Hurricanes v Chiefs: The round opens with two teams looking jump-start their season. Both were disappointing in their first games, but managed to grind out wins in their second, making victory here another step towards a good season. The Chiefs dominated the first half against the Waratahs before once again having their brittle defence exposed and then have to rely on a last-minute penalty goal to Stephen Donald to secure the win. Contrasting the Chiefs' good early display was the Hurricanes' helter-skelter performance against the Reds, which lacked continuity and structure. If the Chiefs can sort out their defence, and not get sucked into playing the Hurricanes' game, they should win this one.

Lions v Force: Both teams have one win - over the Cheetahs and by a single point. The difference between them is in the manner of their losses; the Force pushed 2007 finalists the Sharks, while the Bulls were whipped by the Blues. The Force have also been in South Africa for three weeks now so travel is not going to be an issue for them. This game should go to the Force and cap off a good tour of the republic for them.

Stormers v Crusaders: The Stormers were hoping that star flanker Schalk Burger would be able to neutralise the effect of Crusaders' captain Richie McCaw in this match, but Burger's two-week suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct put a stop to that. Without him, the Stormers seem all but doomed to their third loss of the season as the Crusaders will look to repeat their performance last week, perhaps without the bumbling first 30 minutes. All is not lost for the Stormers, though - their first three games are against semi finalists from last year, but it does leave them with a big hole to climb out of.

Highlanders v Waratahs: The Waratahs sit a surprising fourth in the points table, at the head of the log-jam of teams on four or five points, while their opponents are second from bottom. Both suffered narrow losses last week and will be looking to change their fortunes in this outing. The Highlanders will be the hungrier team, having just two bonus points to show for two pretty good outings, considering the youth of their squad. The Highlanders should be able to open their 2008 account in this one, but only if they can keep the Waratahs' back three contained.

Brumbies v Reds: The round's all-Aussie clash comes from Canberra and holds a lot of promise. Neither side is likely to be contending for a semi-final spot, but these derby matches make teams lift their game to the next level. Brumbies' replacement Josh Holmes was a Red last season and no doubt there will be some feeling between him and his former team-mates. On paper the Reds have the better team; however, they will need to improve their ability to close out a game if they are to claim an away win here.

Cheetahs v Blues: This is probably the easiest match of the round to pick because the Cheetahs are a young team in a rebuilding phase, while the Blues are serious contenders for this year's title. Nick Evans ran riot last week against the Lions, picking up 25 points and directing the flow of the game well. There is no reason he cannot repeat that kind of performance here. The Blues will win this game, the only question is by how much.