ASX Fantasy Rugby: Why you should be investing in the Chiefs

ASX Sports Fantasy Rugby is taking another step forward this weekend with all four Super Rugby Pacific matches available for savvy investors to take a punt on.

While the Blues, Hurricanes, Crusaders and Highlanders won't feature this weekend, with their matches postponed until the future, there are still plenty of IPOs available for ASX Sports players to get involved in.

In the sole game played on New Zealand soil this weekend, Moana Pasifika will host the Chiefs at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday evening. Across the ditch, the Brumbies will square off with the Reds in a top-of-the-table clash on Friday night, before the Fijian Drua host the Western Force and the Waratahs host the Rebels on Saturday.

In case you need reminding, users in ASX Sports earn points (called 'dividends') for how well their players perform, but the big money comes from buying and selling players at the right time, whether that's offloading them when their value is plummeting downwards, or bringing them on board when you know they're about to contribute in a big way on the field.

As is the case every week, there are cash prizes up for grabs so get in quick and grab a deal while you still can.

Who might be some of the best picks for Round 5 of Super Rugby Pacific?

Brumbies v Reds

Two of the top three performers from last weekend will feature in the Friday night derby between the Brumbies and Reds, in what will be a repeat of last year's Super Rugby AU final - albeit in Canberra instead of Brisbane.

Tom Banks was a points machine for the Brumbies against the Rebels last weekend, clocking up over 150 metres on attack and beating eight defenders. His excellent performance was capped off with a last-game try, so it's no wonder that the Wallabies fullback topped the point-scoring charts last week on ASX Sports Fantasy Rugby. While the Reds will prove a tougher opposition than the Rebels, Banks will be going head-to-head with another player who will be seriously interested in staking a claim for the Wallabies No 15 jersey, Jordan Petaia, and that will provide Banks with ample motivation to put out another strong performance.

In the forwards, Reds hooker Joshua Nasser was a strong performer will ball-in-hand against the Drua but also delivered accurate ball to the lineout throughout the match and ultimately provided the highest return on investment last weekend. Seru Uru's late-game heroics also delivered good returns for any savvy investors.

Fijian Drua v Western Force

The Fijian Drua and Western Force have both strived to play expansive attacking rugby this year which could mean it rains points in Sydney on Saturday afternoon.

After spending the past two matches on the bench, Ian Prior has been promoted back into the starting line-up for the Force and he'll almost certainly take on the goal-kicking duties this weekend. On the other side of the ledger, Teti Tela was superb off the boot for the Drua in their late comeback against the Reds, nailing five out of his six attempts at the posts. If the tries come thick and fast at Leichardt Oval, these two goal-kickers should rake in the points.

Two of last weekend's top performers for the Drua, halfback Peni Matawalu and wing Onisi Ratave, have been shifted to the reserves this weekend but if the game opens up late in the piece like the Drua's last clash, expect these two to have a big impact.

Otherwise, consider taking a punt on Force wing Byron Ralston, who will make his first starting appearance this weekend and will be looking for a big performance in order to reassert his spot in the team.

Moana Pasifika v Chiefs

Moana Pasifika squared up reasonably well the Crusaders in their only competition match to date but were still ultimately disposed of by 19 points in Round 2 of the season. During the pre-season, they were thrashed 61-7 by the Chiefs and with the men from Hamilton flying high after besting the Crusaders over the weekend, a bloodbath could be on the cards at Mt Smart on Saturday.

There are plenty of ways to earn dividends in ASX Sport beyond simply investing in players who are likely to score tries but when the odds are so strongly in favour of the Chiefs, this is one game where it may simply be best to put your money behind the Chiefs' high-flyers. As such, consider buying stocks in the Chiefs' outside backs, especially Jonah Lowe and Emoni Narawa, who both scored tries against Moana Pasifika during the pre-season clash.

Waratahs v Rebels

The Rebels are still chasing their first win of the Super Rugby Pacific season while the Waratahs got their season back on track with a win over the Force last weekend.

Waratahs fullback Will Harrison has put in some strong performances in his return to action and with the 22-year-old shouldering goal-kicking duties, coupled with the Waratahs' desire to spread the ball wide, he's certainly a player worth investing in ahead of the weekend.

A rainy day on Saturday could lead to more forward-oriented play than we've seen so far throughout the competition so consider Rebels flanker Richard Hardwick - promoted into the No 7 jersey for this weekend - who doesn't necessarily come up with the most game-changing plays in a match, but does plenty of the grunt work needed to get his team over the line. If the Rebels can get some ascendency up front - which is admittedly a big if - the boot of Matt To'omua could become a serious points accumulator throughout the match.

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