Johannesburg – The big question now, of course, is what effect will the month-long break have on the Super Rugby competition?
BeforeJune’s internationals, the team that was making the most noise, without question. was Johan Ackermann’s Lions and how the coach must wish his team could have played on.
Warren Whiteley and his charges had just hammered the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld (56-20), following equally impressive victories against the Jaguares (52-24) and the Blues (43-5).
The Lions had found their rhythm, had some serious momentum behind them and had collected enough points to see them sit second behind only the Crusaders (45 points) on the 18-team-table.
The Lions won nine times in 12 outings for a haul of 42 points and are among the South African teams well-placed to finish first in the conference.
The Stormers return to action with 36 points from seven wins and the Sharks are third with 35 points, also from seven wins.
The Bulls, with 32 points, also from seven wins, have the most work to do to make it into the play-offs in a few weeks’ time.
The Stormers look well set to win the Africa Conference 1, even though they still have to travel to Australia for matches against the Rebels and Western Force. The team should be favourites in both games, and finish with a home clash against the Kings.
The second-placed Bulls in Africa Conference 1 have a tricky trip to Argentina this week for a date with the Jaguares and then finish with matches against the Sunwolves (at home) and Cheetahs (away).
In Africa Conference 2, the Lions are not likely to be caught. But they will want to beat their conference rivals, the Sharks, at Ellis Park this weekend before hosting the Kings and finishing with a match against the Jaguares in Buenos Aires.
Besides the Lions match, the Sharks also have fixtures against the Cheetahs (home) and Sunwolves (home) remaining – games they should win – so the side that tops the conference will likely be the team that wins this weekend.
While all the teams will have been hit hard by the international break – halting rhythm and form – some will have been able to regroup and get key players back to full fitness, which will surely assist the teams in the coming weeks.
However, injuries suffered to national players will not bode well at the various franchises and then, too, incorporating the Springbok and SA “A” players again into their squads could also be tricky.
Ackermann, who was involved with the SA “A” team, will have the biggest concern.
The Lions “lost” eight players to the Springboks and a further three to the SA “A” team, and the coaching staff will be hoping that no one returns to training next week nursing a serious injury.
On the flip side, the Lions players will be full of confidence and desperate to get out on the field and to play again.
There are several key games coming up before the play-offs, starting with Friday’s clash between the New Zealand heavyweights, the Chiefs and Crusaders, and ending late on Saturday with the Bulls’ outing in South America against the Jaguares.
Almost every game in the coming weeks will have a bearing on the final standings, so prepare for some thrills and spills.
– The Sunday Independent