacements: 16 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 17 Ig Prinsloo, 18 Brandon Valentyn, 19 Daniel Maartens, 20 Ginter Smuts, 21 Ali Mgijima, 22 Tapiwa Mafura, 22 Liam Hendricks.
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron
Assistant referees: Rasta Rasivhenge, Cwengile Jadezweni
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen
Cheetahs v Griquas
(Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein – Kick-off: 16.30; 14.30 GMT)
This will be the inaugural meeting between the Cheetahs and Griquas in Super Rugby Unlocked; both teams come into this game on the back of consecutive defeats.
The Griquas remain on the hunt for the maiden win in Super Rugby Unlocked.
However, their half-time lead against the Sharks in Round Six was the first time they’ve led at the end of either half of a game this season.
The Griquas have won 8.8 turnovers per game in Super Rugby Unlocked, the most of any team in the competition and more than twice as many as the Cheetahs (4.3).
The Cheetahs have gained 365 metres per game in Super Rugby Unlocked, the joint-most of any team in the competition (also Lions).
Griquas duo Adre Smith and Hendrik Luus have each won six turnovers this Super Rugby Unlocked campaign, the joint-most of any player in the competition.
Prediction
@rugby365com:Cheetahs by 16 points
Head to head
Teams
Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Rhyno Smith, 13 Howard Mnisi, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Tian Meyer, 8 Jeandré Rudolph, 7 Aidon Davis, 6 Andisa Ntsila, 5 Carl Wegner (captain), 4 Ian Groenewald, 3 Hencus van Wyk, 2 Reinach Venter, 1 Boan Venter.
Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Khutha Mchunu, 19 Teboho Mohoje, 20 Chris Massyn, 21 Ruben de Haas, 22 Reinhardt Fortuin, 23 William Small-Smith
Griquas: 15 Masixole Banda, 14 Ederies Arendse, 13 Harlon Klaasen, 12 Johnathan Francke, 11 Eduan Keyter, 10 Tinus de Beer, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Carl Els, 7 Stefan Willemse, 6 Gideon van der Merwe, 5 Cameron Lindsay, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Ewald van der Westhuizen, 2 HJ Luus, 1 Mox Mxoli.
Replacements – from: Monde Hadebe, Andrew Beerwinkel, Madot Mabokela, Ewan Coetzee, CJ Velleman, Theo Maree, André Swarts, Daniel Kasende, Bandisa Ndlovu, Sibabalo Qoma, Ashlon Davids.
Referee: AJ Jacobs
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby, Paul Mente
TMO: Willie Vos
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* Statistics provided by Opta Sport