Rugby union wakes up after its summer break Down Under this weekend, with Super Rugby Pacific 2024 kicking off on Friday. Teams from New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific will fight it out over the course of four months to determine who is the best team in the Southern Hemisphere.
Anyone that has tuned into Super Rugby in the past will know one thing: this is a competition dominated by the Crusaders. For the last seven years, it’s been nothing but red and black in the winner pictures. But now, with head coach Scott Robinson getting the call up to higher honours, how will the side fare under new leadership? Is this a chance for a new power to rise to the top?
We break down all the latest betting odds from bookmaker William Hill and outline the best bets to make on Super Rugby Pacific 2024 ahead of the season kicking off this weekend.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 22nd, 8:30 A.M. (GMT)
Bookmaker William Hill isn’t worried about the changing of the guard at the Crusaders, with the 12-time champions still favourites to take out the title again in 2024. Their lead in the outright betting odds isn’t too strong, however, with last year’s finalists the Chiefs coming in at 3.75. Expect these odds to swing quickly as the two clash in the opening match of the season.
Behind the Crusaders and Chiefs are two more Kiwi sides, with the Blues paying 5.00 and the Hurricanes a step behind at 9.00. The Brumbies are the only non-New Zealand side who are considered genuine contenders, sitting at 10.00. From here, odds begin to slide towards highly unlikely, with the Red and Fijian Drua on 17.00, and the rest at even longer odds to win.
We have two betting recommendations here. First, back the Chiefs. They were by far the competition’s best side last year, despite fluffing up the final game. This year, they’ve got Damian McKenzie at the helm who will well and truly have the All Blacks No. 10 jersey in his sights, as well as the same culprits that caused mayhem out wide in 2023: Shaun Stevenson and Etene Nanai-Seturo. Combine the Chiefs’ strength with the Crusaders’ lack of Scott Robinson and Richie Mo’unga, and we feel confident it’ll be cow bells ringing when all is said and done in June.
For those after a little more return from their outright betting, we say give the Highlanders a nudge. Sure, there’s been very, very little to write home about from the Highlanders’ last few seasons in Super Rugby, but they look to be a different beast this year. They’re unbeaten across their three pre-season games, with a 52-19 thrashing of the Hurricanes and a 41-14 demolition job of the Crusaders. Take these results with a grain of salt of course but perhaps 2015 has come calling and is looking for a sequel.
