Super Rugby Power Rankings Week 1: Can Anyone Beat the Brumbies?
Jamie Wall attempts to make sense of the first round of Super Rugby results for 2016.
Much has been talked about the confusing system of Super Rugby 2016, so it’s better to have one definitive ranking system. This week it relies on upsets, mascots and the addition of foreign language to make post-match interviews worth tuning into for once.
1. Brumbies – Canberra’s a boring place apparently, so the Brumbies had nothing better to do in the off-season than plot their revenge for their semi loss to the Hurricanes last year. Statement well and truly made with a 42 point torching of a team that was on most people’s picks to win the whole thing.
2. Chiefs – If they can stay healthy, they’ll be in at the business end. It was the #DMac show in Christchurch, with last year’s break-out star Damian McKenzie running the show and constantly grinning like Mac Tonight when he lined up shots at goal.
3. Blues – Turning things around in one off-season isn’t unprecedented in Super Rugby (see the Hurricanes in 2015), but it would be good if we could see more jumping up and down from Blues players. OK, it’s one game…but that was the defending champs they just iced.
4. Waratahs – They get talked up every year, but with good reason because the Tahs are flat out stacked. The Reds aren’t great, but a win in the biggest rivalry in Aussie sport is nothing to be sniffed at.
5. Jaguares – The new boys put a smile on everyone except Cheetahs fans’ faces with an open and ultimately successful effort. It also seems their team translator isn’t quite up with the play on inane post-match interview questions, which led to half of them having to be repeated and an exasperated commentator basically kicking him off the stage.
6. Stormers – The merits of the South African conference have been blasted, but the fact remains that the Stormers did make it through to the playoffs last year. The Bulls aren’t a completely terrible side, so dishing out hidings like this will mean at least one team will have to travel to Cape Town for a sudden death match.
7. Crusaders – They lost, but rumours of a post-Richie and Dan meltdown were unfounded in a fighting performance. The Crusaders should go alright this year, probably without having to resort to the old stop-and-point trickery Andy Ellis pulled out in the first half.
8. Sharks – The perennial underachievers thumped the Kings and still made it look pretty boring.
9. Sunwolves – OK, so now we realise why SANZAR wanted these guys in the comp so badly: all those not-empty seats. Despite a loss, they played well enough to engender some support from the wider public, plus introduced us to the second scariest mascot in rugby after the Harbour Master.
10. Rebels – If you don’t want to move all the way to the Northern Hemisphere you can go to Melbourne to prolong your career. Bonus: no one’s expecting anything of you.
11. Highlanders – What Blake Gibson did to Ben Smith in the first half of their eventual loss pretty much sums it up. Guess what boys: everyone knows you’re the team to beat now.
12. Lions – Ranked below the team they beat due to the decision to put the not-so-iconic Johannesburg skyline on their jersey.
13. Cheetahs – Scored a bunch of points but clearly have stuck to their franchise core value of not hiring a defensive coach, as well as throwing the worst forward pass in the competition’s history.
14. Bulls – They’ll be sweet once Handre Pollard comes back from injury. Oh wait, he’s not.
15. Reds – Rob Simmons dropping an F-bomb was probably their only highlight.
16. Force – Perth is out of the way for every team in the comp, so it’s nice to know the Force will let you win once you get there.
17. Kings – Super Rugby probably didn’t need argyle jerseys.
18. Hurricanes – From all but champs to nothing but chumps. File their pre season training reality show in the ‘fiction’ section, by the looks of it any fitness they were filmed doing must have been CGI.
Comments on RugbyPass
The Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to comments