Super Rugby - 5 Things We Learnt From Round 8

1     The Hurricanes took their unbeaten record to seven from seven, but against a team with tighter defence and more creative flair on attack than the Stormers, the 32% possession and 30% territory the Hurricanes won on Friday will cost them their winning streak. Having won only 25% possession and a mere 22% territory in the second half will be a real worry for coaches Chris Boyd and John Plumtree and their players.

2     The Sharks are in turmoil. With Bismarck du Plessis’s suspension followed by Francois Steyn’s suspension, and now by Jean Deysel’s red card – and on Saturday allowing the Crusaders to run in 8 tries, including when the Crusaders had only 12 players on the field – more than superficial soul-searching is essential in the Sharks camp.

3     The Crusaders showed in their brilliant performance at Kings Park on Saturday that they could add a first Super Rugby winner’s title this year to their five Super 12 and two Super 14 championships. Scoring their first two tries in just over four minutes and earning their four-try bonus point in the 35^th minute sums up the skill and flair with which they played.

4     The Chiefs with Sonny Bill Williams and the Chiefs without Sonny Bill Williams are different entities. Life is so much easier for opposition defences when he’s not there, as we saw on Saturday when they stuttered to victory over the struggling Blues.

5     David Pocock is fast getting over his long injury-enforced absence and on Saturday against the Cheetahs showed more than touches of his consummate class. With Michael Hooper consistently outstanding for the Waratahs, Wallaby coach Michael Cheika may be tempted to play both of these brilliant openside flanks in his Test starting XV – just as the Crusaders sometimes play Richie McCaw at blindside with Matt Todd at openside. It’s not the conventional selection route but may be a tempting option for Cheika, for some Tests at least. And to add to Cheika’s selection dilemma, Reds openside Liam Gill was on top form in Round 8 too.