Queue for a place in the play-offs grows longer

Who would have believed that the Rebels could beat the Crusaders? Or that the Sharks would throw off their cloak of mediocrity and score a half-century of points? Or that the Cheetahs would punch holes in the theory that this year’s championship is the Stormers’s to lose?

And in addition to all of the above, the Reds, the defending champions in case anyone needed reminding, got their mojo back, whereas the Hurricanes did everyone in contention for the play-offs a huge favour by beating the Highlanders.

The queue for the play-offs now extends to ninth place and the Reds’ win against the Chiefs ensured that the Bulls would end the weekend atop the overall standings. The Chiefs lost their first match since the opening weekend of the tournament, but still managed to look like a classy outfit. The Reds were ignited by a world-class performance from scrum half Will Genia.

It gets worse for everyone else in the competition this week, because Genia’s Wallaby halfback partner, Quade Cooper, exchanges the duties of waterboy for flyhalf. Cooper hasn’t played since the semifinal of the World Cup back in October. He wrecked his knee in an attempt to step inside an All Black defender. Time will tell whether his jinking play has survived the subsequent operation.

<strong>Coping with the pressure</strong>
This week the Reds should be guaranteed a full five-point haul as they take on the hapless Lions in Brisbane. Assuming that is the case, the Brumbies need to start looking over their shoulders from their current position at the head of the Australian log. Jake White’s team have an eight-point lead over the Reds, together with a game in hand, but this week they have to play the in-form Hurricanes in Wellington.

Lose that one and the Brumbies’ eight-point margin will begin to dwindle and in a week’s time the visitors to Canberra are none other than the Reds. The guaranteed four points that comes with a bye arrives for the Reds one week later ahead of the June international window. It will be intriguing to see whether White’s youngsters can cope with the pressure.

Pressure is also being exerted on the Stormers, whose halo has begun to slip as injuries and fatigue creep in. Coach Allister Coetzee has seen his back-row reserves dry up to the extent that he has had to sign a Canadian international to fill the gap.

Having brought Jebb Sinclair halfway across the world, however, Coetzee was reminded that the rules of the competition do not allow players signed after April 1 to participate in the play-offs. This rule was added largely after a complaint from the Crusaders, who in last year’s semi­final faced a Stormers side bolstered by the temporary acquisition of Schalk Brits from English club  Saracens. It means that Sinclair is available for a maximum of six games and Coetzee will simply be hoping that a few of his backrowers are out of traction by the time the play-offs start in the third week of July.

This week the Stormers should be too good for the Waratahs at Newlands, but next week they have to travel to Durban to play a revitalised Sharks team. Poor though the Force patently are, few would have predicted the 50-point rout at Kings Park, especially with Pat Lambie forced to retire with a sore head at the halfway mark.

<strong>Sum of its parts</strong>
Indeed, with Lambie at the helm there was scant evidence in the first half-hour that the contest would be done and dusted five minutes into the second period. Having earned a four-try bonus point, the Sharks began to play with the verve that has been missing all season.

Why has it taken so long? There is no shortage of experienced Springboks and there are a number of gifted youngsters coming through at the same time. The feeling persists that the team is less than the sum of its parts. For whatever reason, coach John Plumtree is not getting the same effort out of his charges as he was this time last year.

It may be that, notwithstanding the result against the Force, it is time for a shake-up in Durban. Plumtree has been in charge of both the Super Rugby and Currie Cup sides for several seasons now and perhaps the lemon has been squeezed dry. That may explain the rumours that arose ahead of the match that Plumtree had committed himself to the Force from next season.

It would be a backward step for a talent as large as Plumtree’s to move to Perth, however, for the rugby culture on Australia’s West Coast has been grafted on. If it is true that he has itchy feet, the phone ought to be ringing from Auckland, where the Blues have hit rock bottom and need a wise head to exploit one of the ­richest seams of rugby talent available anywhere in the world.