Super Rugby - 5 Things We Learnt From Round 7

1     Among those players have who have played little or no Super Rugby up to now, five gave a clear indication this weekend they may well have what it takes to make it at this level. Burger Odendaal, making his debut as a late replacement at inside centre for the Bulls, James Lentjes, on debut at openside flank for the Highlanders, Callum Gibbins, openside for the Hurricanes in his 5^th Super game, Seta Tamanivalu at outside centre for the Chiefs in his 4^th Super appearance, and Force openside Kane Koteka (5^th cap) all showed more than glimpses of real potential to make the step-up to Super Rugby.

2     The Reds lost again. The Blues lost again. Whatever coaches Richard Graham and Sir John Kirwan are trying to achieve is not working. We shall wait to see whether the Queensland and Auckland hierarchies will back their coaches for the rest of the season or whether they are going to come up with some sort of ‘state of emergency’ plan – either replacing them or getting in strategic coaching assistance for them, or as directors of coaching above them.

3     Right now the teams looking good are New Zealand franchises Hurricanes and Highlanders, and perhaps the Chiefs as well, Australian teams Waratahs and Brumbies (on a bye in Round 7), and of the SA teams, only the Bulls at present. In a middle section of performers, the Lions have performed well in three games and lost badly in one on tour, the Sharks have won two in a row without impressing in either, the Stormers have lost their last two, the Crusaders who have varied between excellent, mediocre, and substandard, and the Force and Rebels have shown great courage without reward. A bottom group would comprise the under siege Reds and Blues, and the Cheetahs, who again on Saturday conceded a mass of points.

4     Conceding five tries to the Highlanders on Saturday, the Stormers appear to be missing Jacques Nienaber, their former defence guru who earned a well-deserved reputation for being a tough but highly successful taskmaster as defence coach. Nienaber left the Stormers to join his mentor Rassie Erasmus at SA Rugby. Conceding 20 turnovers on Saturday didn’t help the Stormers either.

5     Sometimes teams are heavily dependent on one player. We saw on Saturday, in their absence, just how acutely the Stormers missed Duane Vermeulen and how much the Sharks missed Patrick Lambie. We saw how much the return of Sonny Bill Williams meant to the Chiefs. Among others absolutely crucial to their teams’ performances are Warren Whiteley (Lions), Michael Hooper (Waratahs), Ben Smith (Highlanders), and Handré Pollard (Bulls).