Power Rankings: Super 15

Rank	Team	Change	Last Week	Comment
1	3-1		2	Injuries are mounting, discipline is scratchy and Dave Rennie continues to be grumpy that his side are error-ridden and a touch loose. Yet they keep winning. The old timers say the ultimate sign of a good side is when they can play badly and still win. Younger folk who are a bit sharper, might suggest a better sign of a good side is one that doesn't play badly. Certainly the Chiefs coaching staff would subscribe to that view - they are probably a bit bored of making the same points each week.
2	4-0		5	The Brumbies are rugby's equivalent of global warming. There is now too much evidence for them to be dismissed as myth. A bonus point in Durban before half-time...that's like sea levels rising 10cm in a year. Strange how many teams prosper after losing David Pocock to injury. Now...he is a myth.
3	3-1		1	Same old, same old with the Bulls - meet them head on at the set-piece and collisions and watch them disintegrate. The big worry for them was how badly they were dented at the scrum and how much possession the Crusaders could steal or disrupt at the lineout. It's tempting now to think of the Rumble in the Jungle and Ali whispering in George Foreman's ear, 'is that all you got?'
4	1-2		7	Did we ever doubt them? Eh yes, probably a bit. Does smashing the Bulls change everything? Almost. It's like Steve Hansen said, the forwards squared to the action, ran straighter and harder. The backs had more space and the promise of a wider game-plan was fulfilled. Accuracy and execution were a problem but they are easy fixes. Will everything change next week when Dan Carter is not available? Absolutely
5	3-1		3	Big changes at the Sharks with coach John Plumtree voicing his displeasure at the contribution of some of his senior players. Frans Steyn has been dumped to the bench so he can have a big week of conditioning. That is presumably code for do some fitness work and lose some weight - perhaps he could lose the attitude as well: must be hard work lugging that around.
6	2-2		8	It's a sign of how far the Cheetahs have come that they realise they shouldn't really congratulate themselves for defeating the Wararaths. Even in Sydney. They could pick up a third win on the road in Perth and head back to Bloemfontein very much in the race to the playoffs.
7	2-1		6	A week off has allowed the Blues to attend to their walking wounded. Niggles, bumps, bruises and uncomfortably tight groins have all been rubbed, oiled and gently eased. Keven Mealamu, who turned 49 last week, is also back and the ball is firmly in the Blues court so to speak. Which is a big improvement on recent seasons as previously by this stage of the campaign it would be half the players in court.
8	2-2		9	Ben Franks' move has worked out well. The Hurricanes scrum is way better and he's arguably the best loose-head in the country on form. And yet, there is something about the Hurricanes that makes them a little unconvincing. It's not Beauden Barrett's shaky defence or the lack of grunt they get from their locks. Oh, actually it is.
9	3-2		4	The Reds lose at home to the Force and then a few days later director of rugby Ewen McKenzie announces he'll be moving on. Let's not pretend the two events aren't connected. McKenzie wants the Wallaby job and is smart enough to see he needed to distance himself from the Reds' current campaign. Finishing a distant second to the Brumbies is not a compelling case for promotion.
10	1-2		10	It was pointed out last week that the Stormers should be ranked higher on the basis that they topped the league last year and had just beaten the defending champions. It was a fair point, but one that can be dismissed on the basis that its never nice to have others show they can do your job better and also because, well...because. As a compromise - if they beat the Brumbies this week, they will make a serious jump in the rankings.
11	0-3		11	Going, going, almost gone. Four weeks in and the Highlanders may be sunk. Even if they do commit more numbers to the breakdown as they have been encouraged, have they bought too many similar players? Brad Thorn AND Jarrad Hoeata? Aaron Smith AND Fumiaki Tanaka? John Hardie AND Tim Boys? They need a spark - but from where will they get it?
12	1-3		12	Berrick Barnes thought he had broken his thumb against the Cheetahs. Then he realised he couldn't possibly have as he hadn't - nor for that matter had any of his team-mates - bothered to pull their thumbs out prior to kick-off. The only way he could have hurt it would have been sitting down. He's their play-maker, their great hope. Say no more.
13	1-2		13	The Kings are in trouble for fielding too many foreign players. Which will upset them as they have appeared to be in a fair bit of trouble when they haven't fielded too many foreign players. What are they to do? Look in the Canterbury phonebook and see if they can find a number for Susie?
15	1-3		15	The Force beating the Reds in Brisbane - that was a rogue wave result if ever there was one. How often do rogue waves strike? Well, that's the point, not often at all otherwise they wouldn't be rogues.
15	1-3		14	There is a danger for the Rebels that their campaign will hit every branch of the ugly tree on the way towards a 15th place finish. It's a safe enough bet that while they are in Africa, one of their overpaid supposed superstars will end up in a drunken heap of trouble.