What a strange and unique competition Super Rugby 2016 is proving to be, with the pause button being hit on the competition just as it gets interesting.
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have to suddenly arrest the Super Rugby competition that has been running since mid-February and get into international mode for touring Wales, England and Ireland, respectively.
And when those three-Test series are done and dusted, the players must switch back into Super Rugby mode and embrace the thrilling climax that is building towards the quarter-finals.
To recap, the top team from each of South Africa’s two pools automatically advances to the quarter-finals, and so does the third finishing SA team on the overall log; and those three join the winner of the NZ Conference, the winner of the Australian Conference and the three next best finishers from their combined logs.
So it could be four New Zealand teams, the Australian side and the three qualifiers from the two African Pools, and these three will not include the sides from Argentina and Japan.
They are too distant on the log to qualify, so it will likely be the Lions and Stormers, as winners of their pools, and one of the Sharks or Bulls, with the Sharks having their noses in front of the Bulls at this stage.
But it would mean an overseas quarter-final at this stage with the Crusaders in Christchurch.
But the Sharks could top their Pool should they beat the Lions in what is shaping up to be one of the crunch matches of this year’s competition, at Ellis Park on July 2, when the competition resumes.
But even if the Sharks take five points out of that match, they will still be one point behind the Lions, and the Johannesburgers will still have their destiny in their hands in their remaining games against the Kings (no problem there with the five points), but the Lions then finish with a tricky match in Buenos Aires against the Jaguares, and a try-scoring bonus point will hardly be guaranteed, never mind the win.
The Sharks, after playing the Lions, have a colossal encounter in Durban with the Cheetahs, who, while being out of the running, showed their intent in their last match when they almost won at Newlands.
It should be remembered that finishing top of your conference brings with it the luxury of hosting a quarter-final, and if you are high enough on the overall log, even a home semi-final.
At this stage the Lions are going for gold. If the Sharks do not derail them, the Lions could go all the way as South Africa’s standard bearers.
If a Durbanite took a conservative view and realistically believes the Sharks will lose at Ellis Park, then it is probably going to be the Bulls and the Sharks going head-to-head for the wildcard into the quarter-finals.
But it also has to be said that the Stormers are not home and dry in the second Africa Pool.
They have away games against the Rebels and the Force, with the former being tipped to win in Melbourne. The Stormers will surely finish with a bonus-point win over the Kings.
The Sharks, currently three points ahead of the Bulls on the overall standings, would fancy their chances of finishing ahead of the Bulls given that the Pretoria team have one ‘gimmee’ in the Sunwolves in Pretoria, and then have away games against the Jaguares and Cheetahs.
Sharks director of rugby Gary Gold said the Lions match on July 2 was a goal his team would have had five weeks to prepare for (the Sharks had a bye in round 14 of Super Rugby).
“I am excited about facing the Lions first up after the break; I want us to have a tough game over there,” Gold said.
“They are the best team in the country at the moment, and we want to know that that is the standard we need to set from the outset.”
The Sharks lost heavily when the Lions visited Kings Park on the eve of the Sharks’ tour to New Zealand.
“We have improved since then. We have gone fairly well against the New Zealand teams, but it will be an unbelievably tough game and have the intensity and speed of the New Zealand games,” Gold reflected.
“I am looking forward to that. We will have some nice preparation time and I am excited we have a game like that up first.” – Sunday Tribune