2013 Super Rugby Winner

I got my choice.

Effing Reds were my pick last season and got hit with the biggest list of injuries since the Rotterdam Nursing Home Disaster of 1877.

Needless to say, they didn't make it.  Losing Quade to a bullshit one match ban in the finals didn't help either.  Still, they did very well in light of their situation.

This season I feel really strongly about this pick.  All the right elements coming together at the right time to make a big impact.  Kinda like all the Roosters converging on the hotel bar after a junior charity function.

Add that to the fact that I see a lot of falling stars in most teams throughout the comp, this only adds up to me hitting it this season.

And the pick is the........

STORMERS.

In short, I think the year experience from the trials of last season, added in with the genuine Currie Cup win, will pay big dividends for the SA side.  Their defence will be as ferocious as ever, plus with a whole new slew of additions, mostly from the pilfered Lions club, the Stormers should see a new attacking flair that was missing most of the time last year.  I have been a big fan of Jantjiles in his days at the Lions.  He made that team so much better than it should have been and if I could have counted how many times I said to myself, "man, if only he was on a team which could utilize his skills......"  Well, now it's happened.

If the Stormers are able to threaten putting points up early on sides, instead of eventually putting them up by wearing them down, they will be a nightmare to face.  Imagine them going up 10 or 14 to nil in the first 10-20 minutes.....and then having to come back against that defence.

Let's also not forget to factor in the guaranteed wins and bonus points from the Cheetahs and Kings.  This gives them an edge over any Aussie or Kiwi side which shows good form.

In SA itself, the Bulls are rebuilding and I see them as a possible finalist, but more of the middle-of-the-pack contestant.  The Sharks will be the main hurdle for the Stormers.  They are a little stronger on the pitch in some positions, notably up-front, but I don't see any whopping advantages to counter-act the package the Stormers will be bringing to the table this season.

All-in-all, you can't go wrong with $8.00 on the Stormers to take it all.

GOOD LUCK and GET IN!!! 

Well im picking the Chiefs for back to back but to be safe going to take them to win the NZ conference.

Back to back in hard as piss to do in the S15. I fell for that trap last season, but to be fair, the Reds fell to the injury/ban hammer gods. They still had one hell of a season. But 5th string flyhalf? Man, what a garbage pot of luck.

Stormers lose to the Cheetahs in warm-ups. Good. Hopefully that'll tick the odds up a bit. Doubt it, but better than a blow-out win and them dropping.

Chiefs looked really good in their first warm up game

Are you betting the Chiefs, snake? Or because that's the team you barrack you are just giving them ups?

Stormers down from $8 to $5.50 at Sportingbet.  

i will be betting them to win the conference and maybe a little there way to make the big final. 

Just had a look and really like the look of Stormers to win the SA division paying $2.30. That seems like great value i think., What you reckon

It's hard to get a reasonable price from the Tab on the rugby futures. Some terrible odds for certain teams to make the top 6 (9 odds-on). I expect a vast improvement from the Highlanders but $1.75 to finish in top 6 is a farce.

Yea i think they will miss him in the mid field but they do have a lot of guys who last year were like first years and rookies and now have that year under their belt. I must say i think the Canes and Chiefs will be the 2 tops teams in the NZ conference this year. 

Wow snake - are you serious about the Canes?

I would love to say my Crusaders but with 11 All Blacks in the team, they may struggle a little during the test season. We will find out more this weekend when they play the Waratahs with a full squad for a trial,

I like the chiefs for this year!!
Chiefs, Stormers, Brumbies are the 3 team confrences

Chiefs injury decimated team dropping 41 on the highlanders and the brumbies holding the rebels scoreless in the 2nd half wasn't impressive? interesting

Stormers v. Sharks is the match of the round, I reckon. Whoever screws up less will win. Jantjiles dropped as kicker in favor of in-form Petersen so he can concentrate on back line duties.

Feel free to tell me what's unimpressive about scoring 41 when you're missing schwalger, elliot, taimefuna, kahui, horrell. Cruden had a groin injury so Anscombe in his first super rugby game has to take over the kicking duties, Nanai-Williams was violently ill before the game and still tore the highlanders a new one. What was unimpressive?

Any team that scores 41 points is impressive.