New Super 12 Season Betting Preview

The new Super12 season begins this weekend, so for Rugby fans in the Northern hemisphere, gone are the Saturday morning lyins. That though is a small sacrifice to pay for the exciting brand of rugby thrown up on a weekly basis. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />Sky Sports are showing two live games in week 1 with Brumbies v Crusaders followed by Reds v Hurricanes. ACT have in fact been installed as the bookies favourites, although the defending champions have suffered a cruel blow with the news Matt Giteau will miss the start of this year's series with a broken hand. A spokesperson for the Brumbies said Giteau was expected to be out of action for the first three weeks of the competition. The best price on ACT is 3/1. Narrow second favourites are Auckland, who were a disappointment last term when failing to make the top four. The signs aren't promising based on their pre-season form. The Blues recently went down to a 27-22 loss against New South Wales (8/1). Looking at the chances of the South African teams, and the bookies aren't giving them much hope of success. The Stormers and Bulls are the best rated teams, while the Cats and Sharks are available at big prices. The success though for South Africa in the tri-nations (as expected by bettingchoice.com) does suggest better times for the Springbok teams. The Stormers are probably best placed to go far. They have an exciting all-Springbok backline and a reasonable pack. If they do not pick up injuries then a final four spot is not out of the question. Stay logged onto Bettingchoice.com throughout the Super 12 season for our betting news and analysis.