Reaction, rebels, overseas derbies
1 How will the Highlanders react to their first loss of the year?
Stung 29-12 by the Hurricanes in Wellington last weekend, the Highlanders won’t be in a panic but it has given their coach Aaron Mauger much to ponder. His Chiefs counterpart Colin Cooper will have noted, with considerable interest, the way the Hurricanes defenders bustled their opponents into making errors and how the Highlanders were exposed down the right-hand channel where wing Ben Lam shaded All Blacks finisher Waisake Naholo.
The Chiefs are a gritty bunch; following the 45-23 loss to the Crusaders in their first game, they have won three straight. The recent 61-10 thrashing of the Sunwolves in Tokyo, with Damian McKenzie at No 10, emphasised their attacking intent.
2 Do the Rebels have the class to be the first of the Aussie teams to break the drought against Kiwi sides?
First things first. At some point the Aussies will snap their country’s dry run in Super Rugby, which stretches back to 2016, against one of the five New Zealand teams. Whether they will do it this year is a moot point.
The Rebels seem well positioned to do something decent, although to expect them to trip up the Hurricanes - arguably New Zealand’s form team at the moment - tomorrow night could be a long shot. With four wins from five outings this year, the Rebels sit at the top of the Super Rugby leaderboard and their sole loss was against the Waratahs in Sydney.
The Hurricanes are building nicely, though. And are still well short of their A-game.
3 Have the Blues been forgiven yet?
The Blues’ 37-20 loss to the Stormers in Cape Town on March 18 was disappointing, but nobody lost the clothes off their back. Yet some people went ballistic. With eyes bulging, and neck veins throbbing, they threw their toys all over the shop because they truly believed the previous weekend’s win over the Lions in Jo’burg indicated that the Blues had turned the corner.
So now the Blues return from the bye, against a Sharks side that got slapped 46-14 by the Rebels in Melbourne. A bold tip: the Blues to thump the Sharks with a bonus-point victory.
4 Does anyone in New Zealand get jiggy with it at the prospect of offshore derby games?
The Brumbies host the Waratahs at GIO Stadium in Canberra, and the Bulls will do the same for the Stormers at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. These fixtures are a big deal to the rugby communities in Aussie and South Africa. Especially the latter, where supporters of the landlocked Bulls really do hope their men can clean the clocks of the lot from the Western Cape. It’s tribal and very real. But do New Zealanders care? It’s just one problem for Super Rugby.
5 How would you feel if you were a Lions fan? the Super Rugby trophy through the airport’s departure lounge. Happy days, indeed.
But that was then and this is now. The Crusaders arrive in Jo’burg for the rematch against the Lions on Monday morning (NZT) with a 3-2 record. The Lions are 4-2, but their form has been less convincing than their record suggests.
Ellis Park was a sell-out for the final almost eight months ago, with around 62,000 supporters jammed into every corner of the ground. Then the Crusaders ruined their fun. The crowd for this fixture will be much modest, but those Lions supporters who do turn up won’t have forgotten their side’s 25-17 loss.