Watched the replay of the blues-bulls match. Blues looked great, king carlos working his magic.

Yep, Mr J, Carlos is certainly back and doesn't his presence have an impact on the confidence of the rest of the players esp the backline...they all lifted their game and played some entertaining rugby.

Stormers will be a great test as they have a strong forward pack and some decent backs. You don't have the Stormers defensive stats, Mr J, away from home?

Depends what you mean by defensive stats. Yep carlos made a great difference. Also thought the blues defended well.

NSW vs Hurricanes should be the game to watch this weekend. First of all it's an aussie team with a chance, second it's in a decent time zone, and third both teams play running rugby :wink:

One of the last tries by the blues was excellent. Someone drifted across, might have been atiga, passed of to one of the outside blues who did a pop pass to rokothoco who did a pop to one of the other blues. Went through 4 players within a few metres. Only a team with alot of talent and confidence could pull that off. It was also nice to see the bulls throw the ball around.

To make the semis the Blues will need:
1) A bit of luck (ie 3/4 of the crusaders, chiefs, nsw and stormers to not to too well)
and 2) to win an away game. They play the Cats away so they are still there. Right time to be pulling it together.

Not out of reach but maybe

Early lines from IAS:

BLUES VS STORMERS
Blues -14.5 1.90
Stormers +14.5 1.90

REDS VS BULLS
Reds -5.5 1.90
Bulls +5.5 1.90

SHARKS VS CHIEFS
Sharks -8.5 1.90
Chiefs +8.5 1.90

WARATAHS VS HURRICANES
Waratahs -7.5 1.90
Hurricanes +7.5 1.90

CATS VS CRUSADERS
Cats +8.5 1.90
Crusaders -8.5 1.90

Big test for my Home Dog linebetting system this week. Do you reckon 8.5 is okay for the Cats, Mr J?

Ha I picked it again. I always know where the value will be for each game (well where the value is according to my system). I already knew which sides I was playing before the lines came out!!!

Well my system says go for +8.5 so I'll be playing it.

My system says play:
Stormers +14.5
Reds -5.5
Chiefs +8.5
Hurricanes +7.5
Cats +8.5

I don't actually want to go against the Blues, Sharks, or NSW ....but I will. I do feel more comfortable with the cats than going against NSW or the Blues.

BTW that spread for the Cats would've covered on their last 3/4 encounters vs the Crusaders. That includes 2002 when the cats were terrible and the crusaders won the comp and were undefeated.

Bets are:
Stormers +15
Reds -4.5,
Chiefs +8.5,
Hurricanes +7.5
Cats + 11.5,

Reds/cats are at -105 and chiefs at -102.

Mr J,
Agree that the Cats will be buoyed by their recent victory and Crusaders will have to be at the top of their game to ensure the so called easybeats don't get a roll on.

I thought that the Chiefs were unlucky last week so an improvement against one of the form teams (Sharks) will be no surprise...I can't see them winning but will take the line bet +8.5 Chiefs.

Not so sure about the Hurricanes v NSW..they both have some great talent but rarely manage to reach their potential. A Hurricanes win would not be a surprise if Holwell does not play (he is a major weakness as their lynchpin). Personally, the Warratahs play positive rugby and even without Rogers have talent to burn out wide, which would be great to see in the finals...

Not sure about the Blues yet...Bulls were not as strong as I thought so the Stormers are a good test. A big win for the Blues will send warning bells to the top 4 but it may have been too late! If Braid is playing they will be hard to beat.

Is Flatley playing for the Reds? If so, then they will be a better team and a good bet on the line otherwise I'm staying away.

Good luck and great viewing guys and big returns this weekend!

No, unfortunately not Desi. This is from an article on Rugbyheaven:

Greg Growden's preview: Can it get any worse for the Reds? In easily their unluckiest Super 12 season, the bad luck continues - this week losing Wallaby forward hopeful Daniel Heenan with a damaged shoulder. And Elton Flatley is sidelined yet again, prompting a face from the past, Nathan Williams, to be picked at five-eighth. Williams, who believed his representative career was over and decided several month ago to buy a lawn mowing business on the Gold Coast, was never renowned for his defence. And the Bulls are bound to be directing their mowers straight at him. It could be brutal.

Cheers Sports...lawnmowing business mmm!!!??? Could be a bad day at work for the Reds first five...

Desi I totally agree. The cats don't usually lose by a large margin at home, and would've covered with a spread of 11.5 20 of the last 23 games. That's also 7 of the last 8. This obviously tells us that no win is easy vs the Cats, no matter how bad a team they are.

The chiefs also quite strong in SA, and obviously would've been very disapointed by last weeks effort. The sharks will be hard to beat at home but at -8.5???

NSW vs Hurricanes is definately a game that could go either way. I'm thinking both teams will be playing some great rugby and should be a great match to watch.

If the bulls get their forwards working and play to their strengths they could be quite tough to keep at bay. Can I lose on the red 2 weeks in a row???Probally will :wink:

Blues had some great moments last wkend but the stormers are a much better road team than the bulls. That blues-bulls scoreline could have easily been lower, and I just think -15 may be too much to cover for the blues.