THE MONEY MAN is putting R1,000 on the hosts to win at Newlands on Saturday.

Last week I was four from eight, but still managed to make a profit of R900 which takes me up to R25,500.

Blues vs Hurricanes
I will not be betting any money on this match as it is too close to call. You could toss a coin to separate these sides. If I had to bet, I'd pick the Hurricanes to win by three points.

Force vs Brumbies
This will be an interesting and I suspect a much closer game than many people think it will be. The Brumbies are expected to win by 12 or more and I reckon the bookies had handicapped them spot on. I will not be offering any money on this game, but if I had to put down money it would be on the Force to not lose by 12 or more points at home.

Highlanders vs Lions
You'd be crazy not to bet against the Lions. They were excellent against the Chiefs last week, but I imagine the Highlanders will win by 10 or more because it is so tough to win back-to-back games in New Zealand, where a high is usually followed by a low for visiting teams. I'll be watching this match because I believe it will be a cracker, but I'm saving my money for the last three games.

Rebels vs Reds
The Rebels should be far too good for a Reds side who are rated along with the Kings as the worst teams in the competition. To collect any money on a handicap the Rebels have to win by at least eight points and you should bet on that because this Rebels team is more than capable of beating the poor Reds.

Sunwolves vs Cheetahs
This could turn out to be a fast and high-scoring game. The Cheetahs are favourites to win by a minimum eight-point margin. But because I expect them to defeat the Sunwolves reasonably well, I'm putting down R1,000 on them to do just that.

Kings vs Chiefs
The bookies are giving the Chiefs a 17.5 point start in this match. There's every chance that the men from Hamilton will be leading by at least 18 at half-time, so I'm betting R1,000 on them to win by at least 19. The Chiefs will probably win by 30-plus points, so, this is the safest bet you'll make all weekend.

Stormers vs Sharks
By far the game of the weekend. The Stormers have returned two wins in a row, which contributed massively to my profits this year. I'll wouldn't put it past the Cape side to make it three in a row and for R1,000 I'm betting on them to inflict a first defeat on the Sharks.

Accumulator

R100 pays out R8,659 but all seven bet placings have to win in order for you to collect the payout.

– 11/10 on an outright Hurricanes win against the Blues
– 6/10 on the Brumbies to lead the Force at half-time and full-time
– 9/10 on the Highlanders to beat the Lions by nine or more points
– 9/10 on the Rebels to defeat the Reds by eight or more points
– 9/10 on the Sunwolves to lose by eight or more points against the Cheetahs
– 1/1 even money on the Chiefs to win by 20 or more points against the Kings
– 9/10 on the Stormers to beat the Sharks by six or more points

Photo: Thinus Maritz/Gallo Images