What’s going on with the teams at the top?
The Chiefs have only won, one game in their last five. and now the Sharks have dropped a game you would have assumed would have been an easy win for them. Not a good sign as they’re about to start their road trip across the Indian.
At the moment, it would appear that the Brumbies are the only team at the top to have any form of momentum. The only team out of the top three with a 100% strike rate over the last four weeks.
Now, there may not be much doubt surrounding who will top the South African conference, The Sharks have a 12 point lead over their nearest rivals, but surely they would want to make sure they secure a home grand final. And with a tough four weeks ahead for the Durban based franchise, with matches against the Brumbies and Crusaders, and South African teams being notoriously bad travelers, their hold on the top perch is starting to look fragile.
The Chiefs on the other hand are by no means sure things to hold on to top spot in NZ, only five points separates first and fifth in the New Zealand conference. In the last five weeks, the Chiefs have only managed a scrappy win against the Rebels. And if the Hurricanes pick up a win against the Reds, they will overtake the Chiefs at the top. There needs to be a major attitude shift in the team if they are to go on and win three in a row. At the moment, the three-peat is starting to look like a pipe dream.
The Brumbies now have most of their tough matches behind them. With the exception of playing away to the Crusaders, and away to the Waratahs, the Brumbies run home looks pretty straight forward. At the moment, the Brumbies are Rugby Banter Page’s tip to take out top spot in on the table, come the end of the season.
Time will tell.