Siya Kolisi (left) and Eben Etzebeth (right) will again lead the Stormers in 2018. Picture: Twitter/@THESTORMERS

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2018 Super Rugby

The 2018 Super Rugby kicks off on the 17th of February. The competition boasts 15 teams from 5 different countries. Three teams have been eliminated from the 18 team format in 2017. The Force, Kings and the Cheetahs will not be participating this year. There are three conferences in this year’s competition: the Australian, New […]

By Guest Contributor
09-02-18 14:45
in Sport
Siya Kolisi (left) and Eben Etzebeth (right) will again lead the Stormers in 2018. Picture: Twitter/@THESTORMERS

The 2018 Super Rugby kicks off on the 17th of February. The competition boasts 15 teams from 5 different countries. Three teams have been eliminated from the 18 team format in 2017. The Force, Kings and the Cheetahs will not be participating this year.

Siya Kolisi (left) and Eben Etzebeth (right) will again lead the Stormers in 2018. Picture: Twitter/@THESTORMERS

There are three conferences in this year’s competition: the Australian, New Zealand and South African conferences.  Last year we saw the Crusaders beating the Lions to take the cup.

Which teams are poised to do well in the 2018 Super Rugby?

Last year’s eight finalists were Crusaders, Hurricanes, Brumbies, Lions, Stormers, Sharks, Highlanders and Chiefs.

Here are the favourite teams to reach the quarter finals this year according to bookies. The Lions, Chiefs, Hurricanes and Crusaders are the four teams with the best outlook to reach the semi finals. The Brumbies, Blues, Stormers and Highlanders are also in contention to do well this year.

The African conference is made out of four teams from South Africa and Jaguares from Argentina. The Australian conference is made out of all Australian teams. The New Zealand conference is made up of teams from New Zealand and Sunwolves from Japan.

Round one sees the sides from the South African conference starting the tournament, with the Stormers taking on Jaguares from Argentina at DHL Newlands in Cape Town and Lions and Sharks going head to head at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg.

The opening games will show what is in store for teams from South Africa.

The Sharks made little impression last year and only reached the qualifiers. The Lions reached the final but was beaten by the Crusaders in Johannesburg and was unlucky not to take the trophy home. They will certainly feel the departure of Coach Johan Ackermann who left at the end of last season to start coaching at Gloucester.

Predicting who will win early in the season is always hard but placing bets on which team you predict to win is easy. Betway.co.za has great odds and a fantastic first deposit offer. You can also bet on Six Nations which is currently underway.