Chiefs
2013 finish – 1st
Predicted 2014 finish – 1st
Despite
winning the title the last two years, the best is likely still to come from
this Chiefs team. Their young core of Aaron Cruden, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Sam
Cane , Ben Afeaki, Ben Tamifuna figure to be integral parts of the All Blacks
for a long time to come. They have lost some talented, experienced names in
players like Richard Kahui,Lelia Masaga,
Craig Clarke, but have recruited very well to address these departures,
bringing in players like Tom Marshall, Robbie Fruean, Jamie Mackintosh along
with former All Black Mils Muliana.
Reds
2013 finish – 5th
Predicted 2014 finish – 2nd
After the
combination of Quade Cooper and Will Genia rediscovered their magic throughout
the Wallabies 2013 campaign, I’m high on the Reds returning to the level of
play that saw them capture their first Super Rugby title in 2011. That year, Cooper
and Genia unleashed a beautiful display of attacking Rugby that the rest of the
competition could not compete with. The
Reds say goodbye to Digby Ioane, but welcome Lachlan Turner from the Waratahs
as a replacement.
Bulls
2013 finish – 2nd
Predicated 2014 finish -3rd
The Bulls
have had a lot of player turnover for this year, but welcome back one of the
all-time greats of world Rugby in Victor Matfield. Matfield personified the
tough, brutal game the South Africans like to play and despite being 36 I have
no doubt that Matfield will make a huge impact especially at the lineout.
Fortress Loftus remains one of the toughest places for an opposing team to play
in world Rugby.
Brumbies
2013 finish – 3rd
Predicted 2014 finish – 4th
The Brumbies
lose Wallaby great George Smith, but should see the return of possibly the
worlds best number 7 David Pocock after a knee reconstruction in 2013. Jake
White has returned to South Africa, replaced by another great Wallaby, and
Brumbies great Stephen Larkham. Several young Brumbies elevated their games in
2013 resulting in Wallabies selection for the likes of Nic White, Matt Toomua,
Christian Lealiifano, Jesse Mogg. Expect this group to once again strive to
monopolize the Wallabies jerseys.
Cheetahs
2013 finish – 6th
Predicted 2014 finish - 5th
2013 marked
the first time the Cheetahs ever made the playoffs in Super Rugby competition,
achieving this without mercurial young fly-half Johan Goosen. 21 year old
Goosen, who has already made his Springboks debut back in 2012, showed many flashes
of being one of the next great stars in world Rugby, but had his 2013 decimated
by a knee injury. If Goosen can rediscover his pre-injury form, he should have
no trouble leading the Cheetahs to another playoff appearance, along with
winning back his Springbok jersey.
Crusaders
2013 finish – 4th
Predicated 2014 finish – 6th
The greatest
franchise in the history of Super Rugby once again figures to be amongst the
best teams once we hit the business end of the season. The Chiefs may have
eclipsed them as the current New Zealand powerhouse, but make no mistake this
team is still full of All Blacks all over the field. Their forward pack would
stand up to any international side, and despite the losses of Robbie Fruean and
Tom Marshall, their backline still packs plenty of punch. Former All Black
Colin Slade joins the team to help with their depth at fly-half and the acquisition
of Fijian flyer Nemani Nadolo could prove a genius stroke.
Waratahs
2013 finish - 9th
Predicated 2014 finish – 7th
The Waratahs
are another team who have seen plenty of player turnover for this season,
including key names like Berrick Barnes and Lachlan Turner but they welcome
home the enigmatic former Waratah Kurtley Beale, as well as Wallaby Nick Phipps. Israel Folau enters 2014 with a fantastic
first year of Union under his belt, the scary thing with Folau is that he
likely hasn’t hit the peak of his powers at only 24 years of age and having
played just one season of Union, I expect the young phenom to obliterate everything
in his path in 2014.
Sharks
2013 finish – 8th
Predicted 2014 finish – 8th
IRB Hall of
Fame coach Jake White returns back to South Africa to take the reins with the
Sharks. They retain the brutal pairing of Jannie du Plessis and Bismarck du
Plessis, alongside Willem Alberts and “The Beast” Tendai Mtawawarira alongside
exciting backs in the likes of Patrick Lambie, JP Pietersen, Odwa Ndungane. With the monster boot of Francois Steyn the
Sharks can punish infringements from areas of the park that other kickers
simply can’t reach. The Sharks should once again be in the thick of things and
could force their way into the playoffs again if White can work his magic.
Hurricanes
2013 finish – 11th
Predicted 2014 finish – 9th
Throughout
their history, the Hurricanes have had some of the most lethal backlines in the
competition and 2014 looks to be no different. Beauden Barrett has emerged as a
real contender to Aaron Cruden as the future number 10 for the All Blacks, they’ll
be boosted by what will hopefully be a full season of star wing Cory Jane on
the opposite side of the destructive Julian Savea, and players like TJ Perenara
and Andre Taylor are great young talents who could easily find themselves in
the All Blacks mix in 2014. Keep an eye on 20 year old flanker Ardie Savea who,
although he didn’t play, was taken on the 2013 All Blacks European tour, expectations
are huge for this guy.
Stormers
2013 finish – 7th
Predicted 2014 finish – 10th
The Stormers
lose former IRB player of the year and one of the great attacking players of
modern times in Bryan Habana who heads to Toulon, along with talented young
fly-half Elton Jantjies but may see the long awaited return of former Springbok
star Schalk Burger after a gruelling two years sidelined with knee injuries and
bacterial meningitis. Jean de Villiers remains one of the games elite talents
and Newlands is never high on the list of grounds teams wish to visit.
Blues
2013 finish – 10th
Predicted 2014 finish – 11th
Whatever the
results, the Blues are going to generate a lot of interest on both sides of the
Tasman with the introduction of former League superstar Benji Marshall. At his
peak, Marshall was one of the most entertaining and skilful players either code
has ever seen, but his last year at the Tigers left a lot to be desired and
Marshall’s inconsistent play even saw him dropped to the bench. The big
question is whether this was an indication of the decline in Benji’s talents,
or a reflection of the stress Benji was under in relation to his contract
dilemmas and eventual decision to leave his beloved club. The Blues have lost
talisman Rene Ranger but bring back All Blacks Tony Woodcock and Ma’a Nonu
along with All Blacks World Cup hero Jerome Kaino. A backline of names like
Saili, Nonu, Halai, Pitau has the potential to be the most explosive in the
competition, but they need direction, can Benji be the one to provide that?
Force
2013 finish – 13th
Predicted 2014 finish - 12th
Since their
entry to the competition in 2006, success has been hard to find for the Force
and 2014 looks to be no different. A lot of player turnover will give fans some
fresh faces to tune in for, but it will be a long year for stars like Nick
Cummins and Ben McCalman to will this team near the playoffs. The Force had by
far the most anaemic attack in Super Rugby last year scoring just a meagre 267
points, but they were a respectable defensive outfit with their 366 points
allowed just 2 more than the champion Chiefs. Expect more of the same from the
Force this year, a team big on heart and determination but lacking the skills to
compete beyond that.
Rebels
2013 finish – 12th
Predicted 2014 finish – 13th
Going toe to
toe to avoid with the force to avoid the wooden spoon in the Australian
conference are the Rebels who have lost a lot of, at times troubled, talent in
Nick Phipps, James O’Connor, Cooper Vuna and Kurtley Beale with their best new
recruit being former Highlander Tamati Ellison. The 12th place
finish in 2013 represented the best year in the Rebels short history, but their
attempts to assemble what looked to be quite a talent roster have not panned
out. With the exodus of talent, the Rebels may save themselves a few headaches,
but there’s a clear step backwards in skill also.
Highlanders
2013 finish – 14th
Predicted 2014 finish – 14th
A star studded
list of departures from the 2013 squad show a cast of failed experiments for
the Highlanders. Tony Woodcock, Andrew Hore, Ma’a Nonu some of the most
experienced All Blacks in history all depart after disappointing stints, along
with Colin Slade, Hosea Gear, Jamie Macktinosh, Tamati Ellison, Kade Poki,
Buxton Popoali’I, on paper this was a very talented side but it was not to be. Little was done to replace these departures,
though Patrick Osborne is an exciting young talent that has slipped under many
peoples radars. Aaron and Ben Smith give the Highlanders two great young All
Blacks, but they won’t have nearly enough support to be competitive this year.
Lions
2013 finish – Absent
Predicted 2014 finish – 15th
Replacing
the last place Kings, the Lions return to Super Rugby but look prone to being
cannibalized by the South African conference. After being loaned to the
Stormers, Elton Jantjies returns to the side to provide a small glimmer of
light. Jantjies, a 23 year old fly-half, has won numerous awards throughout age
group representation in South Africa, with two caps for the Springboks Jantjies
is thought by many to be a future international star but will really have his
work cut out for him coming back from a much better equipped Stormers outfit.
The South African conference is incredibly competitive and they’ll likely feast
on Lion throughout the year.
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