aussies1st said:
Teams to watch for clearly the 2 new sides in the comp.
NSW look even better than last year with Sailor and a new found depth at number 10. If the comp becomes forward pak based NSW are gone as Dunning and Baxter were shown up by England.
Qld with Barnes and some exciting youngsters are another to watch for.
Brumbies always a team to look out for with all there wallabies.
Overseas Crusaders and Blues as usual.
Hey Aussie1st,
Yes I have to agree with you on your coments, I do like the look of the Waratahs, they have a good backline, I 'd probably rate them on par with the Hurricanes, but yes your right about the forwards, they could struggle there. I wouldn't discount the Brumbies making the top four, all round they're a pretty balanced side. The Red's should improve on their ranking from last year, the game against the Waratahs in February will give us a good indication on how they will perform for the remainder of the series.
The dark horse in this series, has to be the Force, whilst John Mitchell did not expose his fully talented squad against the Cheetahs recently, I expect a tough performance when they face the Crusaders at Olympic Park in Melbourne. The Crusaders in the top 4. I have heard so much been said about the Chiefs, they have secured some excellent acquisitions from the Auckland Blues, which probably means that the Blues, maybe in the running for a top 4 spot.
The South African teams are also a bit of a darkhorse, but I have heard that the Bulls maybe the team to watch, from the news that I have read from a similar South African Rugby based forum, it seems that the Bulls have the front running from the South African S14 Franchises.