The evenness of the competition is underlined by the fact that after three weeks there are just three unbeaten teams.

Article By: Tony Johnson

A great weekend for the New Zealand teams in Super 14, and hard to complain about the quality of what we saw either.

The evenness of the competition is underlined by the fact that after three weeks there are just three unbeaten teams, and while the Bulls have the most impressive numbers, the Hurricanes and Chiefs are right on their heels, and the Crusaders and Blues are not far behind.

The Crusaders spent the first 50 or so minutes wearing down the Sharks and in true style, cashed in late to claim the bonus point.

The most impressive aspect of their game was their scrum, where the Franks brothers, Paulo and Crockett gained a clear advantage over their all Springbok opposites, although no doubt the V12 that is Brad Thorn will have had something to do with that.

It meant that they key Sharks axis of Kankowski, Kockott and Pienaar never had a good platform to operate from at scrum time, and their effectiveness was largely blunted, despite Kankowski’s valiant efforts.

The Hurricanes blew a bit hot and cold but were never in danger against the Lions.

The big news in Cane territory was the appointment of Mark Hammett as their coach next year. I’m sure he’ll do a fine job, and the combination of he and Alama Ieremia could make for an interesting fusion of Crusader efficiency and Hurricane flair.

All the same I would have liked to see Dave Rennie in the hunt, because he is too good not to be coaching Super 14, but from what I understand he opted out of the contest right from the word go for personal reasons and was never in the frame.

I wondered if the Chiefs might have been in danger of stubbing their toe in Perth, a potentially tricky stop wedged in between a successful South African tour and the comforts of home.

But another solid forward effort, more scintillating hand to hand stuff, and the return of the irrepressible “Flash” Masaga produced another outstanding win.

They now get the chance to consolidate against the Reds, whose bubble has not burst but may be starting to leak, before taking on the Crusaders in a fortnight in what I suspect will be close to a sell-out in Hamilton.

The Blues may, like the ‘Canes also be prone to temperature fluctuations, and lapses in discipline, but the win in Queensland should not be underplayed. That was a 5 pointer of no little importance ahead of their clash with the Crusaders this Saturday.

And the Highlanders have finally got one on the board too. They showed excellent opportunism to beat a Cheetahs side that probably fancied their chances a little too much and ended up turning in a flattie. The Highlanders backline looked a little more solid for the return of Kendrick Lynn and it was great to see Fetu’u Vainikolo back to his cheeky best, trying to involve himself as often as possible.

Perhaps the game of the weekend though was the Bulls and the Waratahs. The ‘Tahs made a great start, but got run over by the juggernaut. The Bulls have certainly opened their style up this season, and are talking about playing “Total Rugby”. In the process Morne Steyn is becoming a complete player, and far from the one dimensional type we first suspected he might be.

They now have the bye, which is unfortunate timing for a team with such great momentum.

And the Brumbies underlined their credentials with a meritorious win in Cape Town to end the Stormers early winning run. As long as Giteau and Elsom are fit, the Brumbies are a match for anyone, and it is interesting to see George Smith in more of a running role.

That was an expensive loss at home for the Stormers, upping the pressure on their game against the Highlanders.

All in all an excellent weekends rugby in fantastic conditions. This Super 14 is really humming now.