Super Rugby Power Rankings Week 3: Ugly Wins and Even Uglier Jerseys
Big wins for the Highlanders and Chiefs, heartbreaking losses for the Blues and Sunwolves, and the Brumbies juggernaut just keeps on rolling. Scotty Stevenson assesses all the movers and shakers after round 3 of Super Rugby.
1. The Brumbies
Rd 2: 31-14 v Force
Last week: 1 (N/C)
David Pocock played for ten minutes of the match against the Force at halfback. That’s just plain funny. Funnier still, the Brumbies didn’t miss a beat. There is a reason the Brumbies are the favourites to win this whole thing. I bet you can’t wait to book your grand final boys’ trip to Canberra.
2. The Highlanders
Rd 3: 34-15 v Lions
Last week: 5 (up 3)
The Highlanders and Michael Jackson are the only two things that can change complexion this rapidly. In the case of the Highlanders, it was a typically ballsy and unorthodox ten minute burst that turned the game and blew the Lions away under the roof at Forsyth Barr. There is no team in this competition that scraps as hard as the Highlanders. Only the Waratahs have made more tackles per game, and no team has played with such scarcity of ball. Even though they post a competition-low 11.46 minutes per game in possession, and the second fewest carries per game, they still rank in the top 8 for average metres run. Team motto: we do more with less.
3. The Sharks
Rd 3: 18-13 v Stormers
Last week: 8 (up 5)
In terms of statements, the Sharks’ victory in Cape Town was arguably the biggest of the weekend. This is a team that has a misfiring lineout but one that is just efficient enough in every other facet of the game to get the victories. They won on the percentages last week against the Jaguares and this week they won on straight up belligerent defence, making a shoulder-aching 164 tackles at 91%. They also got the benefit of a high-level dubious penalty try call.
4. The Hurricanes
Rd 3: 23-19 v Blues
Last week: 10 (up 6)
I don’t mind ugly wins. Ugly wins are worth the same amount of points as pretty wins. The Hurricanes have been trying to be pretty but let’s face it: they looked even better being ugly.
5. The Crusaders
Rd 3: BYE
Last week: 5 (N/C)
I’m just going to leave the Crusaders where they were last week. There are two reasons for this: one, there was nothing that went down in round three to suggest the Crusaders deserve to be overtaken on the rankings and two, the Crusaders have the best post-bye record of any of the New Zealand teams, winning 78% of their games after a break. That percentage will increase this week when they host the Kings.
6. The Chiefs
Rd 3: 58-24 v Kings
Last week: 9 (up 3)
Back to winning ways and back to the top of the average points per match table for the Chiefs, who played a Kings side that rolled out in jerseys uncannily similar to the Chiefs’ original Super Rugby strip, which was a bad jersey even for its time, and should now be regarded as a criminal act. The Chiefs were always going to be too good for the Kings, but their rise up the table hits the ‘you let the Kings score 24 points?’ glass ceiling.
7. The Bulls
Rd 3: BYE
Last week: 6 (down 1)
There are some people who would love to take a pot shot at the Bulls by suggesting they play more rugby on a bye than in any other competition week. I am not one of those people.
8. The Lions
Rd 3: 15-34 v Highlanders
Last week: 2 (down 6)
Blame it on the travel, blame it on the superior transition offence of the Highlanders, or blame it on the boogie if you wish, but you have to concede the Lions’ efforts in the percentages ultimately cost them the match. The Lions made 150 carries to the Highlanders’ 70, and made 60 tackles to the Highlanders’ 150. Problem is, the Highlanders made a full 4 metres per carry more than the Lions, and the Lions missed a full 20% of their tackles. But for a sloppy ten minutes from the visitors, this match would have been much closer.
9. The Waratahs
Rd 3: BYE
Last week: 10 (up 1)
The Waratahs would have enjoyed a week off, during which they would have no doubt realised that rugby is a tough sport to play when you are making a competition-high 142 tackles per game, and conceding a competition-high 15.5 penalties per game, and allowing a competition-high 179 passes per game. The ‘Tahs will be better for a week off.
10. The Blues
Rd 2: 19-23 v Hurricanes
Last week: 11 (up 1)
The Blues do so many things well that it is tempting to say they have merely forgotten how to win the close ones. So tempting is it, in fact, that I will say exactly that. There was an extraordinary lack of finishing ability from the team this week, considering they spent a full quarter of the match inside the Hurricanes red zone. Anyway, it wouldn’t be the Blues without a soul destroying result, and they go up a spot on improvement.
11. The Rebels
Rd 3: 25-23 v Reds
Last week: 12 (up 1)
Captain Sean McMahon may have struggled to say the word ‘gutsy’ in his post-match interview, but that was only because he was almost dead. McMahon is as franchise as they come – he made a team high 12 tackles in the win against the Reds and ran for more metres than anyone else bar winger Tom English. If the Rebels can keep building a team around him they will continue to improve.
12. The Stormers
Rd 2: 13-18 v Sharks
Last week: 3 (down 9)
On the face of it, the Stormers are almost as hard done by on their massive fall down the KFC Power Rankings as they were by the massively brutal TMO penalty try decision against them. But hard-done-by or otherwise, this was a team that still couldn’t get the win despite being camped inside the Sharks’ half for the majority of the game. A one-try dividend on all that ball is Zuma’s presidential palace-level poor return on investment.
13. The Jaguares
Rd 3: BYE
Last week: 14 (up 1)
Went home, ate meat, got all excited about their first home game. Climb one place on account of those three things.
14. The Cheetahs
Rd 3: 32-31 v Sunwolves
Last week: 15 (up 2)
What on earth was going on in this game? Give the Cheetahs some credit for the comeback here, but really? This team is a slapstick skit every week, albeit a hellishly entertaining one. There is a point in every Cheetahs match at which you just know they have absolutely no idea what they are going to do next. I guess that keeps it fresh for everyone.
15. The Force
Rd 3: 14-31 v Brumbies
Last week: 15 (N/C)
Skipper Matt Hodgson made 21 tackles. Matt Hodgson is 34 years old. Stop making Matt Hodgson do everything.
16. The Sunwolves
Rd 3: 31-32 v Cheetahs
Last week: 16 (N/C)
Scored 31 points. Yes! Conceded 32 points. Noooooooooooooo! According to a quick fire flash snap opinion poll last week, this was the Sunwolves’ best chance at a win this year. Will they ever again in 2016 race out to a 31-13 lead only to clock off and allow three unanswered second half tries? Probably not. This was an absolute punisher for fans of sentimentality.
17. The Reds
Rd 3: 23-25 v Rebels
Last week: 18 (up 1)
Sack coach: check. Play better: check. Still lose: Check.
18. The Kings
Rd 3: 24-58 v Chiefs
Last week: 17 (down 1)
The Kings’ jerseys really are criminally bad.
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 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
1 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 Crusades , you can keep going.
1 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!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 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.
27 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 commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments