Super Rugby round 10 starts with only one unbeaten side – and the Crusaders have a record of eleven finals appearances, the last being 2014.
The New Zealand conference is still wide open, with the Chiefs and Hurricanes just three points behind the tournament titans. Surely the Crusaders will continue their unbeaten streak against the Bloemfontein Cheetahs and the Chiefs will be licking their lips for another easy win at home against the Sunwolves, so there’s no chance for any team to catch up to the tournament leaders this round.
With the Hurricanes resting, the Highlanders and the Blues will be desperate for a win to close the gap, if only slightly, on the New Zealand conference table.
The Stormers will be a difficult team to beat, but I can see the Highlanders sneaking to a home win. On paper the Blues should win against the Australian ponies, but this one is anyone’s game. It depends on who shows up – I am yet to see a convincing performance from the Blues, a side I expected to perform much better in 2017.
Is this the rise of the Kings? Surely they are out of the tournament with no chance of reaching the final stages, but one has to acknowledge the team from the Eastern Cape.
They still have a long way to go, but I think they showed everybody that they are on the right track. This is a team who are definitely tired of being written off before the start of the tournament.
Let’s forget how they got into the competition for a while and look at the type of rugby this side is playing. It is exciting to watch and they can cause an upset at any given time.
The Kings are back home this weekend with a lot of confidence after an away win against the Waratahs – surely a lot of you will say that the Waratahs are playing poorly and that it cannot be considered an impressive win, but this is the Kings we’re talking about. All in all, it’s still impressive. Watch this space, because the Rebels will have to play a very good game on Saturday if they want to beat this rising team on home soil.
As for the rest of the action in round 10, the Reds will play Waratahs, which means we’re up for a very good Australian derby – or are we? These two teams might just show each other who’s playing worst at the moment, but they both still have a lot to play for.
The Force will have a tough time against title contenders from South Africa in the Lions, who will surely put another win on the record to move away from the inconsistent Sharks, who will have to play a much better game than they have so far against the Jaguares, who are back home. I think the Jaguares are playing better rugby at the moment and, although they normally like to play with only 13 or 14 men, they will still sneak a win at home.
I suspect a lot of the fans in Pretoria will be happy for a rest weekend – I know I’m definitely tired of watching inconsistent and poor rugby. They’ll have to take this bye week to get back to the drawing board, because if they don’t start impressing their brutal fans quickly, it will be a very silent Loftus for the rest of the tournament.
I’m glad the Bulls could manage a win against the Cheetahs last week, but it definitely isn’t enough to impress this Bulls fan.
So it should be an enjoyable weekend fo rugby all round — and watch out for those upsets…
piru
Roar Rookie
Congrats to the Lions on the win, but I hope it didn't end up as sure a thing as predicted!
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
The Kings are very entertaining. Clearly giving everything they have got and having a very good time doing it. One thing for sure, the Rebels won't win this one by long range penalties. They'll have to actually cross the line several times to have any chance. Yes, the Force is where the Lions were a couple of years ago in blooding a young side. Yes they have half their squad out injured including heavy hitters like Ben McCalman and Dane Haylett-Petty. But what we do know is that whatever the result in Perth the one thing you can be sure of is that both teams will be trying their hardest and it will be an entertaining match. As Piru say, never right off the Force at home. Many teams including conference leaders have come to nib Stadium confident of a 5 point win only to slink away defeated. BTW in their usual incompetent arrogance SANZAAR have the game being played at the same time as the biggest AFL match of the year in WA, the Western Derby between the two Perth teams. it'll be interesting to see how this affects attendance in this town where many people follow more than one sport.
mania
Guest
I was so wrong bout the stormers
Hannes Lubbe
Roar Rookie
davSA... Yes, the Kings are most definitely taking giant leaps in terms of improvement. But with the new format announced for Super Rugby 2018... bad for the Kings. I believe South Africa will losse 2 teams? The Kings will definitely be one of them? Despite their massive efforts this year... Then the second will surely be between the Bulls and the Cheetahs...
davSA
Guest
I mean some pundits would actually place PSDT amongst the top 3 or 4 best lock forwards in the game. Seems a waste playing the guy out of position . Could someone out there send Flekkie an email reminding him who were his 2 nd row pairing when they beat the Chiefs. Or doesn't that matter.
davSA
Guest
For sure Bakkies . Fleck is trying to reinvent the wheel here.
Bakkies
Guest
The fact that du Toit got exposed by England in that role should have been ringing in Fleck's head.
davSA
Guest
Hi Hannes , yes the long suffering Bulls Supporters . They seem to still be playing outdated rugby . Flyhalf standing deep , not creating space . I know they are looking at a NZ consultant to come on board . That alone is a clear sign that there is acknowledgement their coaching staff are not up to this standard . As far as your article goes , I have taken a keen interest in the Kings and in fact wrote a detailed post about a month ago making a clear case for them . A win this weekend will really put the Cat amongst the pigeons. Although SARU has not made its criteria for Superugby inclusion public , on field performance would have been one of them . They may not even put financial stability on the table as only the Cheetahs would pass muster , one of the teams SARU wants out. So a Kings win would strengthen their case. Davids looks a decent coach and we have to doff our caps to the Kings as they have achieved this vast improvement with less resources than any other side in the competition. Stormers or rather Flekkie confuses me to no end. This week he publically commented on how surprised he was at the pace of the NZ sides . Obviously the Crusaders performance prompted this comment , then persists with the selection of a lock forward PSDT at flank. In Pieter de Villiers words , "PSDT is too slow in the role . This allows in particular the NZ teams to exploit space creating one on one match ups ,allowing for the of load to an unmarked player".
piru
Roar Rookie
No offence taken mate, we're used to being written off
Buk
Guest
Enjoyed the article Hannes. For me, Queensland vs NSW was pretty much the biggest game of the season, hunker down, man the trenches sort of thing (ok, man the sofa more like it :) ) But now not sure I will even watch the game, maybe just look at the highlights.
Hannes Lubbe
Roar Rookie
I am sorry if I offended you. It was not my intentions. I realize that it was a poor choice of words. I also support a very poor Bulls side for the last couple of years. It is difficult to know that you will loose a game before you even started. I believe the Force is in a building phase and they also lost quite a few players due to injuries. No offence... But I think Lions by plenty... Thanks for sticking to your team. Enjoy the weekend's rugby!
ScottD
Roar Guru
It will be close but the Force have 12 of their best 22 out with medium to long term injuries. We are down to our 2nd string front row, third string 2nd row and our 2nd (or 3rd) string back three and 3rd string halfback. We'll be lucky to win anything in the next 2 weeks until we start getting a couple of players back.
piru
Roar Rookie
We're at our most dangerous when people start pencilling in wins before they get to town.
piru
Roar Rookie
The Force will have a tough time against title contenders from South Africa in the Lions, who will surely put another win on the record I love it when people write stuff like this See you in Perth gents, we'll see how sure that win is eh?
Machooka
Roar Guru
Nice preview Hannes... and congrats on your first up article. On the Kings thingy... listen, I'm really happy for these guys in notching a win against my insipid Tahs. They deserved it. Furthermore, when considering their present fate at the hands of SANZAAR and it's machinations, it's was quite remarkable. And for those who say it was a rubbish Tahs team, well you can only play who's in front of you. And if your opposition ain't performing up to reputation, then good on you for sullying that reputation. So this w'end it's two teams whose futures are very uncertain both playing each other... should be an intense affair. Let's see who wants it most!?! As to the REDs hosting my Tahs... your thoughts on this game maybe well founded ;)
country boy
Guest
I reckon the Lions and Force will be a closer game than most people are predicting, Force might just get up to poke another finger in the eye of the ARU.
andrewM
Guest
"surely a lot of you will say that the Waratahs are playing poorly and that it cannot be considered an impressive win" No it wasn't - The Kings were playing poorly too, at the end of a pretty long tour. Had they played as good as their earlier games then the Tahs would really have been in trouble
mania
Guest
blues and brumbies will be tight i reckon hihglanders and stormers should be a good fight