Saturday's Super Rugby round seven match betting preview, free tips & TV details

Free rugby union tips, best bets and analysis for Blues v Lions, Sunwolves v Crusaders, Reds v Bulls, Sharks v Stormers and Jaguares v Highlanders in Super Rugby round seven.

Jaguares v Highlanders

Sky Sports Action, 11pm Saturday

Best bet

Jaguares -10
1pt 10-11 bet365, Hills

Match verdict

A hostile atmosphere has played a huge part in Los Jaguares' home results in Super Rugby but even with this game being played behind closed doors, last year's runners-up should be too strong for the toiling Highlanders.

The Landers have jetted into Buenos Aires after being beaten 38-13 by the Bulls in Pretoria, and before that Loftus Versfeld defeat they were beaten by the Rebels and Crusaders. Their win at the Brumbies in round three was something of a steal and in round two, the Highlanders were beaten by the Sharks in Dunedin.

The men from the deep south of New Zealand will take comfort from the fact that they won 34-8 on their only previous visit to Argentina but Los Jaguares do tend to bounce back from home reverses.

Earlier in the campaign, following an easy start against the Lions, Jaguares were beaten 26-23 by the Hurricanes in Buenos Aires. They responded with a 43-27 success the following week against the Reds.

Last season, after losing to the Lions first-up at home, Jaguares beat the Blues and Bulls. And then after losing at home to the Chiefs in round seven, Gonzalo Quesada's men won six in a row in Buenos Aires.

Jaguares battled hard on their South African tour and arguably deserved more than just one win to show for their efforts. They may well pick up five points in a stroll on this occasion.

Sharks v Stormers

Sky Sports Action, 1.05pm Saturday

Best bet

Sharks to win by one to 12 points
1pt 19-10 Coral, Ladbrokes

Match verdict

The Sharks can make it six wins out of seven for the season with a narrow win over the Stormers in Durban.

The Natal outfit ran out cosy 33-19 victors over Jaguares on their return to Kings Park last Saturday and while they may be jaded after playing six weeks on the spin including four in New Zealand and Australia, it is impossible to knock their form.

The Sharks began the season with a solid Durban success over the Bulls in which they conceded no tries and then won in Dunedin against the Highlanders.

And following a worthy defeat in Wellington to the Hurricanes in which they scored three tries, the Sharks beat the Rebels and Reds in Australia, both strong opponents.

The Stormers won in Durban last year but the Sharks gained their revenge at Newlands later in the season and they had triumphed in three previous Kings Park encounters, two by a margin of 12 points or less.

Twelve of the last 15 matches between the two have had a winning margin of 12 points or less, including the last six.

Reds v Bulls

Sky Sports Action, 8.15am Saturday

Best bet

Reds -6
1pt 10-11 Betfair, Paddy Power

Match verdict

The Reds have won only one game this season but they have played plenty of excellent rugby and can see off the Bulls by seven points or more in part two of the Suncorp double feature.

The Bulls arrive in Brisbane with a similar record of one win and four defeats and while they did enjoy an easy victory over the Highlanders last Saturday, they were held at arm's length by both the Sharks and Stormers in their road trips in rounds one and two.

Brad Thorn's hosts slammed the Sunwolves 64-5 in their first home game of the season and while they were turned over by the Sharks on their own turf the following weekend, the Durban outfit returned home to record a tidy triumph over Jaguares.

Last Saturday, the Reds could have stunned the Crusaders with more accurate goalkicking and they were in front in the second half in their defeats in Canberra, Johannesburg and Buenos Aires.

Sunwolves v Crusaders

Sky Sports Action, 5.35am Saturday

Best bet

G Bridge to score a try
1pt 4-5 Betfair

Match verdict

The Crusaders have cruised to victory in both previous battles with the Sunwolves and it is hard to foresee anything but a stroll for the champions in this scrap switched to the Suncorp Stadium because of the coronavirus.

The Sunwolves have conceded 34 tries in their four defeats since stunning the Rebels in Fukuoka in round one and they lost 64-5 in Brisbane to the Reds and 62-15 in Napier to the Canes before last Saturday's 47-14 defeat in Wollongong by the Brumbies.

The red and black machine recovered from their blip against the Chiefs in round two with solid successes over the Blues and Highlanders and last week's close-run-thing against the Reds in Christchurch is likely to have eradicated all complacency in Scott Robertson's camp.

Back Crusaders full-back George Bridge to score a try for his fourth game in a row. This is his fourth season in the competition and he has crossed the whitewash 29 times.

Blues v Lions

Sky Sports Action, 3.25am Saturday

Best bet

Blues -15
1pt 10-11 Betfair, Paddy Power

Match verdict

The Blues are bubbling with three road wins on the trot and even without rested in-form All Blacks forwards Patrick Tuipulotu and Ofa Tuungafasi they can gain a comfortable success over the Lions back at Eden Park.

The Auckland outfit have lost both previous outings this campaign in front of their fans but those were against fellow Kiwi sides the Chiefs and champion Crusaders.

Tana Umaga's men have walloped the Waratahs and turned over the Bulls, Stormers and Hurricanes on their travels this term.

The Stormers were unbeaten and had only conceded one try in three games at Newlands before the Blues won 33-14 in Cape Town, while the fact that the Canes went down to 12 men in the second half last weekend should have eased the physical toll on Umaga's troops.

The Lions have lost four of their five matches this season including all three away matches - 38-8 at the Jaguares in round one and then 29-17 at the toiling Tahs and 37-17 at the Rebels over the last fortnight.

All five previous meetings between these teams at Eden Park have been won by the Blues by a margin of 13 points or more.

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport