Super Rugby Power Rankings: The Waratahs have more problems than a maths exam

Who’s hot and who’s most certainly not in the world Super Rugby at the moment? Read all about it in Scotty Stevenson’s weekly power rankings.

1. Hurricanes (N/C)

The Hurricanes are top once more this week for style points alone. Okay, also for the fact they have run more metres, scored more tries and more points, made more clean breaks, beaten more defenders and won more scrum turnovers than any other side. They have also missed more shots at goal than any other side, which means one of two things: either that is going to cost them if they ever find themselves in an arm wrestle, or they have rendered anything less than five-point plays redundant.

https://twitter.com/SuperRugbyNZ/status/861664521009508352

2. Crusaders (N/C)

By so many measures the Crusaders could well be number one, but the only area in which they have a statistical superiority over the Hurricanes is in passes per game. They are, however, undefeated this season. That should count for something, and it will this weekend if they keep that record intact with a win over the Hurricanes at AMI Stadium. The Crusaders are the only team you would actually back right now to have the defensive wherewithal to work out the Hurricanes attack. AMI Stadium is probably the one place Beauden Barrett will be booed this year. He’s every other team’s fans’ favourite.

3. Lions (N/C)

The Lions put up a typical South African side’s season worth of numbers against the Rebels on the weekend. Their 748 running metres off 147 carries via 190 passes are all well north of the best season averages in any of those categories. Were they covered in bees? The Rebels may be a team struggling to find anything nearing form, but even so, conceding those numbers is not conducive to victory. Someone needs to put a leash on the Lions. They are growing in confidence every day and barring a miracle will be hosting a quarterfinal this year. And I mean a ‘The Highlanders won that game on the weekend?’ sized miracle.

4. Highlanders (N/C)

What the hell happened in that final five minutes in Bloemfontein? Yes, I realise the Highlanders had got themselves into a pickle, but they still had the guts and determination and out-and-out brilliance to pull off one of the greatest comeback wins in Super Rugby history. Over the last five weeks they have gone from a team sleeping behind a dumpster to one knocking on the door of the playoff penthouse. The switch has been flicked here, and something quite extraordinary could be on the cards. As for openside flanker Dillon Hunt, who is standing in for James Lentjies, who was standing in for Shane Christie, who was fighting for a starting spot with Dan Pryor, he is shaping as the Super Rugby Rookie of the Year.

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5. Chiefs (N/C)

Dave Rennie told Stephen Donald he was starting on the Thursday night, just before he was about to devour two kilograms of graduation cake. He then went and scored two tries and led all backs with seven tackles and zero misses. The Chiefs rediscovered their mojo in New Plymouth. I once lost my mojo there, along with my suit and several credit cards, during the Rugby World Cup in 2011. All were eventually returned.

6. Sharks (up 1)

They just won’t go away this bunch. They know they are fighting for a wildcard spot and they are showing some spunk in that department. With the Kings, Sunwolves, Stormers, Bulls and Lions still to come, they should be good enough to grab at least three wins. They could even make it four given the fact the Stormers must have all the confidence of Humpty Dumpty on a wall right now. The Sharks have the best defensive percentage in the competition and, but for the fact they turn the ball over more than anyone, they could well have a few more points to show for that. Have started to figure out that running with the ball is more fun than kicking it.

https://twitter.com/TheSharksZA/status/861243991215484928

7. Blues (down 1)

This may be a little unfair on the Blues who aren’t exactly out of the wildcard race themselves. A good win over the Waratahs away from home should in many ways be enough to see them shoot up a couple of spots, as their win last week did. Still, it comes at a price as SBW is now gone with concussion. Rieko and Akira Ioane look like they have figured out how good they can be, but as so often happens with this team, when one player stands up, the rest seem to drop away in impact. Cheetahs at home should be put away. And put away in style. They are ripe to be hammered after having their hopes shattered by the Highlanders last week.

8. Kings (N/C)

Yep, I’m leaving them here. Why wouldn’t I after what every other team below them dished up over the weekend. They could really mess things up for punters everywhere with a win over the Sharks this week. They are capable of it.

9. Jaguares (up 2)

Went into full-court press mode against the Moondogs and got the points at home. They are such a better proposition at home and that will likely never change. Which is why they will struggle to be a genuine year-in year-out playoff contender. The fact they gave up 39 points when the Moondogs spent a grand total of 2.1% of the game inside the Jags’ 22 is a concern for their first-up defence.

https://twitter.com/JaguaresARG/status/861009962629292032

10. Stormers (down 1)

Let us remind ourselves of the New Zealand tour shall we? Conceded 155 points in three games, and scored 60. Pretty much lost all their back three impact, looked spooked by every decision that went against them, stopped showing any kind of variation on attack. Went home. So, yeah. Not so good.

11. Waratahs (down 1)

Went up four places in the Power Rankings last week and promptly lost to the bottom-ranked New Zealand side. The Waratahs have more problems than a maths exam. Any team that carries 150 times for so few metres (432) after so many passes (180) needs to have a long hard look at what it is trying to do. Close quarters does not work against the Blues. That is one part of the game they are very good at. Who would even try that tactic? The Waratahs would.

12. Brumbies (up 1)

The Brumbies climb one spot for giving us the week off watching them. Generosity of this nature deserves to be rewarded.

13. Cheetahs (up 2)

Took their customary twenty points and doubled it. That’s the good news. The bad news is they allowed five extra points on the 40 they usually concede and lost. Even so, they were the prettiest team ever to lose a game in the final play. I know I have said it before, every week in fact, but damn this is a crazy rugby team.

14. Bulls (down 2)

It has been a long time since the Bulls were this badly embarrassed at Loftus. I mean, they had nothing against the Crusaders, and the Crusaders were running out players with as much Super Rugby experience as half the people in the stand. I am surprised the Bulls weren’t pelted with Naartjies by their own fans.

15. Sunwolves (up 1)

In all seriousness, I admire the Moondogs. You can question their inclusion in the competition as much as you like but you can never question their heart and their soul. There is no shame in losing to the Jags in Argentina, but they do more with what they have (no size, little possession, zero pre-season) than any other team does.

https://twitter.com/sunwolves/status/862204547829088256

16. Reds (down 2)

Even by Reds’ recent standards, that was fairly embarrassing in Taradise last weekend. That they can’t kick and can’t tackle is most of the problem. They have missed more tackles than any other team while being forced to make the fewest. How is that even possible?

17. Force (N/C)

I feel like we’ve been here before.

18. Rebels (N/C)

If I were the Rebs I would challenge every team to the last try wins concept.