Five talking points from the weekend’s SR action
1 Crusaders in crisis ahead of Blues clash in Auckland
After four straight losses, the most recent to the Hurricanes in Christchurch on Friday, the warning instruments on the dashboard inside the cockpit of the Crusaders machine are screaming and blinking.
If this was a movie, you would lean on the obvious when penning the reaction to them spiralling towards the bottom of the competition table: “Pull up! Pull up!”'
It's not as if the Crusaders are sitting back and painting their nails; that effort against the Canes was superior to the turgid slop dished up against the Fijian Drua and the Waratahs, but they still conceded too many penalties (11 to the Hurricanes' four) and were on the wrong side of the territory and possession numbers.
Let's make one thing clear: if we start hearing excuses from the Crusaders, they may as well mothball the whole operation at Rugby Park. Despite the high injury count, loss of key All Blacks and decision to play pre-season games in Ireland and England, which has potentially led to early fatigue, they have got to hold themselves accountable.
The legacy of this proud franchise demands it. Next up, the Blues at Eden Park.
2 Drought buster in Dunedin as another South Island team is buried
Wales international No 10 Rhys Patchell could have turned the game in the Highlanders' favour against the Brumbies in Dunedin.
If he had been on the park, that is. Coach Clark Dermody elected to start inexperienced Cameron Millar in the crucial playmaker's role on Saturday afternoon, leaving Patchell out of the match-day 23. Not even an excellent try by Billy Harmon could prevent the Brumbies bagging their first win in the southern city since 2013.
Losing All Blacks loosehead prop Ethan de Groot about 10 minutes after the opening gong didn't help the hosts, either.
3 Chiefs exploit the Drua's sickly travel habits
We've all heard the tales about how French clubmen play like wild demons at home, but are as meek as kittens on the road.
The same could be said for the Fijian Drua, who, having stunned the Crusaders in Lautoka last weekend, got thumped by the Chiefs in Hamilton. .
Stung by their loss to the Reds in Brisbane, the Chiefs showed why they remain one of the hottest tickets in the competition; their desire to attack from set-pieces was clear, but their lack of concentration, when the Drua scored an 81st minute try, which robbed the Chiefs of a precious bonus point, was disappointing.
All Blacks midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown was carted off with a concussion. Never a pleasant sight.
4 Hold on tight, the Blues are up to their old tricks
If Blues coach Vern Cotter was on the farm in the Bay of Plenty he could erase his frustrations by grubbing thistles or slashing at gorse.
No doubt grateful that the Blues eked out an unconvincing win over the Waratahs in Sydney, Cotter will have much to ponder in Auckland in the days ahead. There’s unlikely to be too many noxious weeds to vent his frustrations upon. Which could be bad news for the nearest rubbish bin.
Tackles were missed (29), and there were mistakes aplenty from the Blues.
5 Kiwi Simon Cron’s verbal punches
Rugby reporters in Perth got the good juice out of Western Force coach Cron when he unleashed on his team after the defeat to Moana Pasifika.
He didn't try to camouflage his disappointment with cliches, as he ticked off the unmemorable moments his team delivered. He apologised to local supporters, labelling it “some of the worst rugby I’ve ever seen”.
Fair enough. But has he ever tuned into some of those kick-festivals up north?