FOREIGN TEAMS IN A NUTSHELL
01 WARATAHS
Had a brief stint as champions when Michael Cheika was coaching them but as quickly as they rose, they have fallen. Have returned to being a Jekyll and Hyde sort of team that can be brilliant and awful in the space of a few weeks. The presence of Bernard Foley and Israel Folau gives them potential to make the playoffs but they have to get their attitude right.
02 REBELS
Have lost Adam Thomson and Tamati Ellison so without that Kiwi edge they may struggle more than usual. Will win a few games and compete hard in some more, but really, any team with genuine title aspirations looks at the Rebels and plans to take five points.
03 REDS
This could be the year the Reds stop the rot, or at least don’t get any worse. They have a new coaching team – and it is probably quite capable – a few new players in Stephen Moore and Quade Cooper and they might just be okay. They probably won’t deliver the consistency they need but we see them a bit like the Blues last year, an underrated team on the way up.
04 BRUMBIES
No David Pocock, no Matt Toomua and no Moore – we say that gives the Brumbies no chance. They started the season last year by pumping the Hurricanes by 50 and then regressed. Hard to see what new ideas they can bring to the table and we don’t fancy them as anything other than mid-table.
05 FORCE
This lot are clinging on in every sense... financially, spiritually and emotionally. This could be the last year of existence for the club so that will either see them accept they are doomed or give them a sense of defiance to prove their worth. If they can find the latter, they will at least have desire if not any good players.
06 BULLS
Have picked up big lock Lood de Jager which is a nice get but not one likely to transform them from the moderate team they were last year. Neither particularly big or scary these days, the Bulls are a toughish nut to crack in Pretoria but not the way they used to be. If they make the playoffs, they won’t go beyond the last eight.
07 SHARKS
Were a big disappointment last year as we tipped them to make the final and they were thumped in the quarterfinal. Whatever they learned last year is almost irrelevant because they are going to be just about starting again with a new coach who will have to work out how to play without Willie le Roux and JP Pietersen. Another difficult year for these guys.
08 STORMERS
It was hard to get a good gauge on the Stormers last year. They appeared to be quite good and the Chiefs destroyed them in the quarterfinal. We suspect things won’t be much different this year – they will be good enough to sit top of their conference but a long way behind the best teams in New Zealand.
09 CHEETAHS
The South African exodus has hit them hard. The best players leave the Sharks, Bulls and Stormers and then all three of those clubs poach the next generation of stars from the Cheetahs. Don’t have much quality left and the days of them playing attractive and effective rugby seem a long time ago.
10 LIONS
Easily the best thing in South Africa and the only team that is giving the Rainbow Nation any cause for pride. Have kept most of their squad from last year, have a smart coach who had them playing good rugby and presumably they will be all the wiser for their experiences last year.
Will be a little tougher for them this time round as no one will underestimate he Lions. A good team with a good chance of going far.
11 SOUTHERN KINGS
They were a waste of time last year and will be an even bigger waste of time this year. Next.
12 JAGUARES
These guys ended up being more than a little bit disappointing. They have a good squad – one that could make the last eight – but they struggled with the travel, pace and intensity of the rugby. More in the sense that they couldn’t back up week to week. They might be better this year but gut feel says Argentinian rugby is stagnating a wee bit.
13 THE SUNWOLVES
To be fair, these guys gave it everything. They just didn’t have that much to give. Could get up for one off encounters and really push good teams. But weren’t able to win much and that’s going to be the story of 2017 as well.