Shaun Goosen looks back at 5 talking points form this past weekend’s Super Rugby action.
South Africa conference wide open
The results of the two South African derbies this weekend have underlined the unpredictability of the local conference as a whole. The Bulls and Stormers both triumphed away from home as the Sharks stumbled to the latter (11-16) for a first loss of the season. The Lions were comprehensively outplayed by the Bulls in a 12-30 loss that will send alarm bells ringing throughout Emirates Airline Park. Meanwhile, the Jaguares picked up their second win as they bettered the lowly Blues 23-19 at the Estadio Jose Amalfitani. With the remaining local derbies set to be even more tightly contested, the winner of the conference may boil down to who performs best on the road.
Lions under pressure
The manner of the Lions’ defeat to the Bulls would have left Swys de Bruin and his coaching staff with much to ponder. The three-time runners-up lacked for intensity in Johannesburg on Saturday, just as they did at Newlands a week prior, and they will need a quick turn around if they are to keep up with the front-runners in the South Africa conference. Following their highly encouraging round one display against the Jaguares in Buenos Aires, it’s come as quite a shock to see them so far off the pace these last two weeks. Despite the loss of skipper Warren Whiteley, they simply must regroup if they are to have any say in 2019.
Rebels look like the real deal
It’s been five years since an Australian franchise last tasted Super Rugby glory and while it may still be slightly premature to regard Dave Wessels’ Melbourne Rebels as genuine title contenders in 2019, the fact remains that they have been highly impressive in their two matches so far. Their fantastic 34-27 win in Canberra against the Brumbies was followed up a bye last week before their highly encouraging 24-19 victory over the Highlanders at home on Friday. Australia has been screaming out for a side capable of challenging the Kiwi teams for Super Rugby dominance and they may just have found one in this Rebels outfit. Provided they remain injury-free and continue to pick up wins on the road, they could well be the surprise package of the year.
Crusaders juggernaut rolls on
In seeing off the Reds 22-12 at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, Scott Robertson’s charges recorded their eighth-consecutive win on the road and 18th straight overall – both records. Theirs is a quite remarkable football side and while this weekend’s matchup may have been far from a classic, the defending champions proved once again that they can win ugly when need be. It’s scary to think what this team could achieve once the likes of Sam Whitelock and Kieran Read return to the fold and certainly hopes of a threepeat are in no way a pipe dream. They will take some stopping.
Chiefs, Blues in the doldrums
With the return of Ma’a Nonu, many expected the men form Auckland to be competitive in 2019. Alas, three weeks in and with zero wins to show for their efforts, it looks set to be another long season for a once proud franchise. The Chiefs, too, have been poor so far with a narrow home loss to the Highlanders followed up by embarrassing defeats to the Brumbies and Sunwolves away; the latter result, in particular, will come as a massive shock to fans of the region. There may be plenty of time to turn their respective fortunes, but the zero-tolerance New Zealand public will not soon forget the manner of these defeats.
Written by Shaun Goosen for Hollywoodbets.
