Blues vs Brumbies
The Blues take on the Brumbies at Eden Park with a place in the final of Super Rugby at stake. The home team are 13 matches unbeaten and it will be a major surprise if they can’t win this match. The Brumbies will be looking to be party poopers and spoil an all Kiwi final after the Crusaders made the final. The visitors will need to slow the game down and play a forwards dominated game if they are too have any chance of victory. The return of Rob Valetini will certainly help with the physicality side of things.
TIP: The same way Valetini will boost their team so will the loss of Len Ikitau weaken their team significantly. The Blues showed in their last match that their scrum can be poor when put under pressure. The man that will be trusted to fix their scrum will be Nepo Laulala. If he can help his team can parity in the scrums then they will win comfortably. The bookies have the Blues as favourites and I am also tipping them for the win. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Worldsportsbetting 1.18, Playabets 1.19 and Sunbet 1.17
HEAD TO HEAD STATS
Blues vs Brumbies
- The Blues have won four of the last five matches against the Brumbies
- The last time the Blues lost at home to the Brumbies was in 2013.
Latest results for both teams
The Blues beat the Highlanders 35-6 in their last match while the Brumbies beat the Hurricanes 35-25 in their last match.
PREDICTION
The Blues have the most potent backline in the competition led by the irrepressible Beauden Barrett. He is back to the form that made him the best player in the world and will be challenging for the All Blacks ten jersey this year. The Brumbies will as always rely on their rolling maul to get them go forward as they score most of their tries from lineouts. The performance of the returning Valetini will give them ball runner they so badly missed during his absence. I am predicting the Blues to win by more than 14 points.
- Probable Starting XVs
Blues
15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 AJ Lam, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 11 Mark Telea, 10 Beauden Barrett (c), 9 Finlay Christie, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Adrian Choat, 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Tom Robinson, 4 Josh Goodhue, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Kurt Eklund, 1 Alex Hodgman
Brumbies
15 Tom Banks, 14 Tom Wright, 13 Ollie Sapsford, 12 Irae Simone, 11 Andy Muirhead, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Nic White, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Pete Samu, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Cadeyrn Neville, 4 Darcy Swain, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Folau Fainga’a, 1 James Slipper
Odds for this bet
The best odds on the Blues victory are as follows:
Worldsportsbetting 1.18
Playabets 1.19
Sunbet 1.17
Odds comparison on the Blues handicap:
The complete odds on the Blues handicap:
Worldsportsbetting (-12.5) 1.91
Sunbet (-12.5) 1.89
Playabets (-12.5) 1.81
Predictions and Odds in details
The most underrated player in the Blues team this season has been Stephen Perofeta. He has been the player with the line breaks and his partnership with Barrett will again be key as the Brumbies will need to keep a close eye on these two players otherwise they will run rings around them. The Blues on the outright win offer poor odds therefore I suggest the home team on the handicap. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Worldsportsbetting (-12.5) 1.91, Sunbet (-12.5) 1.89 and Playabets (-12.5) 1.81
Sports crazy fan that follows all major sport but the game with the oval ball is my real passion. Was an age level rugby coach and a huge supporter of the Springboks and diehard Liverpool man. I’m an experienced punter and sports writer whose predictions/tips are sure to stir up the emotions. I love the occasional wager on the underdog.
