Anyone else here following the Super 14 rugby tournament?

Two weeks to go before the semifinal playoffs and the defending champion Bulls are five points clear at the top of the table.   The Stormers, also from South Africa, are second and then only two points separate the next five teams all fighting to get a place in the semifinals.  

The big game this weekend is between the Bulls and the third placed Crusaders at Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld stadium. The Bulls are unbeaten in 17 matches in Pretoria and, unless the Crusaders can end that winning run, they may not add to their 10 previous appearances in the playoffs.

My money is on the Bulls, the Stormers, the Crusaders and the Reds to battle it out in the semifinals.  The Stormers will then pull off a surprise win over the Bulls in the final – maybe.

You could still be right about the Bulls and the Stormers going through to the final, but the Stormers loss to the Sharks was a bit of a surprise. Good thing is that it leaves the playoff slots wide open going into the last week. The match schedulers somehow got it right with all the top six teams playing one of the other top six teams in the last week before the semifinals.

The Bulls are the only team sure to make it to the semifinals and I reckon they'll go all the way and take the Super 14 title again this year.

So it's the Bulls, Stormers, Crusdaers and Waratahs into the semi-finals.  Looks like the two South African sides will have home berths thanks to the Bulls decision to rest 13 of their first team for todays match against the Stormers.  I'd love to see the Crusaders cause an upset but I'm pretty sure it will be the Bulls again in 2010.

Hey guys, please check out Pickem i have added the rugby matches for this weekend!!!!

My picks:

Bulls will beat the Crusaders. (quite comfortably)
Stormers will beat the Waratahs. (narrowly)

The final will then be epic. Very hard to call, though I must say the Bulls are a very strong side (as usual).

PS. I'm from Cape Town.