Super Rugby R8 preview: Brumbies v Blues, Reds v Force, Stormers v Waratahs and more

CAN Quade Cooper’s Reds halt the rising Western Force? Are the Waratahs headed for further pain in Africa? Read our R8 Super Rugby preview!

Quade Cooper of the Reds during the Super Rugby match between the Queensland Reds and the Stormers. Pic Darren England.

THE Super Rugby season is nearing its halfway point and with just seven points separating first from seventh, the ladder could take on a whole new look after round eight.

That’s amplified by the fact competition-leaders, the Sharks, have the bye this week while the Reds and Force meet in a crucial Aussie derby.

Read on for a full preview of round eight!

Highlanders v Rebels

Friday, 5.35pm AEDT, Dunedin, Fox Sports 2

Can the Rebels go on a roll? That’s the challenge for Tony McGahan’s men as they travel to Dunedin a week after shocking the Brumbies to claim just their second win of the season.

Aside from trying to notch back-to-back wins for the first time in 2014, the Rebels will have to overcome a significant hurdle at Forsyth Barr Stadium. That is, their inability to win across the ditch. The Rebels have played six games in New Zealand for no wins, although they are at least getting closer to a breakthrough triumph – their last two losses were by just four points.

Injuries have forced a couple of changes on McGahan, who has promoted flanker Sean McMahon and Japanese international winger Male Sau for the sidelined Colby Fainga’a and Tom Kingston. Another Japan Test star, hooker Shota Horie, will make his first start of the season while prop Toby Smith also returns to join him in the front-row.

The struggling Highlanders are up against a hoodoo of their own, having lost six straight matches to Australian rivals – including the Rebels’ thrilling 38-37 win in the final round of 2013.News_Image_File: Will the Rebels record their first overseas victory in round eight?

Brumbies v Blues

Friday, 7.40pm AEDT, Canberra, Fox Sports 2

If the Brumbies were looking for an easy kill following that shock loss to the Rebels, they probably wouldn’t have chosen the Blues.

The Auckland-based side are starting to look dangerous after winning two on the bounce, and even more ominously getting quality game time into their off-season All Black recruits Jerome Kaino and Ma’a Nonu.

Kaino will skipper the Blues at GIO Stadium with regular captain and fellow loose forward Luke Braid dropping back to the bench after a hectic start to the year.

The Brumbies, whose lead at the top of the Australian conference is just one point, have lost Test hooker Stephen Moore to injury with Siliva Siliva replacing him in the front-row.

Christian Lealiifano, who played 29 minutes off the bench against the Rebels, has again been named among the reserves as he works his way back to top match fitness following off-season ankle surgery.News_Image_File: The Brumbies host the Blues in Canberra in one of the matches of round eight.

Perhaps the most surprising thing to come from that Rebels defeat for the Brumbies was that they uncharacteristically shipped 29 points in the second half, a potentially worrying sign coming up against a Blues side that boasts All Blacks attacking weapons Nonu, Charles Piutau, Frank Halai and reserve Francis Saili.

If there are any lapses in defence that quartet – plus gun young winger Tevita Li – will make them pay.

Hurricanes v Bulls

Saturday, 5.35pm AEDT, Napier, Fox Sports 2

Okay, so the Hurricanes may actually have a little more game than we all thought. Last week’s win on the road in Christchurch wasn’t without its hiccups but thanks to the brilliance of Alapati Leiua, they now find themselves right in the hunt in a jam-packed NZ conference.

The three-point victory over the Crusaders seemed to catch everybody off guard but when you look at the quality the Canes have at their disposal the more apt question should be: why did it take so long?

Coach Mark Hammett certainly hasn’t worked it out but that’s all in the past now – a win this weekend puts the Canes well and truly back on track.

And the news just keeps getting better in Wellington with All Blacks Victor Vito and Cory Jane coming straight back into the starting side for Saturday’s clash with the Bulls.

Stung by a brilliant late rally from the Chiefs in Pretoria in round seven, the Bulls will be keen to get what looks to be a tough four-match trip off to the best possible start.

It’s a feat they managed in 2013 with victory over the Blues in Auckland and with an unbeaten record from their last four starts, they shouldn’t be short on confidence.

Another positive is the return of regular skipper Flip van der Merwe who is a straight swap for stand-in Victor Matfield. The former Springboks captain will only play for the Bulls on tour should there be “special circumstances”, a decision agreed on when his return was finalised.

It looks an even contest on paper but buoyed by last week’s rousing effort in the south island, it’s hard to go past the Hurricanes here.

Reds v Force

Saturday, 7.40pm AEDT, Brisbane, Fox Sports 2

Was a narrow win over the Stormers last round a sign that there is life in the Reds’ season after all? We should get a better idea on Saturday night when Richard Graham’s men face up to the in-form Western Force in the only derby match of the weekend.

Yes, that’s right, the in-form Force. The men from the west have strung together three wins on the trot – including a stunning upset of the champion Chiefs last start – to climb above Queensland (on for and against) into third on the Australian conference.

They freshened up with a bye last weekend and will be raring to go against a Reds side they’ve had the wood on lately, claiming two wins and a draw in their last three meetings, including a first-ever win at Suncorp Stadium.

Graham, facing his former club for the first time as Reds coach, has been forced into several changes after winger/fullback Lachie Turner was the latest player to join Queensland’s growing injury list. Ben Lucas comes in at fullback, while young gun Jamie-Jerry Taulagi has been named to make his Super Rugby debut on the wing.News_Image_File: Nick Cummins will be on the hunt for some ‘meat’ at Suncorp on Saturday night.

The Force on the other hand have the luxury of bringing Ben McCalman straight back into their starting line-up after the in-form No.8 missed that epic win over the Chiefs through suspension. Former Reds flyer Luke Morahan returns to tackle his old side for the first time since heading west at the end of last year.

The recent meetings between these two sides have been tight, low-scoring affairs and with plenty on the line this shapes as another close encounter.

Cheetahs v Chiefs

Saturday, midnight AEDT, Bloemfontein, Fox Sports 2

Two of the most potent attacking teams in the competition, the Cheetahs and Chiefs could turn on a record scoreline if the Bloemfontein weather permits in round eight.

Finally back at home after a disastrous Australasian tour, the Cheetahs will have no doubt put plenty of work into their defence during the bye week after it leaked an average of 44.5 points in Australia and New Zealand.

Sure, they’ve scored some of the competition’s best tries but it’s no good bringing your supporters to their feet between the sirens unless you’re sending them home with a smile at full-time.

Luckily, it’s a problem Chiefs fans haven’t had to deal with over the last couple of years. The few that stayed up to watch the two-time defending champions last week could have been forgiven for going back to bed as the clock wound down. But for those that did stay up the reward was more than adequate.

That three-try surge in Pretoria ensured the Chiefs snatched what could be a crucial draw in the scheme of things while the momentum generated in the final minutes gives them something to build on this week.

It’s a fixture the Chiefs have dominated over the years (5-1 with two draws) while a 39-33 victory on their last trip to Bloemfontein suggests the altitude shouldn’t be a problem.

Expect plenty of points and a narrow Chiefs victory.

Lions v Crusaders

Sunday, 2.05am AEDT, Johannesburg, Fox Sports 2

One side sitting on the bottom of their conference, the other within striking distance of top spot. Yep, we could have written the preview for this game at the start of the season – except for the fact that the roles have been completely flipped.

The once-mighty Crusaders look in all sorts of trouble after Hurricanes winger Alapati Leiua’s thrilling late try consigned them to their third loss of the season last week, and have lost All Blacks Kieran Read and Luke Romano to injury.

The surprise packet Lions had the bye last round after a controversial 23-20 effort against the Reds the previous week had given them four wins for the season.

Rookie flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff remains their main avenue to scoring points - he’s averaging nearly 18 a game, with a scary strike-rate of 94.3 per cent.

The likes of winger Courtnall Skosan and centre Stefan Watermeyer have also looked good in attack at different times and will test the Crusaders.

The visitors can at least call upon a good head-to-head record against the Lions, having won four of the past five clashes between the two sides – including two at Ellis Park.

Stormers v Waratahs

Sunday, 3.10am AEST, Cape Town, Fox Sports 2

Winning on tour isn’t easy. If the Waratahs still need convincing after last week’s heavy loss to the Sharks than they only need to drop by the Stormers sheds pre-match – the South Africans went 0-4 in Australasia.

What is it about touring in 2014? No team has crossed the Indian Ocean and returned home with a win so far this season and judging by their recent Cape Town track record, the Waratahs are unlikely to break that trend this week.

Two straight defeats in South Africa’s part capital won’t sit well with coach Michael Cheika, who has a crisis of his own following reports he’s being investigating over an altercation with a SuperSport cameraman.News_Rich_Media: Waratahs coach Michael Cheika is under investigation for allegedly abusing a cameraman while on the sidelines during his side's loss to the Sharks in Durban last Saturday night.

There was further bad news for the Waratahs on Thursday with Israel Folau and Wycliff Palu ruled out, resulting in a positonal swap for Kurtley Beale and Jono Lance, and a start at lock for the towering Will Skelton.

The Stormers, meanwhile, went within a whisker of upsetting the Reds in Brisbane last Saturday but outscored their hosts two tries to one.

Although it was a fourth straight loss, there were plenty of positives from that outing – the most impressive of which was their ability to shut down Reds playmakers Quade Cooper and Will Genia.

Achieve the same outcomes this week at home and replicate the Sharks’ forward brutality and a drought-breaking win is well within reach.