Round 3 is upon us and it all begins with the Crusaders battling rank underdogs Moana Pasifika.
All the best bets from another big weekend of Super Rugby Pacific.
moana pasifika vs. crusaders
march 4th 5:05pm
Moana Pasikifa will prepare for a baptism of fire in the Super Rugby Pacific when it prepares to play its first game of the season against the Crusaders.
The Crusaders have been installed as the unbackable $1.02 favourites for this contest and rightfully so given their dominance in Super Rugby over the last decade.
Moana Pasifika will be facing a Crusaders team on a nine-game winning run.
It is the club’s longest winning streak in the competition since a run of 19 wins from March 2018 to March 2019.
How Moana deals with the Crusaders offensive threat is something no one will probably have answers to.
The Crusaders have scored an average of 40 points per game across their last nine wins and should be adding to that.
Suggested Bet: Crusaders -35.5 at $1.94
fijian drua vs. melbourne rebels
march 4th 7:45pm
The basement teams of Super Rugby do battle when Fijian Drua hosts the Melbourne Rebels in the Sunshine Coast.
Fijian Drua will fancy themselves a sniff to register their first win of the season and there have been signs they are building towards a big performance.
They have made 41 tackle breaks in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific campaign, the second-most of any team in the competition and that might trouble a Rebels defence that has looked wafer thin.
The Rebels have already faced defeat against this opponent after being down by Fijian Drua in pre-season trials.
Going with the home team to cause the upset.
Suggested Bet: Fijian Drua head to head at $4.70
western force vs. queensland reds
march 4th 10:00pm
Western Force collides with the Queensland Reds at NIB Stadium on Friday night.
The Force are looking for their second win of the season, while the Reds attempting to keep their unblemished 2-0 start intact.
Queensland are ever so slightly favoured to win this contest being given a line handicap of -1.5.
But the Force will have fond memories of the last time they played the Reds.
It was the Force who walked away 30-27 winners and, in doing so, snapped a three-game losing streak against the Reds.
In a flip of the coin match, we are going to side with the Force at the head to head.
Suggested Bet: Western Force head to head at $2.20
blues vs. chiefs
march 5th 2:35pm
Two teams coming off contrasting season-openers do battle when the Blues meet the Chiefs on Saturday afternoon.
The Chiefs started their Super Rugby campaign in the best possible fashion with a 26-16 win over the Highlanders, while Blues fell agonisingly short against the Hurricanes to go down 33-32.
Despite the gut-wrenching loss, the Blues will confident in a return home to Eden Park.
The Blues have won each of their last two Super Rugby home matches against the Chiefs.
That has to be worth something in this clash and it is enough to lean us in their direction.
Suggested Bet: Blues head to head at $1.52
hurricanes vs. highlanders
march 5th 5:05pm
The Highlanders play the Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday night at Sky Stadium.
In a game that sets up a return to some form of normality for New Zealand with crowds returning, in an albeit limited capacity, the Highlanders are still searching for their first victory, while the Hurricanes are looking to go 2-1.
The Highlanders have strung a swath of changes to the team that lost to the Crusaders last week with Folau Fakatava replacing Aaron Smith.
Fakatava has only had a handful of starts in his time with the Highlanders, while newcomer, Liam Coombes-Fabling, debuts on the left wing after joining the team three weeks ago in Queenstown as an injury replacement player.
It seems to going a little pear-shaped early on for the Highlanders and we expect the Hurricanes to keep their winning form going.
Suggested Bet: Hurricanes -1.5 a $1.47
ACT Brumbies vs. NSW waratahs
march 5th 7:45pm
Two old foes in Super Rugby get set to batter themselves against each other when the ACT Brumbies play host to the NSW Waratahs.
It is a rivalry that may have waned off in recent years, but there will be no love lost between the two teams.
The Brumbies have defeated all before them this season having seen off Queensland in Week 1 and then tearing apart Fijian Drua last weekend.
The Waratahs, meanwhile, are trying to make amends after a disastrous 2021.
They have looked far more competitive under new coach Darren Coleman, but the Brumbies have looked the superior team in Australia this season.
Suggested Bet: ACT Brumbies -7.5 at $1.89
