30 May 2019, by: Quintin van Jaarsveld

SUPER RUGBY PREDICTIONS – ROUND 16

The stakes continue to rise as Super Rugby heads into Round 16 this weekend.

The Jaguares, deservedly but rather ironically, top the South African Conference on 36 points, followed by the Sharks (33), Bulls (32), Lions (30) and Stormers (30). The Argentinians can strengthen their position with a win over the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday.

Before then, though, the Bulls have a crucial clash against the Blues in Auckland on Friday. Then, in the first of two all-important encounters on South African soil on Saturday, the Sharks face the dangerous Hurricanes at Kings Park before the Lions welcome the Stormers to Ellis Park.

Who’ll win these and the rest of the Round 16 matches? Check out our picks below.

The Bulls, in the loss to the Brumbies last Friday, were a shell of the team they were prior to losing their play-making general Handre Pollard to injury. That loss all but damned their play-off aspirations and a loss in Auckland will snuff out their last remaining hope. They’re now without Duane Vermeulen as well, who’s returned home as per the Springboks’ rest protocol.

The men from Pretoria haven’t tasted victory in New Zealand in years and have lost all but one of their 12 battles against the Blues in Auckland. The Blues have been unable to gain traction in this year’s tournament and languish in lowly 13th as a result. However, they’ve won five of their last six home games, including the 23-8 win over the Chiefs last time out in front of their local fans. Bank on the Bulls to take an L.

Prediction: Blues by 14. (Suggested BET – Blues -9.5)

The Rebels made a timely return to the win column last weekend, thumping the Sunwolves 52-7 in Tokyo, which also allowed them to fine tune all facets of their game heading into this all-important Australian derby. The Waratahs weren’t as fortunate, going down 23-15 to the Jaguares at home. The Rebels are just one point behind the conference-leading Brumbies, so they have to make the most of this home game. It’ll be tight, but one has to favour the hosts.

Prediction: Rebels by 3. (Suggested BET – Rebels by 1-12 points)

The Sunwolves have dropped off the pace drastically in the latter stages of the tournament and suffered the abovementioned thrashing at the hands of the Rebels last weekend. Prior to that, they were shutout 33-0 by the very team they face again this week, and it’ll be another runaway win for the Australian Conference leaders.

Prediction: Brumbies by 20. (Suggested BET – Brumbies -14.5)

That the Chiefs barely escaped with a win against the Reds at home last weekend does not bode well for them with the mighty Crusaders coming to town. Derbies generally bring out the best in teams, but that wasn’t the case for the Chiefs back in Round Four. The 57-28 hiding they took in Christchurch will linger in the back of the Chiefs’ minds and although it shouldn’t be as big of a blowout this time, the Crusaders will march on.

Prediction: Crusaders by 14. (Suggested BET –  Crusaders -11.5)

South African teams and their fans will be hoping the Reds do them a massive favour by overcoming the conference-leading Jaguares. It’s not likely to happen, though. The in-form Argentinians’ win over the Waratahs last weekend was their second impressive tour victory in a row and you can bank on them making it three-from-three in Brisbane.

Prediction: Jaguares by 8. (Suggested BET – Jaguares -3.5)

The Sharks’ 27-17 win over the Lions last weekend wasn’t just vital in terms of log position but also snapped a two-match losing streak at home. Their forwards dominated the derby and Curwin Bosch and the strike runners punished the Lions. The Jaguares’ upset win in Wellington in the Hurricanes’ last outing prior to their bye will likely lead to a backlash.

If the Sharks are unable to squeeze the life out of the visitors’ up front and deny them quick ball, it’ll be a long afternoon. Their defence has been outstanding but there’s a sense they won’t be fully capable of containing the ‘Canes.

Prediction: Hurricanes by 5. (Suggested BET – Hurricanes -2.5)

Deadlocked on 30 log points, this is a must-win for both teams, but especially for the Lions at home, as they host the Hurricanes next week before making the short trip to Loftus in their last regular season match. With that in mind, as well as the loss to the Sharks and the fact that they’re winless against South African opposition this season, all the pressure will be on the Lions.

The Stormers are hitting their straps at the perfect time and put it all together last week – delivering a strong defensive and lethal offensive performance. Like the Sharks, they have the personnel to outmuscle the Lions. The Stormers snatched a controversial 19-17 win in the teams’ Round Two clash in Cape Town, and home ground advantage could tilt it in the Lions’ favour this time around.

With both Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit ruled out after picking up injuries in last weekend’s win over the Highlanders, the scales tip in the Lions’ favour ever so slightly.

Prediction: Lions by 3. (Suggested BET – Lions by 1-12 points)