Conference Round Up: South Africa

With the winner of each conference guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, stakes will be high to ensure top spot. Who will those lucky teams be? Should be a pretty safe bet in the New Zealand and South African conferences, but the Aussie teams are less easy to predict, especially with the emergence of the Melbourne Rebels.

Here is my call on the SA conference:

SOUTH AFRICA

No need to look much further than the Bulls - I say this as a one-eyed, life-long Sharks fan. But looking at that line-up - largely unchanged for years -  it becomes difficult to imagine my beloved Sharks cracking that nut. Matfield and Fourie are once-in-a-generation masters of the game. Morne Steyn is unstoppable at Loftus, especially when moving relentlessly forward behind a monster pack including the likes of Bakkies, Spies, Gary Botha and Steenkamp (and let's not forget the Danie-saurus on the bench!) Throw in a lethal finisher like newcomer Basson on the wing (he broke a decades old SA record for Currie Cup tries last season), and you have a pretty complete side.

But... the Sharks have a new game-plan with which they dominated all in the Currie Cup. They run everything - perfect for Super Rugby... until the Bulls prove it otherwise. We have seen the likes of the Chiefs dominate before with a similar game-plan, only to be torn apart by a structured team like the Bulls. The arrow in the quiver the Sharks possess, that the Chiefs did not, is a pack to rival even the Bulls. A front row dominated by Springboks  and a balanced loose trio with some MONSTER ball carriers in Deysel and Alberts (and some of the quickest loosies around in Kankowski and Daniels). Patrick Lambie may also be the flyhalf South Africa has been missing since Henry Honiball retired. He has the ability to dominate the game, much like the Australian ball-players - Steven Larkham comes to mind. He is young and untried though, but here's hoping he has a breakout year.

The Stormers... I just can't bring myself to back them. They always show promise, but do they really have the spine to finish out the tough games. They didn't in the Super 14 last year, or the Currie Cup. They have the players, they have the coaches, they have the fans... but they must rank as outsiders against a Bulls outfit going for a hattrick of titles, and a Sharks team desperate to finally close after so many near misses.

Dark Horse: The Lions... they have a great coach in Mitchell, they've made some shrewd purchases in the off-season and they have gobs of money from a new African benefactor, making them a darling of the much delayed transformation of SA rugby. I still can't see them toppling the big dogs though. There'll be some upsets here and there, but Super Rugby success requires top-notch performances week in and week out. The Lions will again fall short.

And the Cheetahs... they talk up their chances now that more derby's are being played, but really... now that even the Lions have more clout, what are these jokers still doing in the competition? Bring on the EP Kings!