Crusaders are the team to beat

In what was the game of the weekend, the Crusaders pipped the in-form Hurricanes at the post and made it nine from nine and subsequently kept their unbeaten streak alive.

The game may not have lived up to its expectations with only one try being scored, but it was still a spectacle of great rugby and a true test of each teams defence. Although the Crusaders were favourites, most people believed the Hurricanes would come out on top, including myself. The Crusaders were brilliant in every aspect of the game. Their defence was impenetrable and kept one of the most, if not the most attacking side scoreless for the first time in 2017. The seven time champions look as though they are the team to beat in this year’s competition. Although they still have to play the Chiefs this weekend and the Hurricanes away, they look as though they are the full package this year and can go all the way.

Kings at it again

The Kings may have gone into the game as underdogs on the weekend, and rightly so as their wins have come at the expensive of some terrible opposition, but did they revel that title on Saturday.

Before the season, if someone had told you the Kings would have won four games in this year’s super rugby season you would have laughed. If someone had told you if they won three in a row, and two of those wins would be over the Waratahs and Sharks you probably would have laughed even harder. In fact i you told the Kings that they would have won four games they probably would have laughed. They have once again proven that character outweighs talent. The best part about this, is the season is not over yet and judging by their performances thus far, the surprises are far from over. Nobody likes to see a team get hammered week in and week out in this competition, as it just does nothing for the team getting beaten or the opposition. Nobody gave the Kings a chance, and the best possible outcome of this Cinderella-esque season of the Kings is they have had four players called up to the Springboks, and deservedly so, and if one of them were to earn a cap, it would be the cherry in the top of this stellar Super Rugby campaign from the bows in Port Elizabeth.

Blues need to sharpen up on D

The Blues who have been one of the most exciting teams in this year’s competition, cannot challenge for the New Zealand conference’s top honor if they do not sharpen up their defense.

They have the attacking prowess to go toe to toe with any New Zealand team but they leak far too many tries in order to give the big boys a run for their money. Although they sit bottom of the NZ log, they have shown that they are a great side and currently have twelve more points than the Brumbies, who are first on the Aussie log. In their game against the Cheetahs, who have not been at their best, they managed to score eight tries but still conceded four. Eight tries in any game would assume a team had dominated the opposition, but the Cheetahs added some respect to the scoreline and finishing 50-32, it doesn’t seem all that bad. Its hard to imagine that a side like the Crusaders or Hurricanes would have conceded half as many tries. Tana Umaga has done wonders with this side and they have given the top teams in this competition a run for their money and you can’t help but wonder that if they sharpen up their defence in the future, they may see themselves actually competing against the other NZ sides.

Aussie conference still wide open

In what has been a predictably woeful conference of rugby, it is still any ones game at the moment. Not in the sense that the Rebels can now go on winning streak and win all of their remaining games (stranger things have happened), but in the sense that any team can still make the playoffs.

The Australian teams have been mediocre in this years campaign to say the least. The Brumbies are top of the conference with 19 points, while the last placed Rebels have eight. This means that the Rebels, still have an opportunity to make the play-offs. While most of the other conferences see a clear winner, the Australian conference sees five potential winners. This is a true testament, not to how great the teams have been but rather just how bad the Australian teams are this year. This has to be one of the most disappointing seasons for Australian rugby and is hopefully not a sign of things to come for the Wallabies. All that being said and done, it does look like the Brumbies should secure top spot, the only reason they would make the play-offs is due to the conferencing system.

Highlanders are not to be forgotten

It seems as though the Crusaders, Hurricanes and Chiefs are the talk of the town in terms of New Zealand rugby, but it would just be stupid to right off the Highlanders.

Although they started of poorly by their standards, they are now seven from seven and putting pressure on the rest of the competition. The Highlanders have made a statement of intent after losing their first four games on the trot, but an unbeaten streak that looks set to continue this weekend against the Force, they are making a serious charge for New Zealand’s number one spot. They have shown what it takes and with a considerably easier run in than most, they may look to slingshot themselves into title contention when the competition enters the business end.

By Tristan Renaud