Super Rugby 2012: 4 Teams Guaranteed to Lose in Round 3

This week's column is a bit late, and I do apologise for that.

Last week I went two from four, as the Chiefs came out and dominated the Blues' pack in rain-soaked Hamilton and the Stormers edged out the Sharks. My total now sits at six from eight.

Otherwise, the round was fairly predictable for the most part.

Of note, the Bulls came out strongly against a lacklustre Cheetahs outfit, the Highlanders beat out their southern rivals, Mike Harris set himself up as one of the better kickers in the competition and the Lions learned how hard it is to beat a New Zealand team by playing like a New Zealand team.

What will the fans be treated to in Round 3? While my crystal ball won't reveal the entire round, here are four teams to avoid putting your hard-earned on this week.

Blues

We saw in Round 1 that their forward pack is capable of holding their own, and I do think the best is yet to come from these guys.

Charlie Faumuina's return should bolster their pack a lot, and Ma'a Nonu's Blues debut will give them some punch to the backs.

But a trip to South Africa while already 0-2 is hardly what the doctor ordered. The Bulls' own confidence is on a high after demolishing the Cheetahs, and they'll be keen to add their first foreign scalp of the season.

Michael Hobbs has been recalled to New Zealand for family reasons, and Gareth Anscombe's experience will be called into question on the day, as will Piri Weepu's fitness at altitude.

Cheetahs

While both sides play a fairly similar game, the Brumbies do have a few advantages that should tip the balance in their favour.

The first of these is form. While the Brumbies were fairly unconvincing against the Force, a win is still a win, and far preferable to a 40-point loss.

Secondly, the trip to Canberra will do the South Africans no favours. No matter how well Heinrich Brussouw plays on the night, his side will be facing a battle that gets progressively harder as the game wears on.

Add to that mix the fact that the Brumbies are coming off a break, and, while early-season jitters are likely to still be an issue, I expect the hosts to have too much in the tank.

Rebels

The good news for the Melbourne side is that Kurtley Beale will make his return.

But the bad news is that their forward pack wasn't up to the task against the Waratahs. The suspension dealt out to Adam Byrnes will only compound this issue against a Reds outfit that looked a lot more efficient a week after escaping with a win over the Waratahs.

Hurricanes

As a giraffe would say: to get the best leaves, sometimes you have to stick your neck out.

Last week, they did a superb job at finishing against the Lions. A couple of quick tries powered them into the lead and, despite showing signs of tiring, they got a late winner and won a vital turnover at the death.

After opening with bookies as favourites for the first time this season, the Hurricanes are my bold prediction to go down this weekend.

Beauden Barrett was superb, but the forward pack looked on the back foot until the scrums became uncontested.

Tristan Moran was nothing short of terrible, and, while he has since been dropped, set pieces are still a glaring weakness for my favourite Wellingtonian side.

Despite their reasonably poor showings at home, I can see the Force doing enough to win this.