We’re in the middle of the 3 bye weeks where each round 4 teams sit down and have a break. So the table looks a bit odd but because of the way the draw plays out at least teams in the top 5 are settled through to the end of Week 9.
At the end of next week the possible changes I see are:
- Fiji might get up over the Hurricanes playing at home, but the latter are playing so well and have such a strong squad it seems unlikely. The 'canes would still be top of the table on a loss I think, while Fiji would possibly sneak up to 6th depending on other results.
- The Blues play the Brumbies at home and while either could win you’d hope the home advantage means the Blues get a better hold on 2nd place. But with 6 rounds to go after next weekend there’s still plenty of movement possible.
- Queensland are at home against the Highlanders, and were so woeful against Moana Pasifika that you’d expect some form of response so I don’t see the Highlanders moving up the standings in round 9.
- The Crusaders managed to lose to The Waratahs who have been decidedly average, leaking a bunch of points in the process. Next they are up against the Force who have been mostly terrible but also managed to beat Queensland at home, so anything’s possible here. Either result just shuffles teams around in the group currently outside the playoffs so doesn’t impact the top 8.
- On the Crusaders, a bunch of their supporters have been holding on to their playoff pedigree and their more than mathematical chance of getting into the playoffs in 8th place, making them a real banana-skin game for whoever is 1st. Stuff like ‘If you were in 1st place you wouldn’t want to come up against the Crusaders in 8th’. Well, any other year’s Crusaders sure, but so far nothing about this year’s Cru with their horrid injury toll should cause the Hurricanes, Blues or Brumbies much concern. They will get Scott Barrett back soon, and probably Fergus Burke - though given he’s heading off up north i’d just invest the time in Rivez Reihana & Riley Hohepa if I were the coaches. But the bigger loss for mine is Will Jordan not there to offer a spark on attack from 15, and none of their options at 9 offer what Bryn Hall did.
Think the Canes can go a perfect season? Has it ever been done in any tournament?
The Crusaders have done it, but way back in 2002 where they only had to go 13 games undefeated, 11 round-robin games plus 2 playoffs. Despite their recent dominance it doesn’t look like they’ve managed it probably because of the volume of games nowadays. You’d have do go another 4 games in 2024 vs what they did back then.
In the Hurricanes remaining matches they have to face the Blues, Brumbies and Chiefs away and then make it through 3 rounds of play-offs to do it. They’re playing really well but say they make it to and win the final that would be 5 very tough matches, so its hard to see it happening.
Not to downplay their form though; they are playing very well. But even in this weekend’s match the Chiefs - who’d had a player in the bin and lost Shaun Stevenson to injury already were well in the game until the Hurricanes finally managed to wrestle momentum away from them in the last quarter. And that was pretty close to a full strength Hurricanes (missing only Cam Roigaard) whereas the Chiefs scratched ALB before the match, lost Stevenson during and didn’t have their best forward pack starting (no Josh Lord, Kaylum Boshier on the bench). Having said that, 'canes played with Kirifi & Flanders on the bench, they have so much depth in the loose.