SupeRugby Round 4: PreJudgement

Right here goes with my second attempt at predicting the future... The first time round was not good. See here. The Bulls, Reds and Waratahs are all having a break this weekend which, if you have forgotten, automatically gives them 4 log points for sitting on their bums...nice!

Crusader v Brumbies (Nelson)
Sheesh, what a match up this is going to be to start the round off. the Crusaders have come off a nice win against the 'Tahs and the Brumbies have spent the week licking their wounds after a loss to the Reds. Daniel Carter had a good game last week and will be looking to unleash his monster centres against the Aussie outfit. Lets not forget about the massive battle upfront as both teams will be looking to give their talented backlines the edge.
PreJudgement: Crusaders by 19
Rebels v Sharks (Melbourne) The Rebels are going to have their work cut out for them on Friday as they face the Sharks. The Sharks have come off a great win against the Force and welcome John Smit back for his first start of the season at tighthead prop. In other team news, Mvovo replaces injured Pietersen and Ndungane remains in the team after an injury scare. PreJudgement: Sharks by 12 Stormers v Highlanders (Cape Town) I think the Stormers have had a lot think about this week leading up to facing the Highlanders on Friday. In all honestly the Otago team have played the more exciting and much better attacking rugby this season. The Stormers on the other hand have quite frankly been struggling. With Duvenage replacing Januarie at scrumhalf, Peter Grant will get quicker ball from the base. Lets hope the loosies and tight 5 can secure good ball to unleash their exciting back line. PreJudgement: Tough call but Highlanders by 7  Hurricanes v Chiefs (Wellington) Both these teams are at the bottom of the NZ conference and are in desperate need of a win. The hurricanes have 2 more points than the Chiefs but are without 6 first choice players due to injury and 1, due to suspension. Local derby's are generally great games so making a call on this game is tough. I do think the away team are going to sneak a win though. PreJudgement: Chiefs by 6 Force v Blues (Perth) Coming off a big loss to the Sharks last week, the Western Force will be looking to remedy that against the Blues. The Blues have just returned from South Africa and i am sure will be feeling a little sluggish. Lets hope this games turns out to be an exciting running rugby encounter. PreJudgement: Force by 5 Cheetahs v Lions (Bloemfontein) Bottom of the table South African derby.... I'm just not sure that it is going to be as boring as it sounds. Both teams are desperate for a win and have come very close in the opening weeks games. There have been a few changes made on the Cheetahs side with Naas Olivier dropped for Robert Ebersohn's twin brother Sias. This will be his first start this season. Heinrich Brussow makes his much awaited return after a lengthy wait on the sidelines due to injury. PreJudgement: Lions by 7