Super Rugby Review : Team of the Ladder Season

Round 20.

Apologies for the delay, but the Irish sunshine demanded attention.

The final round of matches in Super Rugby decided who played who in the qualifiers/ semi's, and their were some great moments.

It's obvious that the Crusaders are coming into form at the right time, while the Rebels produced a stunning comeback after losing at halftime by 31-7. Other picks of the round included a stunning victory for the Force, featuring a massive brain fart from Toomua, and a mauling of the Kings by the Sharks.

Now that the regular season is over, I felt it's necessary to award some of the performances by players that didn't make the playoffs. So here's the team of the season.

15. Ben Smith / Charles Piutau / Israel Folau

By a distance the hardest decision. With the playoff contenders this would have been even harder after Jesse Mogg's fabulous season. Charles Piutau was wonderful, and brought a breathe of fresh air into a Blues side that really needed it, while Ben Smith was a one man show in Dunedin, albeit in a losing side. But because of the switch, and the fact he was still a one man show with more success, I have to give it to Folau over Smith. Knowing full well that I'll change my mind on this fourteen times in the next minute.

14. Frank Halai

Frank was superb, and a competition best of 10 tries shows how well the former 7's specialist is bringing those skills to the 15 man game. Spoken of in terms of All Black selection. Watch this space. Mention too for Kade Poki and Alpati Leiua.

13. Rene Ranger

Ranger was awesome this season. He is finally in a position where he can influence games, whether by scoring tries, "Re-a-RANGERing" people, or by showing he is one of the best centres in the world at the breakdown. Montpeiller are getting a player at the top of his game. Richard Kahui and Tamati Ellison were outstanding, but were injured more often than not. Mention for a similarly effective switch to 13 from Tim Nanai Williams

12. Jean de Villiers

Outside of the playoffs teams, Jean de Villiers had a strong showing at inside centre, but Christian Lealiifano and Jan Serfontein performed better.

11. Julian Savea

Not the greatest season from Savea, and the assault charge seemed to effect him mid season, but he still scored some great tries, and Israel Dagg still has nightmares about the Savea train rolling over him.
Mention for Hosea Gear who like Smith, did well to manage 8 tries in a struggling Highlanders team.

10. Bernard Foley

The main reason why the Waratahs were a joy to watch this year was this man. Foley ran the show at his new position at standoff, making people like Cam Crawford and Israel Folau look good. Michael Cheika has unearthed a gem.

9. Fumiaki Tanaka

Perhaps a little bit of bias here, and it's strange to think that a good few Highlanders feature in this team, but Tanaka was great to watch this season, and it's hard not to have him as a favourite player. Wales discovered how effective he can be when Japan shocked them in the second test this summer. TJ Peranara did well, and a return of 7 tries can't be laughed at.

1. Ben Franks

Away from his brother for the first time, Franks shone at the Hurricanes, finally getting some regular gametime. His 10(0)m try was a sight to behold, and backed that up week in week out with strong performances. Mention for Schalk Ferraria of the Kings, whose defensive hard work lead the way for some historic performances.

2. Ged Robinson

Another tight contest, with Deon Fourie and Bandise Maku impressing. But with Fourie playing well at flanker too, Robinson had more time at hooker to show what he's got, and as the high scoring player in fantasy Super Rugby, he deservedly gets this spot.

3. Angus Ta'avao

It's hard to pick out props, especially tighthead props. James Slipper and Ben Taumiuna have done well, but as part of the playoff teams are discounted. Ta'avao bagged a few tries, and looks to be one for the future.

4. Luke Jones

The Rebels second row are by far their strongest performers. Both Pyle and Jones get through a mountain of work, and both should be closer to Wallaby reckoning. Great seasons for both.

5. Hugh Pyle

See Jones

6. Steven Luatua

What an outstanding breakout year for the 22 year old. Luatua was everywhere on the field, and New Zealand may have their heir apparent to Jerome Kaino's slot as the world's best blindside.

7. Wimpie van der Walt

Everything good about the Kings was epitomised by Wimpie van der Walt. Often running the ball two or three times a move, or tackling up to four times a play, Wan der Walt was tireless in his work, and the Kings would have been hammered as would have been expected much more without him.

8. Scott Higginbotham

Possibly the biggest loss to Australia this year, but after a slow start, "Higgers" showed that he can be a one man team, and all of the best parts about the Rebels this year came through this man. They may have been better without James O'Connor and Kurtley Beale, but Scott Higginbotham takes them to new levels.

Fantasy

A huge performance from Cillian Hogan puts him further clear, and within touching distance of yet another victory. Plenty to play for over the next three weeks though. Other than the top two, only 5th and 6th have yet to be decided with Murray Kinsella battling Peter Corley for the spot.

Super Rugby Review Round 19

With only one more week to go, a lot of things were decided this week, amongst all the excitement, there was a 93 point game to feature before the Lions won the third test.

Crusaders 43 - 15 Chiefs

The Crusaders showed they are a champion side, putting in the performance against one of the competition contenders that keeps them in the hunt for first place in New Zealand. That they are still in the hunt after playing quite poorly, and now are coming into form should spread fear into the other playoff teams.

Hurricanes 44 - Highlanders

What a game. This showed both the best and worst of the Highlanders this season, after they raced into a healthy lead, only to squander it, then race back into a commanding lead, only to nearly squander it again, all while their poor discipline rendered it's ugly head yet again. The highlights are a must watch.

Cheetahs 34 - 13 Blues

This result confirmed that the Cheetahs made the most of their spectacular season by reaching the playoffs for the first time, while simultaneously consigning the Blues to nearly-rans. It was a much improved season from them, but it won't count for much. Ball Handling Hooker will be cheering on the Cheetahs in the playoffs.

Southern Kings 12- 24 Stormers

This result was consigned to not matter after the Cheetahs result as both teams now have nothing to play for. The Kings will play the Lions in a relegation playoff soon, while the Stormers will finish outside the playoffs and lose a lot of their top players like Joe Pietersen and Bryan Habana.

Bulls 20 -19 Sharks

A late charge from the Bulls kept them atop the ladder, in what could be an important position. A solitary point will confirm them as home semi-finalists, while finishing top means that they will host the final, should they get there.

Key games next week:

With only the order of the playoff contenders to change, these are the games that will affect standings;

Crusaders - Hurricanes - Expect the Crusaders to win, probably with 5 points.

Blues - Chiefs - Expect a narrow Chiefs vicotry giving them 1st in NZ.

Waratahs - Reds - I think the Tahs could sneak this one while the Reds are without Genia and Horwill

Force - Brumbies - Brumbies to win, possible bonus point

Stormers - Bulls - Bulls to win by a multiple of 3.

Probable playoffs:

1. Bulls v ( Brumbies v Reds)

2. Chiefs v ( Crusaders v Cheetahs)

Fantasy.

Another spectacular week brought Cillian Hogan 98 points clear of Ball Handling Hooker in the race for first place, with only 4 weeks to go. While Garbhan is 260 points behind, and will be fighting with Connacht Man for 3rd.

Head to Head league.

With 8 points the difference between 1st and 2nd, and the difference between 2nd and 3rd, it's likely to remain that way. the battle for 3rd, 4th and 5th will go on between the Weshties, Les Mecs and Multiple Scoregasms.

Ref Report: Greystones 7's

A Guest post from Cillian Hogan

Up to this weekend just gone, I had never attended a sevens event in any capacity and I was delighted to receive an invite to referee in the inaugural Greystones 7's. I was very keen to test myself in the shortened version of our game and jumped at the opportunity.

Tournament KO was penned in for 1:30. With the third and final Lions test starting at 11:05 it became a very easy decision to watch the match in Greystones' clubhouse. I arrived at 10:45 and proceeded to watch an appropriate amount of match build up while meeting with and chatting to many familiar faces from around the province. Despite one or two technical issues with the projector during the opening minutes we all got to see the match until the result was beyond doubt.

With five or so minutes left in the Lions game we (the referees) left to get changed and then met up with the ref coordinator where our tournament jerseys were handed out and we were split into teams of three to look after the three pitches the matches were to be played on. There were two pitches for eight mens teams (one pitch for each group of four) and one pitch for the women. I was placed on pitch one in front of the clubhouse. We then had a brief chat about the sevens specific laws, the need for accuracy at the breakdown and we were then told who'd be in the middle for the first matches.

I had hoped for a gentle ease into the day but I got the nod and was up first for the game between pre-tournament favourites The Wild Geese and UCD. Having never had proper touch judges before I felt compelled to have a bit of a prematch brief stating the usual instructions that I had been told when running the line for Ulster Bank League games. "Your primary job is to rule on matters of touch and touch in-goal” and “if there's any foul play put out your flag and I'll lead the chat at the next break but keep up with play as touch is still your primary task." I also added that as this was my first time with touchies I'd probably forget about them so if they had anything for me just shout. The game itself went off without a hitch despite both teams wearing blue, with The Wild Geese winning reasonably comfortably while UCD acquitted themselves very well. I was blowing hard enough at half time and the instructions from my touch judges were to watch the offsides during set piece. I felt much better at full time having got over the initial shock from the pace of the game. I submitted the match score card to the pitch coordinator and we were on to next match.

For the next few games I ran the line which was enjoyable being able to primarily watch the action with a few sprints intermittently down the sideline. A bad injury on the women's pitch (which required an ambulance) allowed us to take our time with the schedule as we were aiming for the playoffs of both the men's and women's tournaments to be played in order on pitch one. The heat was a bigger factor during the day than I had anticipated and Greystones were great at providing a hydration station for the officials stocked with plenty of water and red bull.

There was plenty of chopping and changing with who was doing which match during the course for the day but my next game in the middle was between The Wild Geese and Trinity. I was feeling physically comfortable in this game at half time and received some small positional advice from my touch judges. The game at this stage was very close with Trinity playing very well if relying a little heavily on individual efforts, while The Wild Geese we poor in the first half by their standards. The second half was going fine with The Geese scoring a good few tries but about halfway in I had a pretty bad blunder. The Geese were in possession when I had got in the way of play and like most times when a ref gets into a spot of bother it usually gets worse. I tried to get out of the way by sprinting through a gap in Trinity's defense but this just allowed the ball carrier to follow me through before he got a pass away. At that stage my back was to the ball and I was unable to see it. The Geese then got the ball wider still and were in. Thankfully I blew it up as my own mistake, apologised to both teams and restarted with a scrum to the team in possession. I was annoyed with myself for the big error but knew there was no point dwelling on it. Neither team had been disadvantaged by it once I’d called it back but it never looks good and gives the impression of incompetence.

We had a break after this match as the group stages were over and this gave us a chance for a burger, to rehydrate and a rest. Some would say the rest was needed but I felt it was an opportunity to seize up and that's just what happened. My own liquids intake for the day had been poorly managed and when it came to restarting with the finals I found it quite hard to get loose and going again.

I was given the second semi-final of the cup in the knockout stages which was personally very pleasing and I felt rewarded for what I thought had been a strong day overall from me with the whistle. The match was between two of Greystones' entries. One side was made up of their U21s squad while the other was consisted of senior players. The game started with a very quick pace to it which benefited the younger lads as they scored a terrifically finished try in the early minutes. While attacking on the left hand side of the pitch they kicked deep into the 22. The defensive player was shepherding the ball over the try-line for a 22 dropout when the chasing player managed to dive and stretch, beating the defender to the grounding. It happened in a flash and I can safely say that had I been a bit lazy and not chased the kick hard myself, I would not have been able to make the call. The young lads built their scores early and it wasn't until the second half that the senior team were able to get back into the game. This was my best game of the day. The Greystones U21 team won the match and continued onto the final.

The day itself was a great occasion to be part of. A lot of stalls were in Dr. Hickey Park selling sweets and cakes etc. There were bouncing castles (for children), there was music played on the PA system and we were fortunate to get the weather that we did. I'd like to thank the organisers and volunteers form Greystones RFC for running a great event, for giving the referees their full support throughout the day and making sure we wanted for nothing.

Congratulations to Railway (women’s plate winners) Blackrock (women's cup winners), Trinity (men's plate winners) and The Wild Geese (men's cup winners)

While this was my first sevens tournament I certainly hope it's not my last.

Gatland has got it wrong.

Warren Gatland has made several changes to his 23 man squad for the final series decider against Australia on Saturday.

Nearly all of the decisions he made is wrong.

First off, Alex Corbisiero has been reinstated into the starting lineup. Correct call by Rowntree. Corbisiero was a positive influence in the first test, and is by a distance the best scrummager left in the squad. That Mako Vunipola is the backup is probably an ok call, given the impact he brings. He has had a good tour, and wasn't too bad last week aside from the early scrums.

Hibbard for Tom Youngs is a further attempt to dominate the scrum. Possibly a good call, but Hibbard's lineout throwing has been terrible, so I'm marking this one down as wrong.

Next changes are in the backrow, where Sean O'Brien comes in at 7, and Toby Faletau replaces Jamie Heaslip at 8. This are two stupid calls. First off, Sean O'Brien is not a 7. His ball carrying and his presence means he should be there, but at blindside. He is decent at the breakdown, but decent won't be good enough against George Smith. Especially with no help given that Heaslip, O'Driscoll, Rory Best and Dan Cole are not selected, their replacements don't effect the breakdown at all. Furthermore, Healy and O'Connell aren't around to help O'Brien, who will be massacred. Tipuric should be starting, and ably assisted by O'Brien from 6, and Heaslip from 8.

Phillips to come back in at scrumhalf wouldn't usually be a bad decision, except that he is out of form and short of fitness. Green tinted glasses on, Conor Murray has been the form scrumhalf, and that is reflected in his selection on the bench ahead of Youngs. Does Philips deserve to be there?

Gatland's excuse for dropping O'Driscoll was that Roberts gives more. But O'Driscoll isn't being replaced by Roberts, as Roberts is playing 12. Jon Davies is lucky to be in the squad. As the third best outside centre in the squad, how Gatland can justify his selection over Manu Tuilagi, never mind O'Driscoll is beyond me. See below for Davies's qualities.

On the bench, Gatland has gone for Richie Gray as the token Scot, who is still out of form, and Manu Tuilagi. What Alex Cuthbert did to Gatland is mystifying. From being dropped from the XV after scoring a try, to being dropped altogether after being left on the bench is crazy. Manu Tuilagi for all his impact and qualities leaves a huge gap in the back three if something goes wrong.

Finally, for the captain, Gatland has made another clanger. Alun Wyn Jones has only captained Wales once. For a new captain to come into one of the biggest games in rugby is bizzare. Just ask Jamie Heaslip how difficult it is. He is usually a fired up player, and as Paul O'Connell knows, dealing with Romain Poite as fired up as Alun Wyn gets is going to be nigh on impossible.

The Lions could still snatch this, but with no help at the breakdown, it won't matter who the centres are, they will get less ball than last week. Gatland you've gotten this wrong.

Super Rugby Review Round 18

Super Rugby was back with a vengeance this week, with some outrageous tries and funny moments. If you missed my take on the season so far watch it here.

Round 18.

Chiefs 34 - 22 Hurricanes

A hugely impressive performance from the Chiefs, and their unheralded pack in particular. They seemed to have unearthed another performer in Matt Vant Leven who dominated from no.8 putting in 17 tackles, two linebreaks, one steal and a try.

Highlanders 12 - 40 Crusaders

What a game this was. It had everything, from a red card, to a sumptious offload from Tamati Ellison for Ben Smith's try, to a coast to coast try at the death for Telusa Veainu. And yet Dan Carter put on a masterclass with 25 points, a try, a try assist, two linebreaks, one linebreak created, 5 tackle busts, 2 offloads and ten tackles.

With the news that Richie McCaw will feature for the Crusaders before the end of the season, this has been a great week for the men from Canterbury.

Sharks 22 - 20 Blues

A last minute try put the Blues in a dangerous position with the playoffs only 2 games away. Frank Halai's two tries weren't enough, while Anthony Boric was outstanding for the Blues with 26 tackles, while finding time for a linebreak and two offloads too. Riaan Viljoen with the match winning try.

Bulls 48 - 18 Southern Kings

The Bulls hammered the Kings, and it's now certain that the Kings will face the Lions in the South African relegation match. Jan Serfontein with the pick of the Bulls tries, after some quick thinking by Ndugane from an errant restart from the Kings

Stormers 28 - 3 Cheetahs

A hugely dissapointing show from the Cheetahs, who were done a favour by the Sharks earlier. Deon Fourie and Siya Kolisi had huge games, which meant that the Cheetahs never settled, and players like Willie le Roux were unable to continue from impressive showings with the Springboks.

What this means:

The Bulls and Chiefs guaranteed that they will feature in the playoffs, with the Bulls ensuring that they will finish first in South Africa, while a hugely unlikely collapse is the only thing that can deny the Chiefs top spot in New Zealand.

In the race for the playoffs, the Hurricanes and the Waratahs are now definitely out, while both the Sharks and the Stormers are making late charges.

Next week's Cheetahs v Blues will be a huge game, especially now that Chris Noakes and Piri Weepu will take no part after injuries.

Both the Stormers and the Sharks need to win all remaining games and hope the Blues beat the Cheetahs, then the Blues lose the following week. This will free up one slot for them to capitalise on. Both teams play the Kings and the Bulls in their remaining games.

By virtue of the Blues loss, and their next fixture against the Cheetahs, the Reds have also qualified for the playoffs. The Blues are the only remaining side outside of the playoffs that can go ahead of them, but for that to happen, the Cheetahs would be unable to go ahead of the Reds.

Table

Chiefs (q)        61
Bulls (Q)         59
Brumbies (q)   59
Reds (q)          54
Crusaders       51
Cheetahs         46 (with a bye to come)

Blues              44
Sharks            42
Stormers         42


Key fixtures

Round 19
Crusaders v Chiefs
Cheetahs v Blues
Kings v Stormers
Bulls v Sharks

Round 20
Crusaders v Hurricanes
Blues v Chiefs
Waratahs v Reds
Force v Brumbies
Sharks v Kings
Stormers v Bulls

Only two games left in the calendar do not have qualification hopes riding on them so far.

Fantasy

It was a significant period in the fantasy game, with a clear emergence of a top two. Poseidon's Belvedere with 489 points edges ahead of Ball Handling Hooker by 15 points. From there, there is a gap of 109 back to Garbhan Hogan, who isn't out of it, then a further 214 points back to Connacht Man who probably has 4th spot tied up at this stage.

In the head to head, Poseidon's Belvedere still has an 8 point lead, to second, and a 16 point lead to 3rd.

Results

Ball Handling Hooker	322 - 115	Les Mecs
GlasUlstermanNSW	326 - 489	Poseidon's Belvedere
Multiple Scoregasms	473 - 245	Average
The Weshties	260 - 256	Ireland's Answer

Fixtures

Average	v	Ball Handling Hooker
Poseidon's Belvedere	v	Ireland's Answer
Les Mecs	v	The Weshties
GlasUlstermanNSW	v	Multiple Scoregasms

The Return of Super Rugby

As seen here

Super Rugby returns this weekend, with the New Zealand and South Africans teams making up for the extra rounds that the Australians have had to accommodate some Northern Hemisphere visitors.

Super Rugby is a hugely entertaining competition, where pace and skill is emphasized. So far we've seen massive hits, scorching tries and baffling interviews. The season highlights so far is in the video below.

In New Zealand, the Blues have massively improved on last season's dismal outing, but the Highlanders are faring even worse. The Cheetahs are entertaining anyone who watches them in South Africa, and with Willie le Roux and co on form, they are winning games in the process. The Kings are winning admirers for their brand of rugby in their first season, while the Brumbies are quietly going about their business at the top of the Australian conference.

Willie le Roux finally made his Springbok debut this month

With 3 rounds left before the playoffs, there is still a few things left to sort out. In Super Rugby, each of the top teams in each country qualifies for the playoffs, with the next 3 teams receiving wildcard entries based on match points. The top two teams in the tournament get a bye, with the 3rd champion of the 3rd country entering into quarter finals with the other wildcard teams.

Given that Australian teams only have one game left, I'll start there.

Australian Conference

Team (Overall)                                                                    Pts

1. Brumbies (1)                                                              59
2. Reds (4)                                                                     54
3. Waratahs (7)                                                              44
4. Rebels (12)                                                                32
5. Force (13)                                                                  27   

 The Brumbies have been by far the best team in Australia consistently this season. Led by new Wallaby caps Christian Leali'ifano and Ben Mowen, they play a smart game, while still playing an entertaining brand of rugby. Jake White is getting the most out of his players, as can be seen in their recent win over the aforementioned Northern visitors.

Christian Leali'ifano has kept up where he left off last season, when his injury derailed the Brumbies and cost them a playoff spot on the last day

The only way they can be denied top spot in the Australia conference is if the Reds win with a bonus point at the Waratahs in 3 weeks, and they fail to get a losing bonus point at the Force. Neither of those scenarios appears likely.

Both the Force and the Rebels have improved this season, and both are losing admirably. At this stage of the season, neither are threatening the playoffs. The Reds in 4th have the best chance to qualify, with only 3 other teams outside of the playoffs able to climb ahead of their tally of 54 points already. More of this later.

Likely scenario:
Brumbies beat Force with no bonus point thus finishing first in Australia with 63 points.

South African Conference

Team (Overall)                                                                    Pts

1. Bulls (3)                                                                     54
2. Cheetahs (5)                                                               46
3. Sharks (10)                                                                 38
4. Stormers (11)                                                             38
5. Kings (14)                                                                  24 

The South Africa conference is a little unusual, as we have the prospect of the first ever relegation.

With the new entry of the Southern Kings, the last-placed South African team in this year's Super Rugby competition will play a two-legged tie against the Lions to determine who participates in next year's event.

The Kings have done fantastically well in their first competition, winning 3 more games than most people thought they would, and apart from 2 games, were a lot more competitive, than I, and anyone else, thought they would. Their remaining games are all in South Africa, which helps, but the most points they can get is 39, while both the Sharks and the Stormers have to have no match points from here on in three games.

Up at the top, the Cheetahs can still technically catch the Bulls, but the recent defeat to them before the break probably stopped that from happening. The Bulls have a favourable draw, having to play the 3 other South African teams, while the Cheetahs face the Stormers and the fellow playoff chasing Blues.

Likely scenario:

Bulls take 13 of 15 possible points from the next games to finish 1st in South Africa on 67 points.

Kings get at most 3 losing bonus points, and face the Lions in the relegation match.

New Zealand Conference

Team (Overall)                                                                    Pts

1. Chiefs (3)                                                                   56
2. Crusaders (5)                                                             46
3. Blues (10)                                                                  43
4. Hurricanes (11)                                                           39
5. Highlanders (14)                                                         22 

At this stage, only the Highlanders, who have had a terrible season, have no chance of the playoff.

The Chiefs have a commanding ten point lead, and while both the Blues and the Crusaders can catch them, it's still unlikely. The Chiefs have the hardest run in out of the conference leaders, but have the biggest lead. They play both the Blues and the Crusaders and the Hurricanes who have still have an outside mathematical chance of qualification.

Charles Piutau has been awesome this year and was rewarded by making his debut for New Zealand last week. Photo via  theblues.co.nz

The Blues have been much improved, and with young guns Charles Piutau, Francis Saili and Steven Luatua making a big name for themselves.

Likely scenario:

I think the Chiefs will take 10 points from a possible 15 of their remaining games, finishing first in New Zealand with 66 points.

This leaves the conference leaders as; 1. Bulls (67), 2. Chiefs (66), 3. Brumbies (63), with the Brumbies facing one of the wildcards.

Wildcards:

Those still in contention (mathematically) are:

4. Reds (54)

5. Cheetahs (46)

6. Crusaders (46)

7. Waratahs (44)

8. Blues (43)

9. Hurricanes (39)

10. Sharks (38)

11. Stormers (38)

First, it shows a lot about the strength of the competition that with 3 rounds left, 11 teams are still mathematically in with a chance of qualifying, and that in 10th and 11th place are two of last year's semi-finalists.

Secondly, while the Hurricanes, the Stormers and the Sharks can still qualify, they need a lot of things to go their way, with the most either of them can achieve is 54 points, and I don't think that tally will be enough to qualify.

For this reason, I am also discounting the Waratahs, as the max they can finish with is 49.

This leaves 4 teams battling for 3 places, with the Reds, the Cheetahs, the Crusaders and the Blues. The Cheetahs are the only team in the competition that have a bye left, which means that they will finish with 50 points at least.

The way I see the season panning out is, the Crusaders, the Blues and the Cheetahs all win this weekend against the Highlanders, the Sharks and the Stormers respectively.

The following weekend is set for a titanic battle as the Blues face the Cheetahs in what initially appears to be a huge game, while the Crusaders face the Chiefs. I think the Crusaders will beat the Chiefs, who should be safe as 1st by this stage, while the Blues put more pressure on the Cheetahs with a narrow win. This leaves the Cheetahs with 55 points (after the bye), the Crusaders with 55, the Reds still with 54 and the Blues with 52. All to play for.

At this point, if the Reds lose to the Waratahs with a losing bonus point, the Cheetahs and the Crusaders would finish ahead of them based on the higher number of wins they have.

The final weekend sees the Blues play the Chiefs in a huge game, knowing that a win would guarantee them a place in the playoffs. This would be a huge achievement for a team that was all at seas last year, recording only 4 wins. Unfortunately I don't think they will have enough, and the teams will finish like this;

4. Crusaders (60)

5. Reds (58)

6. Cheetahs (55)

7. Blues (53)

This leaves:

(1) Bulls vs ((3) Brumbies vs Cheetahs (6))

(2) Chiefs vs ((4) Crusaders vs Reds (5))

My tip is for the Chiefs to retain their crown against a tough Brumbies side in a fantastic final.

The Chiefs perform the haka after winning the final last year

This week’s fixtures:

June 28 

Chiefs v Hurricanes;Waikato Stadium, Hamilton; 08:35 

June 29 

Highlanders v Crusaders;  Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin; 08:35 

Sharks v Blues; Growthpoint KINGS PARK, Durban; 13:50 

Bulls v Southern Kings; Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria; 16:05 

Stormers v Cheetahs; DHL Newlands, Cape Town; 18:15 

JWC 2013 Team of the Tournament

JWC 2013 Team of the tournament

From Rugby15.co.za

1. Ed Byrne (IRE)
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (ENG)
3. Chris Taylor (IRE)
4. Irne Herbst (SA)
5. Patrick Tuipulotu (NZ)
6. Joesph Edwards (NZ)
7. Ardie Savea (NZ)
8. Jack Clifford (ENG)
9. Stefan Ungerer (SA)
10. Sam Davies (WAL)
11. Seabelo Senatla (SA)
12. Michael Collins (NZ)
13. Tom Farrell (IRE)
14. Rory Scholes (IRE)
15. Hallam Amos (WAL)

16. Christopher Tolofua (FRA)
17. Peter Dooley (IRE)
18. Nicky Thomas (WAL)
19. Tomas Lavarini (ARG)
20. Ellis Jenkins (WAL)
21. Rhodri Williams (WAL)
22. Patricio Fernandez (ARG)
23. Jordan Williams (WAL)

Front Row

The northern hemisphere dominated the scrums, with Ireland in particular having 2 front rows and gained 5 metres consistently against New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and France. Ed Byrne was the most prominent loosehead in the loose, and contributed to a strong scrum. Luke Cowan-Dickie was a revelant for rugby reasons as well as his hair, and while Adam Boland was outstanding against Australia, he only had one game to push for selection.

Second Row

Both Herbst and Tuipulotu were two of the most impressive pack members on show. Both carried a lot, and scored vital tries.

Back Row

One of the hardest places to call with some huge competition. Joseph Edwards was phenomenal carrying and supporting in attack, while being solid in defense. Curtis Browning was by a distance Australia's best, but wasn't close enough. Savea and Clifford both played fantastic and were great leaders. Deserved nominees for the Player of the Year title. Mentions for Steenkamp and Dan Leavy (a contender for next year),

Scrumhalf

While I believe that Luke McGrath is the best scrumhalf on show( bias), I don't think he had a great tournament by his standards. Ungerer controlled things for South Africa, while Williams service to Davies was outstanding.

Outhalf

Sam Davies was the outstanding candidate and is a class act, while Patricio Fernandez was outstanding for Argentina. Mallet (France), Slade, Crosbie and Simon Hickey were next in line, but a distance away.

Centres:

Michael Collins was the best centre on show, with Sam Hill a great back up 12. Collins ran most effectively, and outshone the more heralded Jason Emery outside him. There wasn't and outstanding outside centre, but with Farrell proving a threat in attack and a handful at the breakdown, he gets me nod by default.

Back Three:

By a huge distance the hardest choice. With Fuatai, Ashley Evans  Williams, Cordero, Watson, Nowell, Kolbe, Obi and Ben Howard showing up extremely well. In the end, I went for the devastating Senatla, from the Blitzbokke sevens, who was top try scorer, with huge pace, while Rory Scholes was Ireland's best player, with two tries in the pool stages and showing up with some decisive defensive contributions. Hallam Amos was the pick of the Welsh back three, the youngest of them, with at least one more year at this level, he will be a contender for IRB player of the year next year.