Six weeks into Super Rugby 2018 and the wheat is starting to be sorted from the chaf in the southern hemisphere’s provincial championship.
Here, we look at three key takeaways from the weekend’s action.
Willem Britz poses for a selfie after losing by 50 points.
Sunwolves still happy losers
In their third season of Super Rugby the Japan-based team are still the perfect opponents. Turn up with a smile, throw the ball around, miss a lot of tackles, lose by 30+ points and then say thank you very much after the full-time whistle. The Chiefs were the latest recipients of the Sunwolves eagerness-to-please with a breezy 61 -10 win in Tokyo. Yes it is important that the Sunwolves play attractive rugby but there is a limit to how much losing even polite Japanese spectators can watch. Jamie Joseph was meant to make a difference – he hasn’t – and the same reasons why Eddie Jones, the man who was originally selected to coach the Sunwolves, left are still very much evident at the club. No money, no players, no attitude. The Sunwolves are becoming a real issue for SANZAAR as they are still a bonus-five-points for any opponent. As for the Chiefs, they look impressive, with Brodie Retallick getting back to his very best – and have now won four out of five – but its difficult to truly judge them against such lightweights.
Waisake Naholo’s All Blacks spot may be at risk
Naholo v Lam
In a match-within-the-match the holder came up against the challenger – current All Blacks winger Waisake Naholo versus the man who would take his place, Hurricanes speedster Ben Lam. Naholo fired the first shot with a piece of trademark finishing to score a try on 21 minutes, but Lam soon hit back with a stunning piece of finishing of his own. With three players on him, somehow the former Sevens star reached over to score in the corner. Not to be outdone Naholo then toed a bouncing ball ahead on 44 minutes and dove onto to it to score. But Lam had the last word on 75 minutes – carrying Naholo over with him to score his second. All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has a tough call to make.
Jack Goodhue scored a double for the Crusaders
Crusaders bounce back
After six weeks the jury is still out on whether the Saders can defend their title. They started off with an impressive 45-23 win over the Chiefs but since then they have been far from the best, struggling against the Stormers and Bulls and surrendering meekly to the Highlanders and Hurricanes. At the moment they look third best in the NZ conference – behind the Chiefs and Canes – and with a cruel injury list (Kieran Read – back, Joe Moody – shoulder, Owen Franks – Achilles and Richie Mo’unga – jaw) Scott Robertson’s side could miss the playoffs, let alone give him another opportunity to break dance.
