We almost forgot about the Highlanders. Almost, until they beat the Crusaders last weekend and shot to the top of the rankings. It was all good for the Stormers and Reds, though, and mostly bad for the Blues.
1. Highlanders (First in NZC)
The Highlanders are the sole unbeaten team after five weeks. Hands up who would have guessed that three weeks ago? Well, it’s quite simple. If Lima Sopoaga and the pack play as well as they did against the Crusaders, they will win most of the time. When you can bring the Dixons off the bench, that is sheer impact. Elliot Dixon will fill the boots of the injured Liam Squire.
2. Lions (First in SAC)
Hooker Malcolm Marx picked up a double against the Sunwolves. The Lions scored six tries. No surprises. But they did concede five tries and won by just two points. That was a surprise.
3. Hurricanes (Second in NZC)
No power rankings change after the bye, but they are second on the NZ conference log. Now they host the Highlanders. Buckle up for the ride.
4. Crusaders (Third in NZC)
Two losses on the bounce for the champs… what gives? Well, they cannot rely on George Bridge or Manasa Mataele magic all the time, nor can they fall back on their absent All Blacks. They will need to beat the Bulls in the Garden City on Friday to get things back on an even keel.
5. Stormers (Second in SAC)
Everything was against the Stormers last weekend, but they played with no fatigue and no little panache to punish the Blues to the tune of 37-20. Centre EW Viljoen, with a brace, was the unlikely hero. But others such as Nizaam Carr and Pieter-Steph du Toit stood tall. That was some win.
6. Chiefs (Fourth in NZC)
Brodie Retallick is the best lock in the world. Just saying. Good thing he has returned to the jersey and using backs as hood ornaments, as he did with his second try, for the Chiefs now have a locking crisis to go with a propping crisis. So the onus goes on men like Retallick, Liam Messam and Damian McKenzie after the Bulls pressured them for large tracts of last Friday’s 41-28 win in Hamilton.
7. Rebels (First in AC)
We’ll cut the Rebels some slack here. Not many sides can cope with 40-degree March heat in Sydney unless you are born there. But they will learn plenty after the Waratahs put 51, including six tries and a Bernard Foley goalkicking masterclass, on them. There will be no more complacency, were there any in the first place.
8. Reds (Second in AC)
After beating the Jaguares 18-7, it looks like Brad Thorn’s Reds have sorted their scrum, defence and attitude. You can build on that, and they will need to when they hit Cape Town, where one-minute showers are mandatory.
9. Waratahs (Third in AC)
Hard to know what to make of those pesky Waratahs, sporting a 2-1-1 record and coming off a poor effort in BA and then an energised 51-27 dismantling of the Rebels. But when Israel Folau can spark a second half fightback like that, then they will win our respect.
10. Brumbies (Fourth in AC)
The Brumbies have a bye to work out why they are playing ugly rugby. At least they won on the weekend, 24-17 over the Sharks. Kiwi Wharenui Hawera’s 14 points were vital to their cause. But they are far from the finished product.
11. Sharks (Third in SAC)
The Sharks head to Melbourne and desperately need more than one (bonus) point if they are to start making any inroads on the Lions’ lead in the South African conference.
12. Blues (Fifth in NZC)
They played some useful footy in the second stanza, but the Blues were the architects of their own demise in the first half against a depleted and supposedly tired Stormers. Akira Ioane was again strong and Michael Collins' try was gutsy. Now for the bye to get rested and better.
13. Bulls (Fourth in SAC)
Brilliant for much of the first half against the Chiefs – where the likes of Jesse Kriel, Handre Pollard and Warrick Gelant stood tall – the Bulls faded badly and have now lost Conrad van Vuuren for three weeks after his late and high swinging arm on Damian McKenzie.
14. Jaguares (Fifth in SAC)
We have no idea what to expect from the Jaguares when they host the Lions on Sunday, but they will need to show more of their attacking output from the Waratahs clash if they are to be competitive.
15. Sunwolves (Fifth in AC)
The Sunwolves got that much-needed injection of fong last weekend. The good news is they have now scored 102 points in four games. The bad news is that their 159 points conceded is the most (or worst) in Super Rugby. Now they welcome the Chiefs, but the game is not played in the middle of summer, so Plan B will need to be in operation.
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