Which team and why will win The Super 15?

[JJR]

I will first say that it will be between Sharks,Bulls,Stormers and Crusaders.

Why-

Sharks have awesome depth in each position and best squad in the tournament in my opinion in terms of quality depth. They have a good mix of youth and experience...eg.John smit and 37 year old stef terblanche, with younger stars patrick lambie and lwazi mvovo. They have the most balanced and quality pack in the comp...Springbok frontrow with another bok on the bench... and a great mix of power and pace in the back row with keegan daniel,Deysel,Alberts and kanko. Sharks have a very attcking backline to complement a very powerful forward pack...9.Mcloed 10.Lambie/JLP 11.Mvovo 12.Bosman 13.Jacobs/Stef 14.Jpp 15.Ludik...all very good attacking players. Also Sharks playing a brand from the Currie Cup that suits the new laws and plays a ball in hand approach and main focus on patience and quick ball...very similar to the All Blacks current style, but slightly more focus on creating go forward ball first.

Bulls- simple...they will also have a very strong pack and then fourie Du Preez and Morne steyn to back it up. Experienced star players Du preez,Matfield,Steyn,Spies,Botha,Steenkamp...with Rossouw, van der merwe and Gary Botha to back it up.

Stormers- Similar brand of play to THE Sharks (if grant plays 10 not de waal)...great backline, but still a question mark over their halfback pairing for me and the grunt of their tight 5. Bekker does a good job 4 them, but not sure if they will quite match up with Bulls or Sharks in tight knockout situations.

Crusaders- Always play a great balanced game with equal focus on fowards and backs...basically basic rugby at it's best. Then Carter and Ritchie...solid pack, not the strongest, but can give backs good ball and then a mean centre combo...williams and robbie.

Waratahs,Chiefs,Brumbies and canes will end up a bit short, but will perform well.

My money is on a Sharks/Bulls final...no biased involved...they have the best squads in terms of quality depth and great/experienced individuals.

 

[lance2010]

Hurricanes:Out of all the teams they deserve to win,they got all the talents just hope they can find the right chemistry.Weepu,Cruden,Nonu,Smith,Gear,Savea,Jane...lets just hope the tight five eat some concrete and man up to the Africans.

 

[The_Wol]

Cheetahs: Will do a Queensland Reds and blitz the comp, destroying all teams in their way.

 

[Feicarsinn]

You mean finish fifth?

 

[The_Wol]

You mean finish fifth?

Queensland Reds won last year bro, number 1 in the competition, pfft idk what S14 season you were watching.

 

[Feicarsinn]

I dunno. I thought the Lions came out on top. I wasn't really paying attention though, there was an episode of countdown on at the same time.

 

[The_Wol]

I dunno. I thought the Lions came out on top. I wasn't really paying attention though, there was an episode of countdown on at the same time.

Captain Carlos brought the Lions close in the final, he had his best game of his career.

 

[ranger]

I will first say that it will be between Sharks,Bulls,Stormers and Crusaders.

Why-

Sharks have awesome depth in each position and best squad in the tournament in my opinion in terms of quality depth. They have a good mix of youth and experience...eg.John smit and 37 year old stef terblanche, with younger stars patrick lambie and lwazi mvovo. They have the most balanced and quality pack in the comp...Springbok frontrow with another bok on the bench... and a great mix of power and pace in the back row with keegan daniel,Deysel,Alberts and kanko. Sharks have a very attcking backline to complement a very powerful forward pack...9.Mcloed 10.Lambie/JLP 11.Mvovo 12.Bosman 13.Jacobs/Stef 14.Jpp 15.Ludik...all very good attacking players. Also Sharks playing a brand from the Currie Cup that suits the new laws and plays a ball in hand approach and main focus on patience and quick ball...very similar to the All Blacks current style, but slightly more focus on creating go forward ball first.

Bulls- simple...they will also have a very strong pack and then fourie Du Preez and Morne steyn to back it up. Experienced star players Du preez,Matfield,Steyn,Spies,Botha,Steenkamp...with Rossouw, van der merwe and Gary Botha to back it up.

Stormers- Similar brand of play to THE Sharks (if grant plays 10 not de waal)...great backline, but still a question mark over their halfback pairing for me and the grunt of their tight 5. Bekker does a good job 4 them, but not sure if they will quite match up with Bulls or Sharks in tight knockout situations.

Crusaders- Always play a great balanced game with equal focus on fowards and backs...basically basic rugby at it's best. Then Carter and Ritchie...solid pack, not the strongest, but can give backs good ball and then a mean centre combo...williams and robbie.

Waratahs,Chiefs,Brumbies and canes will end up a bit short, but will perform well.

My money is on a Sharks/Bulls final...no biased involved...they have the best squads in terms of quality depth and great/experienced individuals.

I would put the Crusaders pack right up there with the very best South Africa has to offer.. The Starting pack has 7/8 current All Blacks. With former All Blacks Chris Jack, Wyatt Crockett and George Whitelock all sitting on the bench. I would take the Crusader pack over the Sharks even. They lack a bit of depth in the backline, but if they lineup their first choice XV i think they will be tough to beat. When the only non internationals in your XV are Fruean, Todd and Maitland you are doing pretty well.

The Blues are only a decent first five performer and at least a mediochre coaching performance away from the semifinals also.

Aside from that, Any of the Brumbies, Reds or Waratahs could easily better the stormers.

Im picking the Highlanders to be the real suprise package this year. This new conference system doesnt do them any favours but they are probably the biggest improvers talent-wise (from last year) in the whole competition.

 

[JJR]

I would put the Crusaders pack right up there with the very best South Africa has to offer.. The Starting pack has 7/8 current All Blacks. With former All Blacks Chris Jack, Wyatt Crockett and George Whitelock all sitting on the bench. I would take the Crusader pack over the Sharks even. They lack a bit of depth in the backline, but if they lineup their first choice XV i think they will be tough to beat. When the only non internationals in your XV are Fruean, Todd and Maitland you are doing pretty well.

The Blues are only a decent first five performer and at least a mediochre coaching performance away from the semifinals also.

Aside from that, Any of the Brumbies, Reds or Waratahs could easily better the stormers.

Im picking the Highlanders to be the real suprise package this year. This new conference system doesnt do them any favours but they are probably the biggest improvers talent-wise (from last year) in the whole competition.

The sharks pack man handled the Bulls pack in the currie cup...and the bulls pack includes bakkies,spies,rossouw and steenkamp. Crusaders have a solid pack...they work well together, but they are not quite as physical as Bulls and Sharks packs in my opinion and who is gonna give you a good crash ball now that waldrom is gone...Sharks have 113kg deysel 118kg Alberts and bulls have 118kg rossouw...spies ain't too heavy, but one of the strongest guys in the comp. What will the crusaders pack look like from 1-8?...we can than compare individuals and i am pretty sure Bulls and Sharks pack will come out tops. Also Stormers are even better than last year...they have gained Cj van der linde up front...i mean it was a Bulls v Stormers final last year were they dominated the semi's...u forget.

All blacks never really had a lot of good depth in the forwards...we have tons more quality looseforwards and locks...so being a current Allblack does not count unless u start for them consistently. U guys have a good starting lineup then after that the level/quality of player drops quite a lot.

 

[d1e1m]

The sharks pack man handled the Bulls pack in the currie cup...and the bulls pack includes bakkies,spies,rossouw and steenkamp. Crusaders have a solid pack...they work well together, but they are not quite as physical as Bulls and Sharks packs in my opinion and who is gonna give you a good crash ball now that waldrom is gone...Sharks have 113kg deysel 118kg Alberts and bulls have 118kg rossouw...spies ain't too heavy, but one of the strongest guys in the comp. What will the crusaders pack look like from 1-8?...we can than compare individuals and i am pretty sure Bulls and Sharks pack will come out tops. Also Stormers are even better than last year...they have gained Cj van der linde up front...i mean it was a Bulls v Stormers final last year were they dominated the semi's...u forget.

All blacks never really had a lot of good depth in the forwards...we have tons more quality looseforwards and locks...so being a current Allblack does not count unless u start for them consistently. U guys have a good starting lineup then after that the level/quality of player drops quite a lot.

1 - Ben Franks can play both sides, very strong scrummager and part of the new breed of props who keep up with the loosies
2 - Cory Flynn is weakest of the pack because he is prone to injuries and lapses in form. Lineout is his biggest weakness but good in support play
3 - Owen Franks think he's a bit insane, he always looks a little to excited to be scrummaging. one of the best tightheads in the world, very strong and like his bro, very good in support and running the ball. Prone to knockons
4 - BRAD THORN (cause I always see him howling) the enforcer, always good for a hit on Habana, will need to be managed but you rarely see him not go ballsout for 80 min.
5 - Sam Whitelock /with Chris Jack not too far behind plus Whitelock can also shift to 6 should the need arise, very athletic.
6 - Matt Todd - rate him over George Whitelock, like McCaw, his name is mentioned at least 100 times a game.
7 - King Richie
8 - Kieran Read - my favorite player, on form for the last 3 years, arguably best 8 in the world right now and he is still improving.

Granted, this leaves Saders playing with 2 specialist opensides but the new laws make the old enforcer 6 obsolete. Saders have Thorn, Franks Bros, Read, Fruean and SBW, all players who can and will give crashball. Don't get me wrong, Choo CHoo train Waldrom was quality crash but I will always prefer Read over him. You've forgotten that the Franks and Read worked the Boks all over the field during the TN, and they weren't exactly dominated by the opposing pack. Our weakest position is probably Flynn who has never been able to hold form but he's not a bad player.

 

[ranger]

The sharks pack man handled the Bulls pack in the currie cup...and the bulls pack includes bakkies,spies,rossouw and steenkamp. Crusaders have a solid pack...they work well together, but they are not quite as physical as Bulls and Sharks packs in my opinion and who is gonna give you a good crash ball now that waldrom is gone...Sharks have 113kg deysel 118kg Alberts and bulls have 118kg rossouw...spies ain't too heavy, but one of the strongest guys in the comp. What will the crusaders pack look like from 1-8?...we can than compare individuals and i am pretty sure Bulls and Sharks pack will come out tops. Also Stormers are even better than last year...they have gained Cj van der linde up front...i mean it was a Bulls v Stormers final last year were they dominated the semi's...u forget.

All blacks never really had a lot of good depth in the forwards...we have tons more quality looseforwards and locks...so being a current Allblack does not count unless u start for them consistently. U guys have a good starting lineup then after that the level/quality of player drops quite a lot.

I could also say that the All Blacks pack manhandled the SA pack last year (Which included those Bulls players) and that team was stacked with Crusaders.
-The Crusaders dont really opperate by the same "Crash Ball" tactics that the SA teams are after. They will look to use their forwards as a pack to securely move the ball forward (one off runners etc), the main momentum gainers will be Fruean and SBW in the midfield. If they really need to move the ball in the forwards, Keiran Read has shown at international level that hes capable of gaining alot of ground. P.S weight isn't everything. We could list how big all the players are but at the end of the day, which number 8 gained the most ground in the trinations? the big, strongest guy in the comp? or the mental skinny guy in the black jersey..

-
1)B.Franks A.B
2)C.Flynn A.B
3)O. Franks A.B
4)B. Thorn A.B
5)S. Whitelock A.B
6)R. McCAw God
7)M. Todd Future God
8)K. Read A.B

With All Blacks Crockett, Whitelock and Jack on the bench. Thats pretty damn close to the All Blacks team that gave the Springboks all kinds of hidings last year, you are the one that seems to be forgetting. That locking trio can finally compete with the Bulls. The Loose forwards will be the leading pilfer outfit, and the front row looks to be the most mobile.

 

[The_Wol]

Having a load of international players in your squad doesn't make it a good one , I hate to harp on about the Reds but they pants the Crusaders twice last year, beat the Stormers and Bulls at their own game with about four internationals in their team. It isn't about who you play for after S14/15 it's how hard you play during the Super 15.
NZ players will all be fired up because selection is alot harder in NZ with 4,397,197 All Blacks wider training squad members, however on the same token they won't want to risk missing out on the World Cup, heavy lies the crown.
Aus players however have about 110 people to compete with, and will be going all out, because chances are they won't make the one eyed Wallabies anyway.
South African players well..... they're all about 150 years old, so I don't know if their walking frames will hold up this season.

 

[ranger]

Having a load of international players in your squad doesn't make it a good one ,

Having a load of quality international players does make it a good one however

I hate to harp on about the Reds but they pants the Crusaders twice last year, beat the Stormers and Bulls at their own game with about four internationals in their team.

And the year before that i watched the shittest Highlanders team pants the unbeatable Bulls.. The Crusader All Blacks arent pretend internationals like Morahan, Slipper and Kingi.. Thorn, McCaw, Franks, Carter, Dagg, Read etc are all near abouts world class.

 

[The_Wol]

Kingi hardly played for the Reds and is at the Rebels now.
Morahan is a 3rd choice winger, probably 4th choice now.
Slipper I don't like his face, Daley is also an International
International level doesn't mean anything at Super rugby level. I look forward to the Reds vs Saders game this year, Ioane, SBW and Fruean in one game, lets hope they don't all collide at once and split the atom.

 

[nickdnz]

The Reds have one good season, and Waldog hasn't been able to get it down since.

I'd honestly say, looking at the Crusaders, they've got by far and away the best squad in the competition. Hurricanes have an amazing backline, but don't have the consistancy up front, while a team like the Highlanders have a good pack, but none of the X-factor in the backline in the last few years. Short of one or two players, the Crusaders have a ludacris number of All Blacks, that some don't even make the starting XV. They have a winning culture, and I'd say they'll be the benchmark for any team this season.

 

[The_Wol]

To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if the Reds wooden spoon it up this year haha. 7 years of supporting a team that's less a yoyo and more a Chilean miner. They go down stay down for a long long time, then finally come back up, only to go back down soon after

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

The Crusaders are the number 1 favourite. I don't see how even a Sharks-fan can see them

finishing top of the log, seriously. I am positive we will make the play-offs, but top of the log

is too much. What surprises me is the bashing way of discussing this issue. A Reds fan thinks his

team can beat everyone after finishing close to the play off spots once in the last 5 years. I

know they have some amazing talent with Genia, Quade and some others but seriously thinking they

will just wipe the floor with the other teams is ridiculous.

- The Sharks are a serious contender after winning the Currie Cup
- Crusaders are a serious contender after winning the ITM Cup
- Bulls will be up there with the strength they have in the squad
- Brumbies is a team I rank quite high
- Chiefs and Hurricanes have an amazing backline which is important but lack real depth in the

forward pack. Same goes for the Stormers.
- Lions, Rebels, Force, Highlanders and Cheetahs don't seem to be teams to seriously threaten the

top forces for their play off spot but can maybe sneak off with some points everywhere.

That leaves the Reds, Waratahs and the Blues which are teams that can rise to great triumph or

sink to the low spots.

Of course teams can have great games and sometimes a wonderful great season like the Chiefs in

2009 and the Stormers in 2010. The whole conference concept is something most of you seem to

forget (I did so too at first) in seriously predicting the play off spots.

I will put down what teams are playing where (outside their own conference:

The NZ teams:

Crusaders:
Home: Waratahs, Brumbies, Sharks, Bulls
Away: Force, Stormers, Cheetahs, Reds
Missing out on: Lions and Rebels

Hurricanes:
Home: Bulls, Reds, Force, Lions
Away: Rebels, Brumbies, Cheetahs, Sharks
Missing out on: Stormers and Waratahs

Chiefs:
Home: Rebels, Sharks, Stormers, Reds
Away: Brumbies, Waratahs, Lions, Bulls
Missing out on: Cheetahs and Western Force

Blues:
Home: Cheetahs, Waratahs, Rebels, Stormers
Away: Sharks, Lions, Force, Reds
Missing out on: Bulls and Brumbies

Highlanders:
Home: Cheetahs, Lions, Force, Brumbies
Away: Bulls, Stormers, Rebels, Waratahs
Missing out on: Sharks and Reds

OZ teams:

Brumbies:
Home: Chiefs, Hurricanes, Lions, Stormers
Away: Crusaders, Highlanders, Cheetahs, Sharks
Missing out on: Bulls and Blues

Rebels:
Home: Sharks, Hurricanes, Highlanders, Stormers
Away: Chiefs, Blues, Bulls, Cheetahs
Missing out on: Lions and Crusaders

Reds:
Home: Cheetahs, Bulls, Blues, Crusaders
Away: Lions, Stormers, Hurricanes, Chiefs
Missing out on: Sharks and Highlanders

Waratahs:
Home: Cheetahs, Chiefs, Highlanders, Lions
Away: Crusaders, Blues, Sharks, Bulls
Missing out on: Stormers and Hurricanes

Western Force:
Home: Sharks, Bulls, Crusaders, Blues
Away: Lions, Stormers, Hurricanes, Highlanders
Missing out on: Cheetahs and Chiefs

SA teams:

Bulls:
Home: Chiefs, Highlanders, Rebels, Waratahs
Away: Crusaders, Hurricanes, Reds, Western Force
Missing out on: Blues and Brumbies

Cheetahs:
Home: Crusaders, Hurricanes, Rebels, Brumbies
Away: Blues, Highlanders, Reds, Waratahs
Missing out on: Chiefs and Western Force

Lions:
Home: Chiefs, Blues, Reds, Western Force
Away: Hurricanes, Highlanders, Brumbies, Waratahs
Missing out on: Crusaders and Rebels

Sharks:
Home: Hurricanes, Blues, Brumbies, Waratahs
Away: Crusaders, Chiefs, Rebels, Western Force
Missing out on: Reds and Highlanders

Stormers:
Home: Crusaders, Highlanders, Reds, Western Force
Away: Chiefs, Blues, Brumbies, Rebels
Missing out on: Hurricanes and Waratahs

The Crusaders have the advantage that they get 4 topteams at home and travel to some of the more average teams. Unfortunately they miss out on the Rebels and Lions which, to anyone, would be 5 definite points.

Hurricanes have a pretty even pick in the draw with only the Sharks and Brumbies away to worry about and are wlcoming the Bulls and Reds at home

Blues miss out on 2 possible play-off teams with the Bulls and Brumbies and travel to Durban and Queensland as the only 2 places which can cost points in my opinion

NZ conference will go to the Crusaders with getting the topteams at home and easier matches on tour. I think the Blues will end up in second place of the NZ conference with the draw they have.

The Brumbies have the big advantage of missing out on the Bulls and Blues in this year's Super15. They get the Sharks and Crusaders on tour which are 2 very difficult games and welcome the Chiefs and Stormers in Canberra.

The Waratahs have a very tough draw with the Crusaders, Blues, Sharks and Bulls on tour. That is one of the toughest draws I've seen so far. They can end up with 0 points in all 4 matches. At home they get some definite points with the Cheetahs and Lions coming over and the Chiefs and Highlanders. Only the Chiefs can cause problems but the matches on tour are the problem fot the Tahs.

The Reds miss out on a play off candidate (Sharks) and a low-profile oponent (Highlanders). They welcome 3 top opponents with the Bulls, Blues and Crusaders. The Cheetahs will give them the chance of a sure 5-pointer at home. On tour they can snatch a win in Joburg with the Lions but the Stormers, Hurricanes and Chiefs are tough opponents.

Considering the roster, I think the Brumbies will make it through as conference leader.

Now this is a tough conference for me to predict. The Bulls miss out on the Brumbies and Blues and have the advantage of getting sure points at home against the Rebels and Highlanders. The Chiefs will visit Pretoria which is a rematch of the 2009 final which ended in a 61-17 win for Northern Transvaal. On the road it's tough with the Crusaders, Hurricanes and Reds.

The Sharks miss out on definite points with the Highlanders. Also the Reds won't match up with the 2007 finalist. At home the 4 teams are all tough with the Hurricanes, Blues, Waratahs and Brumbies but each of the matches can be won. On tour it's tough with the Crusaders but the Chiefs and especially the Rebels and Western Force can give them points for the Conference ***le.

The Stormers can stop worrying about the Tahs and Canes and travel to Auckland and Waikato. The Brumbies is a tough match too but the Rebels can be beaten with ease. At home they get the mighty Crusaders, the easy Highlanders, the Reds and the Force. This can go either way. Win 2, lose 2 or win all.

To me, the SA conference is most open for grabs and is the one where most points will be lost to others. As much as I hope the Sharks to finish top of the conference and with only 1 really tough match on tour that should be possible. The difference between the Sharks and Bulls in this conference will depend on how they will do in Canterbury. My money is on the Bulls with the Sharks right there only 1 or 2 points behind. The Stormers have a inter-conference schedule to tough to win the SA conf.

 

[The_Wol]

I don't actually recall saying the Reds will win anything , I doubt they'll even make the top 5 again. I just use them as a point, that having a star studded team means that team will be good.
So before you attack me on the sole reason that I support the Reds, maybe read my posts a bit better kthanks.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

I wasn't talking about you, so don't worry

I was also referring to other topics on this matter where things like these are said. I think my choice of words was a bit unfortunate

 

[Seaton]

One might accuse me being biased if I selected which team I think is going to win, so I'll select which team(s) are not going to win

Cheetahs, Lions, Stormers, Bulls
Rebels, Force, Reds, Brumbies, Waratahs
Highlanders, Chiefs, Blues, Hurricanes






Anyone see what I did there?