The Super 14 has reached the halfway mark as PETER REES analyses the playoff race and how the teams stack up for the home run.
We’ve reached the middle of the Super 14 and while the Crusaders (33pts) are just two wins away from confirming their place in the semi-final playoffs, the injury to Dan Carter has thrown a spanner in the works. He’s out for six weeks, joining fellow playmaker Stephen Brett on the sidelines. Fullback Leon MacDonald is likely to fill in at first five, but fortunately for the Crusaders they have a bye this weekend, good reward for their tireless work so far which has yielded seven straight wins, last Friday’s 20-13 shutout of the Hurricanes one of the best. Centre Casey Laulala and No 8 Mose Tuialii again pushed their All Black claims.
The good news for the Hurricanes is they are still in fourth spot (19pts), have a game in hand and gained a vital bonus point in their loss. But it will be tough going from here on in. The Hurricanes are in a six-way tussle for a playoff spot and face the dangerous Sharks in Wellington this weekend before embarking on a gruelling South African tour.
The Sharks (25pts) maintain their second place after beating the Reds 22-10, but have a tough tour with the Hurricanes, Highlanders, Brumbies, Waratahs and Crusaders all to come. Then it’s back home for two games in Durban.
The third placed Blues (24pts) squeaked another win from Houdini’s hat against the Bulls with Nick Evans late dropped goal enough to steal a 23-21 win. But the good news is they have a better final run with the Reds and Highlanders to come, not such a daunting task and they should remain in the top four.
The Stormers ended the Force’s run thumping them 32-16 in Perth. The Force stay level with the Hurricanes on 19, but have the Stormers and Chiefs breathing down their necks.
The Chiefs are gaining traction again after their four-try bonus point win over the hapless Highlanders 39-24. It was the Chiefs second win on the trot while the Highlanders again seek that elusive first win. Tongan winger Fetu’u Vainikolo continues to be their sole scoring threat touching down for his fourth try this season making him equal first in the competition.
To complicate the playoff run, the Waratahs and the Brumbies are still in the race and can turn things around if they can upset the Blues and Chiefs respectively at home this weekend. Defending champs the Bulls have a mathematical hope with four of their six remaining matches at home in Pretoria. But it’s hard to see them doing it without their superstars.
Round 7 Results:
Hurricanes 13-20 Crusaders in Wellington
Hurricanes: Tries: Hore; Cons: Gopperth; Pens: Gopperth; Weepu;
Crusaders: Tries: Flynn; Williams; Cons: Carter (2); Pens: Carter (2);
Waratahs 23-19 Cheetahs in Sydney
Waratahs: Tries: Elsom; Turner; Cons: Beale (2); Pens: Beale (3);
Cheetahs: Tries: Nokwe; Van Der Merwe; de Villiers; Cons: Bosman (2);
Force 16-32 Stormers in Perth
Force: Tries: Cross; Mitchell; Pens: Giteau (2);
Stormers: Tries: Moller; de Villiers; Chavhanga (2); Cons: Grant (3); Pens: Grant (2);
Chiefs 39-24 Highlanders in Hamilton
Chiefs: Tries: Donald; Leonard; Messam; Muliaina; Masaga (2); Cons: Donald (3); Pens: Donald;
Highlanders: Tries: Delaney; Vainikolo; MacDonald (2); Cons: Bowden (2);
Blues 23-21 Bulls in Auckland
Blues: Tries: Flavell; Mealamu; Cons: Evans (2); Pens: Evans (2); Drops: Evans;
Bulls: Tries: Kuun; van Heerden (2); Cons: Stegmann (3);
Sharks 22-10 Reds in Durban
Sharks: Tries: Ndungane; Terblanche; du Plessis; Cons: Kockott; Pienaar; Drops: Terblanche; Reds: Tries: Croft; Cons: Schifcofske; Pens: Schifcofske;
Round 8 Draw:
Apr 4 Highlanders - Lions Dunedin 7:35 PM
Apr 4 Brumbies - Chiefs Canberra 10:40 PM
Apr 5 Force - Bulls Perth 12:45 AM
Apr 5 Hurricanes - Sharks Wellington 7:35 PM
Apr 5 Waratahs - Blues Sydney 10:40 PM
Apr 6 Cheetahs - Reds Bloemfontein 3:00 AM
• All dates and times are NZT
Super 14 2008 Standings
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | B1 | B2 | TOTAL |
| Crusaders | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 248 | 73 | 5 | 0 | 33 |
| Sharks | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 118 | 70 | 1 | 0 | 25 |
| Blues | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 211 | 134 | 3 | 1 | 24 |
| Hurricanes | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 121 | 98 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
| Force | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 147 | 154 | 1 | 2 | 19 |
| Stormers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 134 | 125 | 3 | 3 | 18 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 183 | 194 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| Waratahs | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 106 | 105 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| Brumbies | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 129 | 145 | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| Reds | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 141 | 170 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| Bulls | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 137 | 215 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Lions | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 98 | 166 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Cheetahs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 132 | 218 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Highlanders | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 106 | 144 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
Try Scorers
Lelia Masaga, Chiefs 4
Fetuu Vainikolo, Highlanders 4
Tonderai Chavhanga, Stormers 4
Jongi Nokwe, Cheetahs 4
Daniel Carter, Crusaders 4
John Roe, Reds 4
Joe Rokocoko, Blues 4
Casey Laulala, Crusaders 4
Liam Messam, Chiefs 4
