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Super Rugby picks: Blues fighting to keep season alive against Bulls and bad weather

May 31, 2019
With three rounds left, the Auckland franchise sit four points outside the top eight.

With only three weeks left in the regular season, things are getting hectic on the pitch and in the newsroom! Who are the TVNZ sports buffs picking this week? Check out below!

How it works:  TVNZ sports buffs will chip in their picks for matches involving New Zealand sides each round with some adding a little insight into their thinking. A correct result will give them two points and a correct margin a bonus point.

Bonus points will also be given at the end of the season for correct preseason predictions given on who will be the NZ conference's wooden spoon, how far the Blues will go this season and who will win the competition.

Round 16

Blues v Bulls
Chiefs v Crusaders
Sharks v Hurricanes

Matt Hall-Smith - 1 NEWS Sport Reporter, LEADER

Blues v Bulls: Blues 13+ - "Showed a lot of steel against the Crusaders last week. Could be Running of the Bulls in Auckland!"
Chiefs v Crusaders: Crusaders 13+ - "An improving Chiefs team, could be a tricky one over in Suva for both. Playing it safe."
Sharks v Hurricanes: Hurricanes 1-12

Guy Heveldt - 1 NEWS Sport Reporter

Blues v Bulls: Blues 13+
Chiefs v Crusaders: Crusaders 13+ - "This will be a rout. An absolute rout."
Sharks v Hurricanes: Hurricanes 13+ - "B. Barrett is starting, Coles is on the bench. That's all I need... as well as some sort of miracle to weasel my way back up the ladder."

Brodyn Knuckey - 1 NEWS NOW Sport Producer

Blues v Bulls: Blues 1-12 - "Wet conditions will make this a scrappy ol' battle up front. Expect the Blues to hold on - because they have to - but it won't be pretty."
Chiefs v Crusaders: Crusaders 13+ - "Sevu Reece to shine in the homeland and Crusaders to give the Chiefs are reality check."
Sharks v Hurricanes: Hurricanes 1-12 - "Barrett should be able to get the ship back on course after the Jaguares shocker but it won't be an easy task."

Maddy Lloyd - Breakfast Reporter

Blues v Bulls: Blues 13+
Chiefs v Crusaders: Crusaders 13+ - "Ideally a 50-0 scoreline or something similar. I've picked Chiefs as my NZ wooden spoon so they need absolutely zero points this week."
Sharks v Hurricanes: Hurricanes 1-12

Faleatua Malili - 1 NEWS NOW Sport Producer

Blues v Bulls: Blues 13+
Chiefs v Crusaders:
Crusaders 13+
Sharks v Hurricanes:
Hurricanes 1-12

Matt Manukia - 1 NEWS Sport Reporter

Blues v Bulls: Blues 1-12
Chiefs v Crusaders: Crusaders 1-12
Sharks v Hurricanes: Hurricanes 13+

John McKenzie - 1 NEWS Reporter

Blues v Bulls: Bulls 1-12 - "All in on Blues to get the NZ Wooden Spoon - I need the extra bonus points on offer... I also believe they're not very good."
Chiefs v Crusaders: Crusaders 1-12
Sharks v Hurricanes: Hurricanes 1-12

Alex Powell - 1 NEWS NOW Sport Producer

Blues v Bulls: Blues 1-12
Chiefs v Crusaders: Crusaders 13+
Sharks v Hurricanes: Hurricanes 1-12

Dewi Preece - 1 NEWS Sport Reporter

Blues v Bulls: Blues 13+ - "Blues have got a decent enough record against SA sides, Bulls in particular at Eden Park... I also need them to make the quarter-finals.
Chiefs v Crusaders: DRAW! - "Live and die by the sword. Alson, one win apiece for both sides in previous Suva meetings - so what better way to even it out than a tie?"
Sharks v Hurricanes: Hurricanes 1-12 - "Plumtree won't want to lose against his former employers in his first visit back as head coach. But I don't think it'll be that elusive 80-minute performance either."

Michelle Prendiville - 1 NEWS Sport Reporter

Blues v Bulls: Blues 1-12
Chiefs v Crusaders: Crusaders 13+
Sharks v Hurricanes: Hurricanes 1-12

Josh Reich - 1 NEWS NOW Editor

Blues v Bulls: Blues 1-12
Chiefs v Crusaders: Crusaders 13+
Sharks v Hurricanes: Hurricanes 1-12

Andrew Saville - 1 NEWS Sport Presenter

Blues v Bulls: Blues 13+ - "Call it a hunch [yeah, yeah, again!] but the Blues have to win or else they're gone. Simple as that."
Chiefs v Crusaders: Crusaders 1-12 - "Warm conditions [much warmer than CHCH!] could have a bearing near the end of the match. Chiefs' grit and determination is winning games but Crusaders should be too strong."
Sharks v Hurricanes: Hurricanes 1-12 - "Close call, given the tight situation in the SA Conference but the 'Canes are due to click, surely!"

Stephen Stuart - 1 NEWS Sport Reporter

Blues v Bulls: Blues 13+ - "Big weather watch but Blues to get off the bottom of the NZ Conference again!"
Chiefs v Crusaders: Crusaders 13+ - "Chiefs will be left to drown their tears in
Sharks v Hurricanes: Sharks 1-12 - "Still remember the 'Canes losing to the Bulls in South Africa last year."

Victor Waters - Breakfast Sport Producer, 2018 Champ

Blues v Bulls: Blues 1-12
Chiefs v Crusaders: Crusaders 13+
Sharks v Hurricanes: Sharks 1-12

Abby Wilson - 1 NEWS Sport Reporter

"Flipping a coin may be more reliable for me but I haven't resorted to that... yet."

Blues v Bulls: Blues 1-12
Chiefs v Crusaders: Crusaders 13+
Sharks v Hurricanes: Hurricanes 1-12

Scoreboard:  Hall-Smith 94, Reich 93, Lloyd 88, Saville 88, Waters 88, Stuart 86, Heveldt 84, Preece 84, Prendiville 80, Wilson 78, Powell 76, Knuckey 75, Manukia 72, McKenzie 69, Malili 69

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