The High Five: Super Rugby Round 14

Eight matches from Round 14 of Super Rugby have been completed with just the Lions and Kings still to be completed early Monday morning in the antipodes – a match which will have little effect on the makeup of the playoffs this season with only three rounds remaining.

The Chiefs stumble in Auckland
It was not an inspiring match in Auckland as the conditions deteriorated throughout but it was played with plenty of endeavour as the ‘Bombay’ rivals fought out a 16-all draw at Eden Park.

The Chiefs outscored the Blues in terms of tries but ill-discipline proved costly as the Blues slotted a number of penalties to keep themselves slightly ahead for the majority of the match.

Both sides had their opportunities to take the lead outright, a sideline conversion attempt from Aaron Cruden missed after a Chiefs try leaving the score locked up while Piers Francis failed to slot a relatively simple penalty attempt within the last 10 to leave the Blues in particular disappointed that a golden chance to score their first win over a fellow New Zealand side for quite some time.

While it was simply pride on the line for the Blues, the result for the Chiefs sees them fall off the pace within the New Zealand conference to be now sitting fourth, equal points with the Highlanders but behind on points differential.

It should be remembered they have a game in hand over their southern rivals.

Highlanders put themselves back in the mix, Hurricanes keep the pressure on
The Highlanders have bought themselves back into the mix for a better playoff position, capitalising on the Chiefs result to draw level on points after a comfortable, if somewhat controversial win over the Waratahs in Dunedin, winning 44 points to 28, scoring some fine tries in the process and showing signs they are not to be discounted from this year’s title race.

The welcome sight of Ben Smith back at fullback for the home side, back from injury was instantly felt for the Highlanders, in both attack and defence as they picked the Waratahs apart through sheer pace and width.

But, it was not all one way traffic, as the Waratahs scored a few themselves, Israel Folau perhaps playing his best match this year, looking lethal with ball in hand and would be encouraging for Waratah and Wallaby fans alike.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes managed a bonus point win in Pretoria over the Bulls to keep the pressure on the Crusaders though they themselves secured five points in Melbourne over the Rebels, the achievement notable for both sides as many regulars sat out the match, the Hurricanes also having to battle through with injuries to Ardie Savea and Mark Abbott most notably during the match.

With Beauden Barrett a late scratching due to precautions over headaches leading up to the match, the Hurricanes will be nervous about their roster heading into an important couple of matches in the coming weeks while the Highlanders gear up for an important clash against the Crusaders in Christchurch.

A win for the Highlanders could see them in a prime position to obtain the highest wildcard spot for the playoffs while a Crusader victory will ensure they cannot be overtaken for the New Zealand conference title.

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The Sharks fire off a warning shot
In difficult conditions in Durban, the Sharks confronted the Stormers in a battle of attrition in a willing and bruising encounter, eventually prevailing over their local rivals by 22 points to 10, shutting down the Stormers with an impressive defensive effort, repelling the Stormers time and time again.

They will be an incredibly tough prospect for whoever draws them come the playoffs with a wildcard spot assured, and all achieved with arguably their third-choice first five, with Pat Lambie and Curwin Bosch currently unavailable.

Admittedly this result was achieved at home and this will be a luxury they will have to do without come the playoffs, but they will be a sticky prospect to overcome and if results fall their way, they could force themselves further up the pecking order on points and into a better position come the playoffs.

The Brumbies all but lock in the Australian conference title
With the advantage of being drawn to play last this round, the Brumbies would have seen their closest rivals within the Australian conference lose their individual matches.

The Reds were well beaten by the Force in Brisbane in a cohesive and disciplined performance while the Waratahs’ loss in Dunedin left the Brumbies with the gate open and they stormed through it, securing a bonus point win over the hapless Jaguares in Argentina by 39 points to 15 in a six tries to two thumping.

The Brumbies scored some delightful tries in what will be a pleasing attacking performance for many of the faithful, after numerous struggles to find the try line.

The conference is not quite locked up yet but with a game against the struggling Rebels in Canberra next round and the Reds, Waratahs and Force all lining up against New Zealand opposition the Australian conference could well be safe for the Brumbies after next weekend. It is certainly theirs to lose from here.

Neutrals please
There is no doubt the Highlanders benefited from some marginal decisions in their match against the Waratahs in Dunedin and while I stop short of suggesting the match would have returned a different result otherwise, I continue to be flabbergasted by the competition’s organisers inability to ensure neutral officials for every inter conference match, a New Zealand crew looking after that match last night for example.

The competition is under fire, declining audiences, a format that’s not working, threats of legal action over the proposed dropping of teams for next year, the list is piling up but one thing that can be controlled is the perception of neutrality at least in terms of the officiating yet SANZAAR continues to give its detractors further ammunition for an issue that is so simple to resolve.

Test matches always have neutral officials so why not Super Rugby? It is an International regional tournament after all and while I am all for the best man for the job, so on and so forth, it is a simple perception which can be easily addressed, not to mention the inconsistency of the appointments.

I can recall two matches for the Hurricanes, against the Highlanders and Crusaders where the main referees were Angus Gardner and Jaco Peyper respectively!

Sort it out SANZAAR, stop shooting yourselves in the foot.

So there are my five major talking points from this round of Super Rugby as we start to look forward to the next few rounds as we all start to get distracted with the international break to come.

In my moment of the week, and because front rowers are the coolest, check out the Highlanders Siua Halanukonuka 20 odd meter dash, to agonisingly be pulled up short, but unselfishly placing the ball back for his fellow front rower Dan Lienert-Brown to take the glory, fantastic stuff, showing a full range of skills after his smiling goose stepping from last weekend.

Until next week then!