2023 Super Rugby Round 5 Preview

After four rounds of Super Rugby Pacific action, just two teams remain unbeaten with the Chiefs and Brumbies the early pacesetters of the competition.

Somewhat surprisingly, the dynastic Crusaders team are currently mired in the middle of the table with just two wins to date and their week has also seen their coach Scott Robertson appointed as the All Blacks boss at the conclusion of this year’s World Cup.

Round 5 brings us six fascinating matches but none may be more intriguing than the early Saturday game as the Highlanders take on the vastly improved Fijian Drua who have already matched their 2022 win total before the end of March.

We’ve got you covered ahead of a busy weekend with our previews and best bets below!

There may be no bigger regular season win for the Crusaders in recent years than their hard fought, six-point victory in Auckland last week.

Producing that response against one of their chief rivals for the Super Rugby title will be a massive boost to their confidence, and they now have the added motivation of sending Scott Robertson out as a winner for the rest of the season.

A motivated Crusaders side is the last thing the unbeaten Brumbies would be wanting to face, even after the Canberrans put up 62 on Moana Pasifika last week.

In terms of a rivalry, the last decade is reminiscent of the Harlem Globetrotters and Washington Generals.

The Brumbies’ last win came in February 2009 in an 18-16 clash in Canberra and it’s tough to see their 11 game losing run coming to an end here.

While the Crusaders have shown some defensive frailties at times this season, the Brumbies are not going to be able to cause them much grief with a weakened squad making the trip across the Tasman.

Take the hosts to win this one comfortably and do not be surprised if the

Back the Crusaders to Cover -13.5 @ $1.83

It might not be a very happy Friday for the Aussie teams as the Waratahs host the unbeaten Chiefs to cap the double header.

No matter where they play, the Chiefs just look like they are a class above whoever they take on, with last week’s 19 point win over the Rebels their smallest margin of victory this season.

Over the opening two rounds, the Waratahs looked like they would find a way to be competitive this season, however successive defeats to the Rebels and Waratahs in the last two weeks have dampened a lot of the confidence one might have had.

There is still a chance the Tahs find their cohesion and guide themselves back into contention, but right now, based on the evidence presented, this looks like a fairly straightforward play.

Back the Chiefs to Cover -15.5 @ $1.91

This match can be broken down by asking one simple question, are the Drua a better side than the Western Force on the road?

Because if you believe that they are, then this might be the visitor’s best chance to record a win in New Zealand against a local opponent.

Through four weeks the Drua have arguably been one of the best performing sides relative to preseason expectations having already notched up a pair of wins and putting an almighty scare through the Reds at a sweltering Suncorp Stadium last week.

Unfortunately under the roof in Dunedin, the weather won’t be doing them any favours but the Highlanders underwhelming efforts thus far might be able to make up that deficit.

If nothing else, the Drua are going to give their all in this one and if we see the more of the same defensive issues from the Highlanders, then we could be in for an upset

Back the Drua to Cover +7.5 @ $1.91

One minor slip up against a good Blues team aside, this Hurricanes team has produced some of the best rugby we have seen all season.

They returned to winning ways last weekend doubling up the Waratahs in another convincing victories and anything less than a bonus point win here should be seen as a disappointment.

After Moana Pasifika just gave up 62 points in a loss to the Brumbies last week, the one positive you can say about that performance is the fact there is plenty of room to improve when they are not in possession.

Not to mention the Hurricanes will only have to look back exactly 12 months to know what happens when they take an opponent like this lightly.

They were the victims of an extra time upset against Moana Pasifika, however they extracted a measure of revenge with a 41 point win later in the season.

It looks like we are heading towards a similar outcome in this game and it’s worth backing the Hurricanes to win this one comfortably.

Back the Hurricanes to Cover -18.5 @ $1.91

The Reds return to AAMI Park three weeks after belting the Force 71-20 at that venue in Super Round to take on the Rebels.

Working in their favour is the fact they have won their last six against the Rebels and have generally looked like a better side when lining the two teams up head to head.

However there remains some frustrating follies within the Reds game week in and week out that, Force game aside, seems to prevent them from truly putting teams away.

Even last week against the Drua, poor discipline and handling errors stopped them from capitalising on an early lead.

But that six game winning streak and the Rebels efforts in their defeats thus far suggests that even if the Reds can only produce a B-grade performance, it should be enough to get them over the line.

Back the Reds to Cover -5.5 @ $1.91

Pretty much every Australian side struggles at Eden Park and it should be no different for the Force this Sunday.

This is a team that does not travel well and the Blues will be desperate to bounce back from a frustrating loss at home to the Crusaders last week.

I’m backing this one to get quite ugly and the three converted try line might be done and dusted by halftime.

Back the Blues to Cover -20.5 @ $1.83