Hurricanes stay strong as Brumbies surge in rankings
Someone needs to get the eight fastest players in Super Rugby Pacific together for a 100m dash.
Forget the likes of Kiwis Rieko Ioane, Shaun Stevenson, Sevu Reece, Emoni Narawa and Mark Tele’a – surely none of them are keeping up with Brumbies scorcher Corey Toole. Give the former sevens gun half an inch and defenders are left clutching air, as the Highlanders found out en route to their first loss to the Brumbies in Dunedin since 2013. Toole, 24, who last year revealed he had reached a top speed of 10.2 metres per second, is tied atop the heap for tries scored (five) through the first month of the competition, and is sure to be on new Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt’s radar if he keeps making defenders look silly. In the meantime, here’s the latest power rankings, in which staff ignore the official ladder and rank the 12 teams each week.
1. Hurricanes (4-0). Previous rank: 4
Probably should have put the depleted Crusaders away by significantly more, but the only undefeated team in the competition continues to win in different ways. Thrashing the Force in Perth is all well and good, as is keeping their composure to run down the Reds in golden point in round two, and beating the Blues in the capital the following week. But edging the Crusaders in wet and cold Christchurch, in a match that coach Clark Laidlaw said felt like a playoff match, trumps their first three results.
2. Reds (3-1). Previous rank: 2
Make no mistake, having watched them toy with the Rebels last weekend, the Reds have dethroned the Brumbies as the top side from across the Tasman. Indeed, the Les Kiss effect is real, with only a couple of blown chances against the Hurricanes in round two denying them a perfect first month to the season under their new head coach. What makes them so good is their loose forwards trio of Liam Wright, Fraser McReight and Harry Wilson.
3. Chiefs (3-1). Previous rank: 4
Sure, the Drua ran in 29 points against them, but victory was never in doubt given the ease with which the Chiefs’ attack operates. And they’re potentially getting back one of their most devastating weapons – wing Emoni Narawa – for Saturday’s home match against the Highlanders. A back three of Shaun Stevenson, Etene Nanai-Seturo and Emoni Narawa is a scary proposition for any defence.
4. Blues (3-1). Previous rank: 6
Disjointed and riddled with unforced errors. Sounds like the Crusaders. Only the Blues are still mostly winning. That’s the pleasing thing for new coach Vern Cotter. But, as he plots handing the Crusaders – the team he worked for as an assistant coach many moons ago – a fifth straight defeat, many questions hang over his group, starting with Stephen Perofeta’s wobbly form.
5. Brumbies (3-1). Previous rank: 7
Much like the Blues, the Brumbies haven’t been near their best but find themselves sitting rather pretty with three wins and a loss. Admittedly, the schedule-makers have been kind by dishing up the Force and Rebels early doors, but that was before the Blues beat an on-the-rise Highlanders outfit in Dunedin for the first time since 2013. Moana Pasifika are next. Then it’s essential viewing when they visit the Reds on March 30.
6. Highlanders (2-2). Previous rank: 3
It was all looking rather rosy for the Highlanders before the Brumbies came to town. So much so that the person in charge of their social media attempted to have a few laughs at the expense of other teams. Probably not such a good idea with the Chiefs (away) and Hurricanes (home) in the next fortnight. After their overly lateral attack did not get it done last weekend, expect head coach Clarke Dermody to instruct his team to be more direct and patient before slinging it wide.
7. Waratahs (1-3). Previous rank: 9
This is a much better team than their 1-3 record indicates. Fresh from two-point defeats to the Highlanders and Blues the past fortnight, they will feel they should be 3-0 against Kiwi teams (they beat the Crusaders). They’ve got the trickiest assignment in Super Rugby this weekend – an afternoon game against the Drua in sweltering Lautoka.
8. Fijian Drua (1-3). Previous rank: 5
As entertaining as they are, and as formidable as they are at home, it’s hard to take the Drua too seriously until they start bagging results on the road. Their round-one win against Moana Pasifika last year is their lone road victory since the start of 2023. However, with the Drua back home in Lautoka after their Hamilton hiding, good luck to the Waratahs and Force the next fortnight.
9. Moana Pasifika (2-2). Previous rank: 10
With wins against the Force and Fijian Drua in the bag, Moana Pasifika have doubled their win tally from a season ago. Kudos. The next month will tell us just how much progress they’ve made under new coach Tana Umaga. Brumbies (away), Blues (home), Chiefs (away), Reds (home). Yikes.
10. Rebels (2-2). Previous rank: 8
There are too many good players on the Rebels’ roster for them to be so uncompetitive against quality sides. Think Taniela Tupou, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Carter Gordon, Filipo Daugunu and Andrew Kellaway, to name a bunch. Yet they’ve been thoroughly dismantled by the Reds and Brumbies, and are likely in for a long night against the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday.
11. Crusaders (0-4). Previous rank: 11
As injured fullback Will Jordan noted on this week’s What a Lad podcast, the Crusaders had “poor” three or four-week stretches each of the past few championship seasons. But tduring those they still managed to scratch out results in recent years, mostly because they had now departed All Black Richie Mo’unga at No 10. They also still scored points. The current Crusaders’ faltering attack has mustered just two tries the past fortnight, and they’re tied with the Waratahs for fewest five-pointers (10).
12. Force (0-4). Previous rank: 12
Force head coach Simon Cron said it best after his team produced a lame performance en route to a 22-14 defeat to Moana Pasifika. “That was some of the worst rugby I've ever seen. We were horrendous.” Bang on. Fresh from pushing the Brumbies to the brink the previous week, few would have seen that rotter coming.