Fruitless Bulls in a dark place

Not much can be said about the Bulls in 2017, and judging by their draw in this year’s competition, the worst is yet to come for the Pretoria boys.

With a single win to their name, albeit a scrappy win against the considerably weaker Sunwolves a fortnight ago, the Bulls have yet to get out of first gear in this year’s competition. A side that seems so good on paper, have been physically outplayed in all of their previous games, including the Sunwolves game. The three time winners of this competition face an upward battle to get something out of what has been a pathetic season to say the least.

Granted we are only five weeks into this seventeen week competition, but one can assume at this stage that the play-offs are a pipe dream for the Bulls. A side that used to be feared by teams and coaches alike, now find themselves third in a pool they would have seen as winnable. It does not get any easier for the Bulls who face the formidable Chiefs on Saturday before they travel to Tokyo to face the Sunwolves, in a do-or-die battle. If they are to salvage anything from their shocking start to the season, they will need a convincing victory in Tokyo to put them in good stead for a span of possibly winnable home games in the weeks to come.

Singapore not a happy hunting ground for the Stormers

In 2016 they were held to a draw by the Sunwolves, and they needed a late fightback to secure a come-from-behind 44-31 victory on Saturday. The win sees the Stormers take a comfortable hold on the top spot in the Africa 1 conference, eight points clear of second place Cheetahs. As I mentioned last week, this game was going to be closer than anticipated and the Sunwolves delivered the goods.

The Stormers made far too many errors in defence which saw them trail by fourteen points at one stage. However in typical never say die attitude, the Stormers showed guts and accelerated through the gears, picking up the win and denying the Sunwolves what would have been a well-deserved losing bonus point.

Although it was the Stormers who managed to come away victors, it was the Sunwolves who impressed during their encounter at the National Stadium in Singapore. The Sunwolves played a much more entertaining, and at some stages, a much better brand of rugby than the Stormers. The Sunwolves are a completely new side from the one that got hammered by the Hurricanes in round one. Since then, they have been impressive in their last three games against all South African opposition in the Cheetahs, Bulls and Stormers respectively. They enjoy the bye this week and will look to grab their first win when they host the struggling Bulls in Tokyo in two weeks time.

Rebels last 20 their worst enemy

The Chiefs managed to put twenty points past the Rebels last week in the final twenty minutes of the game and it was the same case this week with the Waratahs sneaking in two late tries to give the visitors a 32-25 lead.

In their derby, the Rebels looked to be in control for most of the game. They had a 25-6 lead at halftime, one that they looked to add to in the second half, but history repeated itself and the Rebels were thoroughly outplayed in the second half. Credit must go to the Waratahs whose 26 unanswered points in the second half was one of the best comebacks I have seen in a while.

A side that was written off after the opening two rounds of the campaign, has shown a lot of grit in these last two home encounters and will be eager to replicate their home dominance when they host the Brumbies in two weeks. However they first face the Highlanders on Friday night in Dunedin, a team who is particularly dominant over Aussie competition having just defeated the Brumbies.

Highlanders miss Sopoaga flair

The Highlanders may have notched up only their second win of the competition, but they still do not look like a team that won this competition two years ago. I believe that it all comes down to the glamour that is Lima Sopoaga.

Take nothing away from Fletcher Smith, who has had a tough few games to play since Sopoaga’s injury, but he just does not possess the skill and kicking game that Sopoaga has in his arsenal. Lima’s ingenuity to create something out of nothing was the key to Highlanders success in 2015 and again last year, seeing them through to the semi finals. It is evident that something has been missing in this Highlanders side for quite some time.

Saturday’s win saw Aaron Smith take on the role of playmaker, one which he did so quite well, but one he cannot continue to do. Moreover, the Highlanders’ forwards have not been up to scratch in 2017 and continue to disappoint, although injuries have not been on their side. If they continue to lose the battle up front, a short-term fix may be to shift Ben Smith into the first receiver channel. Like Sopoaga, Ben Smith has the ability to create space despite not having go forward ball. Having most of their NZ derbies out of the way, they will need to bag maximum points in their home games to come.

Africa 2 conference heating up

In what is probably the most interesting conference, barring the New Zealand conference, Africa 2 sees the Lions, Jaguares and Sharks all battling it out for top spot.

With just two points separating first and third, this conference is in for one hell of a race for top spot. All three teams have played five and won four with only bonus points separating them on the log. Africa 2 is particularly dominant as the Sharks, who sit third, would be tied at the top in Africa 1 with the Stormers, and the Cheetahs eight points back in second.

The Jaguares who looked like their 2016 form had remained with them, turned it up at home, and have won their last three games in Argentina against the Lions, Cheetahs and Reds respectively. The Sharks bounced back from their Kings disappointment with a victory over the Cheetahs and the Lions look to have put their Jaguares loss behind them as they eased to a comfortable victory over the Kings, despite a poor showing in the second half.

It still remains to be seen whether or not the Jags will be able to replicate their home form on the road, and whether the Sharks and Lions can continue their dominance on South African soil. This weekend’s matchup between the Sharks and Lions could not come at a better time in the competition. This local derby should be a great spectacle for both Sharks and Lions’ fans alike, as well as rugby fans in general. The player matchups speak for themselves and bragging rights are aplenty come the final whistle on Saturday.

By Tristan Renaud