Earlier today I received an e-mail from Brent Graham who runs the Good For The Game and SportsPicks.co.za websites.
The mail was giving some tips on betting on the FNB Varsity Cup fixtures.
Now those who know me will know I am no shrinking violet when it comes to betting. I will take a plug on what colour tie somebody is wearing or whether Gill Marcus is going to be wearing a red tent or a brown tent when she delivers her MPC decision for the Reserve Bank.
I don’t know why, but betting on the Varsity Cup doesn’t sit well with me. There is something pure (untainted?) about this form of rugby that doesn’t need the influence of sports betting attached to it.
Of course the alternative argument there is that college American football and college basketball are big money in the US. This drives interest, sponsorship and TV revenue over there. This in turn has led to really well developed systems over there which means you have really cracking quality athletes moving into the professional ranks.
Dunno? Thoughts on whether betting on the Varsity Cup should be promoted?
Monday, March 15, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Super 14 looking interesting this week
The Super 14 is getting interesting. Just when you think a form team has been identified then one of the ” no-hopers” like the Cheetahs suddenly spring a surprise on the Hurricanes.
Here are our predictions for the week:
- Chiefs to beat the Crusaders (but narrowly)
- Waratahs to thump the Lions
- Brumbies to beat the Sharks
- Bulls to beath the Highlanders (although not by the 16.5 points on offer at Sportspicks.co.za)
- Stormers to beat the Hurricanes
- Reds to beat the Force
I would be high on points on the Reds game and probably look at first points via a try to the Reds. Would also go each way on points coming from a try in the Stormers vs Hurricanes match up.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Good SA rugby on Saturday
There were important wins for both the Stormers and the Cheetahs yesterday as they put in credible performances against the Highlanders and the Hurricanes respectively.
I’m a Stormers fan so I am probably going to gush too much if I start with them so let’s take a look at the Cheetahs who were playing against a side which was tipped to thump them.
In Super 14 you have to win your home games – drop points when you have your fans behind you and it makes for a miserable trip on the road. The Cheetahs have dropped points – although impressively beaten the Sharks in the Tuna Tank – and then picked up the points against the Hurricanes last night in Bloem. While the rest of the season will probably be quite tough they can say they have beaten two “big name” teams and still have the chances for points against the Force and against the Lions.
The Stormers got the “bonus point monkey” off their backs with that late try from Bryan Habana but for me the critical point was that they did not concede a single point against the Highlanders. Everybody knows the Stormers can attack but it appears that they’ve now stepped up their defensive game as well and showing a lot more composure at the back – maybe the influence of Jaque Fourie?
It was also very noticeable that the team spirit is really high at the moment – smiles all round from Wicus Blaauw, Fourie and Schalk Burger just highlighted the upbeat attitude in the team.
It was also good that the youngsters such as Deon Fourie, Juan De Jongh could put in such measured performnaces and that Lionel Cronje was given some gametime as well.
One person who does deserve a mention is our big Fijian wing Sireli Naqweluviki. I had pretty much written him off as a contributor and couldn’t understand why they kept him around. He was potent yesterday and he went looking for work which was very pleasing to see.
It is still early days in the Super 14 but its good to see two SA sides wracking up wins after the less than thrilling performances last week…
I’m a Stormers fan so I am probably going to gush too much if I start with them so let’s take a look at the Cheetahs who were playing against a side which was tipped to thump them.
In Super 14 you have to win your home games – drop points when you have your fans behind you and it makes for a miserable trip on the road. The Cheetahs have dropped points – although impressively beaten the Sharks in the Tuna Tank – and then picked up the points against the Hurricanes last night in Bloem. While the rest of the season will probably be quite tough they can say they have beaten two “big name” teams and still have the chances for points against the Force and against the Lions.
The Stormers got the “bonus point monkey” off their backs with that late try from Bryan Habana but for me the critical point was that they did not concede a single point against the Highlanders. Everybody knows the Stormers can attack but it appears that they’ve now stepped up their defensive game as well and showing a lot more composure at the back – maybe the influence of Jaque Fourie?
It was also very noticeable that the team spirit is really high at the moment – smiles all round from Wicus Blaauw, Fourie and Schalk Burger just highlighted the upbeat attitude in the team.
It was also good that the youngsters such as Deon Fourie, Juan De Jongh could put in such measured performnaces and that Lionel Cronje was given some gametime as well.
One person who does deserve a mention is our big Fijian wing Sireli Naqweluviki. I had pretty much written him off as a contributor and couldn’t understand why they kept him around. He was potent yesterday and he went looking for work which was very pleasing to see.
It is still early days in the Super 14 but its good to see two SA sides wracking up wins after the less than thrilling performances last week…
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Super 14 week 3 picks
Wow – after an exciting week two of the Super 14 which blew a number of my predictions out of the water, I eagerly await the arrival of week 3.
Big scoreline being tipped on the Lions and Sharks games which are going to be interesting to watch.
My picks for the week on Sportspicks.co.za
* Crusaders to beat the Sharks (+12.5)
* Stormers to beat the Brumbies (+8.5)
* Hurricanes to beat the Lions (+22.5)
* Blues to beat the Reds (+4.5)
* Chiefs to beat the Force (+8.5)
* Cheetahs to beat the Highlanders (+8.5)
* Bulls to beat the Waratahs (+15.5)
Bullish on the Chiefs but I have a big question mark around the Waratahs conceding 15.5 points against the Bulls. Gonna be an interesting one
Big scoreline being tipped on the Lions and Sharks games which are going to be interesting to watch.
My picks for the week on Sportspicks.co.za
* Crusaders to beat the Sharks (+12.5)
* Stormers to beat the Brumbies (+8.5)
* Hurricanes to beat the Lions (+22.5)
* Blues to beat the Reds (+4.5)
* Chiefs to beat the Force (+8.5)
* Cheetahs to beat the Highlanders (+8.5)
* Bulls to beat the Waratahs (+15.5)
Bullish on the Chiefs but I have a big question mark around the Waratahs conceding 15.5 points against the Bulls. Gonna be an interesting one
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Awesome performance from the Stormers...
… and the Bulls weren’t too bad either.
This Stormers side looks seriously classy. Obviously it is still early days in the competition but they now have 2 out of 2 in South Africa and to drop the Waratahs takes some doing. For me there were a couple of key performance points:
- Stormers defence was top quality against some physically big opponents
- They stayed on the boil for an extended periods in the game and were less hot and cold than last week
- Juan de Jongh looks like a superstar in the making – mark my words he will be a Bok centre
- Jaque Fourie has brought lots of composure to the backline and Habana has brought some good quality finishing to the side
- How was that hit from Ricky Januarie on Phil Waugh?! He’s coming back to form nicely!
- There was a moment in the first half where Gio Aplon was defending against that big Waratahs full back and he showed no fear making a great tackle – I don’t rate him as the ideal for the position but wow he showed guts!
The Bulls also showed their class today. The Brumbies made them sweat a bit but in the end the quality came through. Maybe the Brumbies have been softened up a bit for their clash next week against the Stormers… hope so!
Speaking of next Boks… Francois Hougaard and Gerhard van den Heever must be right up there. Van den Heever in particular is a potent finisher for such a young kid. Cracking player!
At least the Stormers and Bulls restored some pride to the home sides early in the competition!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Super 14 round 2 predictions
So another week of Super 14 rugby is here and there are some interesting match-ups on the cards. Again it is hard to look beyond the home-teams but there are a couple of fixtures where I believe there could be the prospects of an upset.
A quick look at the fixtures
In most of the cases I have backed the home teams to win. The exceptions are the Reds versus the Crusaders and the Bulls versus the Brumbies.
Probably a bit of a brave decision to back the Lions against the Chiefs but they showed heart last week and might be trickier than some people are thinking they will be.
As for the Bulls versus the Brumbies - dunno I just get a funny feeling that the Brumbies could be the side which trips up the Bulls in front of their home crowd.
A quick look at the fixtures
- Highlanders vs. Blues
- Reds vs Crusaders
- Sharks vs Cheetahs
- Lions vs Chiefs
- Hurricanes vs Force
- Bulls vs Brumbies
- Stormers vs Waratahs
In most of the cases I have backed the home teams to win. The exceptions are the Reds versus the Crusaders and the Bulls versus the Brumbies.
Probably a bit of a brave decision to back the Lions against the Chiefs but they showed heart last week and might be trickier than some people are thinking they will be.
As for the Bulls versus the Brumbies - dunno I just get a funny feeling that the Brumbies could be the side which trips up the Bulls in front of their home crowd.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
My thoughts on Super 14 round 1
An interesting opening to the Super 14 with the Sharks being stunned at home by the Chiefs... there is going to be a lot of soul searching after THAT result!
Of the SA teams:
Bulls:
Played well against the Cheetahs but perhaps some question marks asked about their defence. The Cheetahs are not easy to play at home, especially when the play gets loose but to concede 30+ points against one of the "weaker" Super 14 outfits means that the Bulls need to sharpen up. Still look like a dangerous side.
Cheetahs
I actually thought they played quite well. They certainly were not over-awed by the far more fancied Bulls and they gave as good as they got. They're lacking punch and experience in one or two places but they showed heart. I suspect they are going to get caned when they go on the road but at least they look like they might be a handful at home
Lions
The Lions put in a really two-sided performance against the Stormers. They were nowhere in the first-half - despite having Carlos Spencer at flyhalf. When he was subbed at half time and that new scrumhalf and Earl Rose partnered at 9 and 10, the whole side seemed to change its attitude. Don't write them off after this first performance. I don't expect them to put up too much resistance away from home, but expect them to trouble a few sides when they play at home.
Sharks
Pah! They were munched at home by the Chiefs. I didn't watch the game but it left me smiling that the Tuna Tank was not that much of a fortress for them
Stormers
A very mixed performance from the Stormers. In the first half they looked like an awesome unit full of running. Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana and Juan De Jongh looked like they would trouble any backline. The second half it looked liked the side had, had enough and were already thinking about some beers after the game.
For the rest
I was disappointed with the Blues - I had money on them to beat the Hurricanes and they started off well enough. Unfortuanately they couldn't polish them off and next they knew the Hurricanes racked up 20+ points to knock them over.
Apart from the Chiefs who surprised, the Brumbies and Crusaders looked the pick of the rest with some powerful performances.
Bring on the second round! And if you haven't registered for Sportspicks.co.za then get yourself online and make your predictions for next week! Should be fun!
Of the SA teams:
Bulls:
Played well against the Cheetahs but perhaps some question marks asked about their defence. The Cheetahs are not easy to play at home, especially when the play gets loose but to concede 30+ points against one of the "weaker" Super 14 outfits means that the Bulls need to sharpen up. Still look like a dangerous side.
Cheetahs
I actually thought they played quite well. They certainly were not over-awed by the far more fancied Bulls and they gave as good as they got. They're lacking punch and experience in one or two places but they showed heart. I suspect they are going to get caned when they go on the road but at least they look like they might be a handful at home
Lions
The Lions put in a really two-sided performance against the Stormers. They were nowhere in the first-half - despite having Carlos Spencer at flyhalf. When he was subbed at half time and that new scrumhalf and Earl Rose partnered at 9 and 10, the whole side seemed to change its attitude. Don't write them off after this first performance. I don't expect them to put up too much resistance away from home, but expect them to trouble a few sides when they play at home.
Sharks
Pah! They were munched at home by the Chiefs. I didn't watch the game but it left me smiling that the Tuna Tank was not that much of a fortress for them
Stormers
A very mixed performance from the Stormers. In the first half they looked like an awesome unit full of running. Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana and Juan De Jongh looked like they would trouble any backline. The second half it looked liked the side had, had enough and were already thinking about some beers after the game.
For the rest
I was disappointed with the Blues - I had money on them to beat the Hurricanes and they started off well enough. Unfortuanately they couldn't polish them off and next they knew the Hurricanes racked up 20+ points to knock them over.
Apart from the Chiefs who surprised, the Brumbies and Crusaders looked the pick of the rest with some powerful performances.
Bring on the second round! And if you haven't registered for Sportspicks.co.za then get yourself online and make your predictions for next week! Should be fun!
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