Saturday, July 30, 5.35pm AEST. Westpac Stadium
ONLY four teams remain in the Super Rugby season – three from New Zealand and one from South Africa.
Two of the NZ franchises will face off this Saturday night in Wellington when the Hurricanes play the Chiefs in what promises to be an exciting game with plenty of attacking flair.
Both teams are coming off impressive quarter-final wins. The Hurricanes beat the Sharks 41-0 in terrible conditions at home last week and the Chiefs demolished the Stormers 60-21 in South Africa on Sunday morning.
Both teams are playing good enough football to make the final, but only one team can prosper.
The bookmakers have the Hurricanes listed as the favourites, which is understandable given their much-improved season, but punters will be backing a franchise which has never won a Super Rugby title.
The Chiefs have two Super Rugby titles and if it can reproduce Sunday’s performance, a third title looks likely. Going to South Africa didn’t have any affect on the Chiefs energy as it put in a stellar offensive display.
Putting up 60 points on a South African team is incredible as they’re usually built on defense. The Chiefs were slick on the counter attack and the clash of styles this Saturday should make for a great game.
Both teams are best when counter-attacking, so any turnover ball could result in a try down the other end. The Hurricanes and Chiefs played each other only once this season, which should give punters a taste of what to expect on Saturday.
The Chiefs emerged 28-27 victors in Wellington, but the Hurricanes dropped a certain try at the 80th minute mark and goal kicker Beauden Barrett had a nightmare kicking performance.
Place a first try-scorer bet with Crownbet and if your player doesn’t score first but scores in the first half, it will match your stake in a bonus bet (up to $50).
Hurricanes vs. Chiefs game odds and tips
Head-to-head odds:
Hurricanes: $1.57
Chiefs: $2.40
Points start line:
Hurricanes -3.5 ($1.91 at Crownbet)
Chiefs +3.5
The current line is about where we thought it would be. The Hurricanes have looked the best New Zealand conference team all year and they haven’t shown bookmakers any reason to back off the gas pedal now.
The 41-0 win last weekend was a taste of what it can do and we can’t imagine what the score would have been on a dry surface. Conditions are likely to be slippery again on Saturday night, but these two teams are used to playing in the mud.
Punters of the Chiefs will lap up the $2.40 on offer. The Chiefs haven’t put a foot wrong this season and only the travel factor is what will deter punters in this. The squad is relatively healthy and although it had to travel back to New Zealand from South Africa, the Chiefs are a young, fit side which shouldn’t let that bother them.
The point start line means the Hurricanes will have to win by more than a penalty. Games between these two sides are often decided by only a few points, but we think the Hurricanes counter-attacking play will be too strong for the Chiefs.
There’s no doubting the Chiefs ability and we would favour them to win against any other team this weekend, but this appears to be the Hurricanes season. If the ‘Canes can’t win this season then it will likely never win one, so we’ll stick with the well-rested home side in what should be a thrilling contest.
Our match tip: Hurricanes -3.5 ($1.91 at Crownbet.com.au)
Hurricanes vs. Chiefs first try-scorer market
First try-scorer: Hurricanes
Jason Woodward – $6
Cory Jane – $7
James Marshall – $9
Beauden Barrett – $10
TJ Perenara – $10
Ardie Savea – $10
Matt Proctor – $12
Victor Vito – $12
Dane Coles – $12 (unlikely)
Willis Halaholo – $14
Brad Shields – $21
Michael Fatialofa – $21
Vaea Fifita – $21
Ben May – $21
Loni Uhila – $21
Jason Woodward was the player who dropped the final pass in the regular season loss to the Chiefs so he will be looking to make amends. Woodward is the $6 favourite due to the attacking flair of the Hurricanes, but there’s better betting opportunities if you’re backing the home side.
Ardie Savea has been a brute this season and much like his brother Julian, Ardie loves scoring tries. Savea looks a great chance to score first for the Hurricanes at $10 with Crownbet.com.au.
First try-scorer: Chiefs
James Lowe – $5
Damian McKenzie – $6
Sam McNicol – $6
Seta Tamanivalu – $8
Aaron Cruden – $12
Tom Sanders – $12
Nathan Harris – $12
Anton Lienert-Brown – $14
Sam Cane – $14
Taleni Seu – $16
Tawera Kerr-Barlow – $18
Brodie Retallick – $21
Dominic Bird – $21
Atunaisa Moli – $21
Kane Hames – $21
We like the look of Damian McKenzie at $6. The young star has been in great form this season, which earned him higher honours and his counter-attack is the best in Super Rugby. Expect to see McKenzie attack from the back and split the Hurricanes defense open.
Seta Tamanivalu sat out the win against the Stormers, but he’s good to go here and he is hard to stop close to the line. $8 is a touch short, but he only needs to be the first Chiefs try-scorer and we think he will score during the game.
