Currie Cup predictions

Another weekend of the Currie Cup is here and there are some very interesting fixtures for this weekend

Sharks vs. Western Province
First up Western Province travel to Durban to take on the Sharks. I'm a Province fan so I always put money down on them to win but I think there is a good chance of them beating the Sharks today.

The Sharks have had problems finding an effective 9/10 combination and could have their hands full.

My predictions:

Province Win
First points - WP try

Lions vs Bulls
It has been a pretty forgettable season for the Lions so far but I have a sneaky suspicion they are going to shck the Bulls this afternoon.

The return of "Baywatch" and Alberts and the final sacking of Earl Rose may be just the "clean-slate" that the Lions need to get themselves back on track.

My predictions
Lions to win
First points - Lions try
First try scorer - Jano Vermaak

Griquas vs Cheetahs
The Griquas have looked fearsome at home and the bookies may not agree with me but I don't see how they can lose to the Cheetahs this afternoon.

I've got the Griquas to win and the first points to come via the boot for Griquas.

Happy punting!

Boks vs Australia predictions

Well the Boks take on an Australian side which is definately down in the dumps after four successive losses and rocked by a couple of injuries.

On current form I don't see how you can bet against the Springboks.

Our predictions for todays match

- Boks to win
- First points scored - Australia Try
- First try scorers - Bryan Habana / Matt Giteau with Fourie Du Preez a handy 25/1 outsider

Go the Boks!

Rugby Predictions

Some BIG rugby games on this weekend and I can see plenty of jibes being dished out depending on who comes out on top.

Australia / New Zealand
The Australians take on the All Blacks this weekend in what is sure to be an entertaining match up. Both sides were comprehensively outplayed by the Springnoks in their Tri-Nations encounters when they travelled to South Africa with Australia definately faring the worst.

Despite that we're actually backing the Australians to bounce back here and give the All Blacks a surprise or two. We've put down a few bucks on the first points being courtesy of an Australian try and first try-scorer to be Matt Giteau.

Let's see how that plays out

Griquas vs Sharks
Domestically the first game of the afternoon is the Sharks taking on the high-flying Griquas side.

We got 3/1 odds on Griquas beating the Sharks and we thought we would take it on the back of the current Griquas form. The loss to the Bulls was narrow last week and I think it might have given them some confidence to carry them through today.

Western Province vs Lions
I honestly don't think you can look beyond Province here today. The Lions form has been atrocious and minus Willem Alberts and Baywatch Grobelaar AND playing in the Province back yard, I don't see how they can expect to win.

Win for Province and first points courtesy of a Province try.

Rugby predictions - Saturday 15 August 2009

From The Betting Hub blog

Saturday provides an interesting day of rugby in the Currie Cup and we've made a couple of bold predictions for today that could pay off handsomely.

Boland vs. WP
This is the one game on the day where we are not going with the home-side. Upfront I will declare my bias for Western Province as I am an unashamed supporter.

Predicting a WP win with the first points coming from a WP try

Lions vs. Sharks
Probably going to irritate the Sharks supporters - but without their first-choice scrumhalf (who is a points machine with his goalkicking) and battling to find a flyhalf to give them forward momentum - I reckon that the Lions can beat this Sharks team.

Things haven't gone the way of the Lions for a couple of the earlier fixtures but there seems to be some self-belief returning to the side.

I have gone with the Lions to win and first points courtesy of a Lions try.

Griquas vs. Bulls
The high-flying Griquas side play host to the Bulls in a fixture that the men from Pretoria will probably not be relishing.

I don't think anybody likes to go and play at Kimberley at the best of times but games against a physical Griquas side which is winning is a stretch.

We have picked Griquas to upset and score early with a try as the first points.

Let's see how these play out.

Giteau gets off?!

That's impossible - how can Matt Giteau not be cited for that "tackle" or assault on Fourie Du Preez.

It was probably one of the worst non-tackles I have seen this year and coming from a player of Giteaus class and ability, it is simply shocking.

Not citing a player for an incident like that sends the wrong message out to players and fans alike and without trying to come across as "sour grapes" - one has only to think of Bakkies Botha and Schalk Botha serving "sentences" for dirty play and then wondering where the consistency is.

Bakkies got four weeks for charging into a ruck and Schalk got eight weeks for "intentional contact with the face" (I think that was the end decision, not eye gouging).... what Giteau do in that instance?

Simple does it

I have to say that was probably one of the most accomplished performances from a Springbok side that I have seen in a long time.

Yeah we have been on a high and the wins against the All Blacks were good but the composure that we showed throughout the match was brilliant.

The Morne Steyn success story continues and if you look at the last five matches - if we hadn't had a kicker to put the points on the board, our record would look rather shoddy.

Somebody said a fair thing to me the other day: "Super 14 rugby is won by try-scoring sides, Test match rugby is won by sides whose kicker takes the points that are on offer"

Was just reading the match summary on the Keo.co.za website and one word that stood out - Simplicity - that I think is what the Boks did well. They played a tactically simple - not naive - game of rugby and they won it comfortably.

Good side.

Fired up looking New Zealand haka

... Little worrying for the Boks.

We do seem to have started well though.