Round 1 of the Super Rugby season is here and will start in South Africa with two interesting matchups. The Stormers will face the Jaguares in Newlands on Saturday night. After that match will be the 14-1 Lions from last season against the Sharks at Emirates Airlines Park.
Super Rugby Round 1 Betting Tips
Stormers v Jaguares (Sunday, February 18, 1.05am AEDT)
The Stormers are coming off a quarter-final loss against the Chiefs last season and have finished 3rd in back to back seasons. Since the 2010, they have made the finals in 5 of 7 seasons, so this is a team to watch in 2018. Meanwhile, the Jaguares had an up and down season in 2017 with a 7-8 record. They lost a lot of close matches so they could improve in 2018. In this matchup last season, the Stormers won 32-25 so this will likely be close again. The Stormers also won the other matchup between the sides 13-8 in 2016. Since 2013, they’re 31-10-1 straight up at home and went 6-2 at home last season. As a favourite, they’re 8-1 in their last 9 matches. The Jaguares were decent away from home with a 3-4 record. But they’ll likely struggle to keep up with the Stormers in attack. They averaged 26.9 ppg last season, compared to the Stormers 31.3. So in the end I’ll be taking the 1-12 margin for the Stormers which they’re 2-0 against the Jags in Super Rugby.
TIP: Stormers 1-12 - $2.88 at Sportsbet
Lions v Sharks (Sunday, February 18, 2.15am AEDT)
The second match is a rematch of the Qualifier between the Lions and Sharks from 2017. The Lions won that match 23-21 and went onto to just lose the final by 8 points against the mighty Crusaders. They had a dominant season last year, scoring 590 points in a 14-1 season. They’ve also gone 25-5 in the last two seasons so this side will be hard to stop again. The Sharks went 9-1-5 last season and will be looking to improve in 2018. They have a good record against the Sharks as they have covered the underdog line in the last two meetings at Emirates Airlines Park. The Lions also just lead the head to head 7-6-1 since 2010. So this will likely be a close contest and I’ll back the Sharks to cover 8.5 points line.
TIP: Sharks +8.5 - $1.90 at William Hill
Futures - 2018 Australian Conference
Without the Force, the Sunwolves have joined the Australian Conference, but at $126 I will be steering clear. So in the top betting markets, the Waratahs are favourites with the Brumbies just behind them. The Waratahs were a middle of the pack scoring team last season with 26.4 points per game in a 4-11 season. The tough part about betting on them is when it comes to defence. They let in 34.8 points per game, which ranked 4th last in Super Rugby. While for the Brumbies, they pride themselves on defence as they ranked 3rd in Super Rugby with just 18.6 points per game. The key is whether they can find the try-line enough to beat the better sides in New Zealand and South Africa. However, after a 6-9 season they should improve in 2018. The mystery team in this Conference is the Rebels. They’ve recruited a number of former Force players and their coach David Wessels. Will Genia is back from French Rugby and should help the Rebels improve on a 1-13-1 2017 season record. But in the end, the Brumbies are the safest bet in this Conference. They have a great schedule and only travel to South Africa late in the season.
TIP: Brumbies to win - $3 at at Sportsbet
Futures - 2018 New Zealand Conference
The New Zealand Conference is tight in the betting with the Hurricanes just favourite at $2.75. They went 12-3 last season but didn’t reach the final in the end. However, they were the best scoring team in Super Rugby and also ranked 2nd in defence behind the Lions. They have a good record against the Crusaders (7-5-1) and that will be the key in them winning this conference. Their squad is strong with a few key All Blacks and I’ll back them to win this.
TIP: Hurricanes to win - $2.75 at Sportsbet
Futures - 2018 South African Conference
In the South African Conference, the Lions are the comfortable favourites and there isn’t much stopping them. They were easily the best South African team last season and have teams covered on both sides of the ball. They can attack heavily and lockdown in defence when needed. The only other side that could challenge them is the Sharks, especially if they beat them in Round 1. But I can’t see that happening.
TIP: Lions to win - $1.50 at Sportsbet
