The 2019 Super Rugby Finals series continues this weekend with two massive Semi Finals! We have a full preview and betting tips for both games, kicking off with the Jaguares and Brumbies from 9.05am on Saturday morning.
Super Rugby Semi Finals Betting Tips
Jaguares vs Brumbies (Saturday, Jun 29 9:05am)
The first Semi Final kicks off on early Saturday morning with the Jaguares hosting the Brumbies for a spot in the Grand Final. This should be a great battle between two teams that are in peak form coming into this clash. The Jaguares made it 6 straight wins after defeating the Chiefs at this venue last week, 21-16. They were down at the half but rallied in the second half to outscore their opponents 13-6. Their home form in 2019 has been impressive as they’ve won 8 of 10 games here. As a result, they will take clear favouritism into this matchup. It’s a fairly similar story for the Brumbies in terms of form. They hit the finals with a 6 game winning streak and they blitzed the Sharks 38-13 in Canberra last week.
The Brumbies have enjoyed a significant home advantage in 2019 so the question is whether they can translate that form on the road in a final. Looking at their past results in Argentina, there’s a good chance of an upset. They met the Jaguares in late April this year and in a close encounter, the home side just came out on top 20-15. In the other two meetings, the Jaguares again won by 5 in Canberra in 2018 and the Brumbies won the first Super Rugby meeting 39-15 at this venue in 2017. Obviously, the Jaguares are a much-improved side this time around but the Brumbies should be very confident. So in a high stakes game with a Grand Final spot on the line, it’s hard to see a blowout occurring and the value is with either team winning this by under 8.5 points. This bet is 3-0 when the Jaguares faced a finals team on their home turf in 2019 and the fact that both of the last 2 meetings have finished with a 5 point margin says this final will likely be close.
Either Team by Under 8.5
$2.15
Crusaders vs Hurricanes (Saturday, Jun 29 5:35pm)
The rivalry between the Crusaders and the Hurricanes headlines the Super Rugby finals as they clash on Saturday night in Christchurch. Looking at win-loss records in 2019, this is a matchup of the two best teams in Super Rugby so this does have a Grand Final feeling about it. Starting with the Crusaders, they got the job done in the Quarters with a comfortable 38-14 victory over the Highlanders. In their last 2 games, they’re averaging a massive 52 points per game while allowing a total of 14 points. So as expected, the money is mainly with the Crusaders as they aim to defend their Super Rugby title.
On the flip side, the Hurricanes were made to work by the Bulls last week as they closed out a 35-28 victory at Westpac Stadium. But they will need an improved 80-minute performance if they want to upset arguably the best team in Super Rugby and their record against them isn’t flash. In the 2 meetings this season, the Crusaders outscored them 70-30 and the last time they lost against the Hurricanes at home was back in 2016. So it’s pretty risky to bet against the Crusaders in a final like this but the best bet looks to be the Unders. In the last 5 meetings at this venue, the Under has a 4-1 record. In the regular season, the Crusaders were easily the top points allowed side in the league with just 17.1 points given up. So it’s hard to see that record changing in a final.
Total points UNDER 48.5
$1.88
