After a horrible start in Round 1, I limped in with 6 in a row on Saturday to maintain some level of respectability, and surely that’s the toughest round out of the way now?
Here are my Superbru picks for Round 2.
Force v Reds
A fairly uninspiring Aussie derby to kick off the round. The Reds edged past the Sharks in Round 1, whilst the Force gave the Waratahs a scare in Sydney – there’s not much in it, and I’m going with home advantage. Force by 2.
Chiefs v Blues
Both teams were impressive in Round 1, and this should be a cracking game on Friday. The Blues surprised me last week and were ruthless against the Rebels, but the Chiefs are a different prospect and will be tough to beat in Hamilton. They have won the last 10 meetings between the teams, by an average of just under 8 points. Chiefs by 4.
Hurricanes v Rebels
A nightmare start from the Rebels, thumped at home by the Blues and now travelling to Wellington to face the Champions – and the Hurricanes are in buoyant mood after putting 80 past the hapless Sunwolves. This could get ugly for the Rebels. Hurricanes by 48.
Highlanders v Crusaders
This is a very tricky one to pick. I thought the Highlanders were unlucky last week in defeat to the Chiefs, despite dominating possession and territory, whilst the Crusaders struggled past the Brumbies at home. I’m going for home advantage again. Highlanders by 2.
Brumbies v Sharks
These two teams haven’t met since 2014, such has been the strange format of the competition, but honours are fairly even and this should be another close match. The Sharks will be downbeat after kicking off their tour with a defeat, and I think they might be in for another one here. Brumbies by 7.
Sunwolves v Kings
This is the week in which the policy of picking anyone but the Kings or Sunwolves falls down. You have to go with the Kings on the back of last weekend’s results. Kings by 23.
Lions v Waratahs
The Lions won the most recent fixture between these teams in 2015, but the Tahs had won the 9 meetings before that, including 3 matches at altitude in Johannesburg. I think the home team and last season’s runners-up will have enough to win this match, even if they did leave it late against the Cheetahs last week. Lions by 8.
Stormers v Jaguares
Is this the year of the Stormers? Time will tell, but they need to make the most of a kind opening schedule before their gruelling tour of New Zealand. They’ll be targeting a Bonus Point win here, and I think they’ll get it. Stormers by 18.
Cheetahs v Bulls
The Bulls have had the better of these two teams in recent seasons, but the Cheetahs almost pulled off a shock win over the Lions last weekend, whilst the Bulls were outplayed by the Stormers, which makes this pick much harder. I’m going with home advantage and a slight upset, with a Cheetahs win to bring home the Superbru GSP! Cheetahs by 2.
Follow Hutch on Twitter: @Hutch_James
Some tough calls here this week, here are my guesses:
Force v Reds – W Force by 3
Chiefs v Blues – Chiefs by 7 – close
Hurricanes v Rebels – Canes by 25
Highlanders v Crusaders – Highlanders by 5 – could go either way
Brumbies v Sharks – Brumbies by 10
Sunwolves v Kings – Kings by 8
Lions v Waratahs – Lions by 12
Stormers v Jaguares – Stormers by 7
Cheetahs v Bulls – Cheetahs by 3
You really think the Kings are that good?
Not really, but I think the Sunwolves are very poor
Olivier Madden what is your picks for round 3
I do think its unfair to compare the Sunwolves and Kings based on last weeks results. The Sunwolves had possibly the hardest game for round 1 in that they were playing the defending champions. The Kings lost at home to the Jaguares which was a disappointing result. I’ve gone for the Kings to win because I think they may be slightly better but not by much. Game of the round for me is Highlanders v Crusaders which is always a great game and It usually is very close. Don’t expect anything else this time.