Players to Watch: New Zealand

Israel Dagg:

Ever since I first saw Dagg playing for the Highlanders I knew the All Blacks were about to produce yet another superstar. Then to confirm my worst fears they sent him to the Crusaders to see if he really has the goods, and he does.
He is deadly under the high ball and his counter attacking is close to the best I have seen. He is quick, elusive and close on to 100kg's he can pack a punch in contact too. He always gains yards with ball in hand and will punish you if your defensive lines are not in order, coupled with the fact that he has the likes of Corey Jane and Zac Guildford outside him...it spells disaster for opposition teams. He is my pick for tournaments leading try scorer.
Other danger men would be Adam Thomson and Ma'a Nonu

Name: Israel Dagg
Age: 23
Position: Fullback/Wing
Teams: Crusaders & New Zealand
Test Caps:  7 (10 points)
Height: 1.86m
Weight: 95kg's

Muliaina is trying to keep him out of the #15 jersey for this World Cup

SupeRugby Round 17 PreJudgement:

Two weeks of wondering about who is in the top six. Two weeks for the fringe teams to secure their position and Two weeks for the Sharks and the Bulls to ensure that their are three SA teams in the play-offs. So, this is how its going down. Bulls to win, Sharks to win, both with 5 points. Reds lose and Crusaders v Blues is a boring 0-0 draw. Now the odds I would get on that would be ridiculous. Round 17 PreJudgement to follow...

Chiefs v Hurricanes (Hamilton)
These two teams are fighting to avoid the wooden spoon in the NZ conference this year. Both are coming off a win last week but looking at their opposition you would feel that the Chiefs had the better win. Will this prove in their favour or not? The Hurricanes backline have slowly been finding their feet over the past few weeks and more importantly Corey Jane. Looking forward to his battle up against Chiefs captain Mils Muliaina.
PreJudgement: Chiefs by 9

Brumbies v Rebels (Canberra)
These are two of the bottom teams playing each other. There isn't much to be said about the Brumbies that hasn't been said already. They have simply been poor this season. The Rebels have, as expected, finished on the bottom of the Australian conference but have dished out a few surprises this season. Controversially Danny Cipriani makes a return to the starting line up. I won't lie, I am looking forward to this game and I think it will be a good one.
PreJudgement: Rebels by 4
 
Crusaders v Blues (Timaru)
Big game of the weekend as these two are playing  for top spot and automatic qualification in the NZ conference. Both teams are fielding their best and this game will be played as a knock-out game, quite tight I would think. The Crusaders need the win and this should open the door for some backline magic.
PreJudgement: Crusaders by 5

Waratahs v Highlanders (Sydney)
The last make or break game for these teams. the great thing is it is not a derby game and I am looking forward to watching this clash. Both teams have finished this 2011 campaign poorly and are rapidly running out of opportunity to make the play-offs. Tony Brown running on at number 10, he may be a pensioner but could be the man to take it on for the Highlanders.
PreJudgement: Highlanders by 9

Force v Reds (Perth)
If the Reds drop this game, which I don't see, it opens the door for the Stormers to top the 2011 log at the end of the weekend. You can't see the Reds losing but the opportunity is there. They have had the greatest ever run in SupeRugby and one wonders if and when they will slip up or buckle under the pressure. The Force have not been impressive this season and will try and topple the table toppers but you just don't see this game in their favour.
PreJudgement: Reds by 8
 

Lions v Sharks (Johannesburg)
There are many factors influencing this game, the one that stands out for me is seeing Butch James line up against his old team. The Lions have had an inconsistent season but the momentum is with them at the moment. The Sharks will not underestimate this Lions outfit and will be looking to knock them out early on. John Smit moves to hooker and the Beast makes a start....NICE!
PreJudgement: Sharks by 10
 
Stormers v Bulls (Cape Town)
This game has to be the talk of the SupeRugby world this week. Both teams need the win for different reasons. The Stormers could go top, but if they lose, could lose the top spot in SA conference next week. The Bulls are playing for a play-off spot . This game is so difficult to call as both teams are on fire and both teams have the trophy in mind, with the experience and ability to do so. The talk of the week is the loss of Bakkies Botha and Fourie du Preez for the Bulls and the stormers rookie Fly-Half Kurt Coleman. Game on!
PreJudgement: Stormers by 5 (Home ground call)

Finally I would like to wish the SA under 20's good luck in the IRB Junior World Championship/Trophy. Bring it home boys.

SupeRugby Round 9 PreJudgement:

SupeRugby Round 9, is just one of those weeks...virtually unjudgeable. The 'dead certain' winners this weekend are not playing good rugby and on the other end of the spectrum, their opponents are. The Highlanders and Bulls need 5 points this weekend if they are going to have any hope of qualifying and the Brumbies should beat the Force along with the Crusaders beating the Chiefs.

Chiefs v Crusaders (Hamilton)
Richie McCaw is back, sitting on the bench, but back never the less. The entire rugby has waited a long time for his day of return. There is an awesome match up with the flyhalves today as Matt Berquist and Mike Delany compete for ascendancy. Mils Muliaina makes a welcome return for the chiefs today at fullback.
PreJudgement: Crusaders by 7

Rebels v Highlanders (Melbourne)
The Rebels return home and are eager to get their opening season winning streak up to 4. They are facing a team that has played extremely well as an unit and has the points to prove it. If this game goes down to the wire you would expect the Rebels to take it, so the Highlanders need to shut it down early.
PreJudgement: Rebels by 5

Blues v Waratahs (Auckland)
Tough one to call but the Waratahs have been doing the business of late. Luke Burgess had a blinder last week and will be keen to try and push his team to an away win this week. The Blues are 2 points ahead of the Waratahs and will be looking to overtake the Crusaders if the slip up against the Chiefs.
PreJudgement: Blues by 6

Reds v Bulls (Brisbane)
The Bulls have no fewer than 5 changes leading up to this vital game for both teams. If the Bulls lose, they are quite frankly in the brown stuff and if the Reds win they are sitting pretty on the log. The youthful exuberance of the Reds will feed off the fear of the Bulls. Having said that you can't expect the experience of the Bulls to falter again. I still think that when the Bulls received their fixtures before the season started they would have mentally marked a 'win' alongside this fixture....that's going to change.
PreJudgement: Reds by 9

Lions v Stormers (Johannesburg)
Peter Grant is out injured for this week and as a late replacement, Gary van Aswegen start at 10. The Lions have a few injury concerns of their own to worry about, but I think the Stormers are going to bounce back after their loss to the Reds.
PreJudgement: Stormers by 11


Cheetahs v Hurricanes (Bloemfontein)
This again is a tough one to call as the Hurricanes have battled this season along with the Cheetahs. I think that after their performances overseas, the home crowd will be well behind the Cheetahs this week and that could be the difference. The Hurricanes are due a win but Bloem is Bloem and its a tough place to go if your not totally focused.
PreJudgement: Cheetahs by 5

Brumbies v Force (Canberra)
The second Sunday game gets underway this week as the Brumbies will try and start a winning streak against the Force. The Force have not been doing well and as much as the focus has been on the Brumbies, they are still 5 points clear of their opposition on the log. As i have said in previous PreJudgements, Canberra is a tough place to go.
PreJudgement: Brumbies by 15

Tough unpredictable weekend all round, except for the Sharks as they pocket 4 points while relaxing on a KZN Game Farm. Well DONE Boys!