Gary Boshoff

The impact of jetlag on the performances of the Chiefs, Waratahs and Brumbies this past weekend cannot be ignored. 

It was especially evident with the Brumbies as they experienced a severe slump in form in their match against the Lions. That they still managed to win is all thanks to a directionless Lions outfit.

However, I have to acknowledge that the Gauteng-based side did show some signs of improvement, though it is still far from the required performance level to bring them any success. Their main problem remains impatience and poor decision making.

Matt Giteau in particular was way below his usually very high standards. I hate to think what the score could have been if the Brumbies had played to their potential. 

Everyone is moaning about the "penalty try" that the Sharks were not awarded, but the Lions got a penalty try awarded against them for “repeated infringements” or was it for going off-side at the scrum?

Referee Steve Walsh got this one horribly wrong. There was no way that Walsh could have been sure that the Waratahs would definitely have scored from the scrum if JP Joubert hadn’t gone off-side and interfered with the Waratahs scrumhalf. 

Walsh made a big mistake, but came good for the Lions a few moments later when he awarded the Lions a try when Hannes Franklin picked the ball up in the ruck (illegally) and dived over the line. SANZAR’s top referees just can’t seem to get it right.

In the Sharks v Waratahs game, the Waratahs was clearly ripe for the picking. The Sharks looked a much improved side and appeared mentally focused throughout. Their forwards were brilliant and outplayed their counterparts throughout, but they just couldn’t put the points on the board when they should have. This cost them dearly at the end. 

It’s no use crying foul at the referee because by now every coach or captain that’s worth his salt should know that some referees make mistakes and others make mistakes deliberately – you cannot depend on referees for your success! Okay, not completely at least. In the end the Sharks were very unlucky to lose this one – the Waratahs managed to hang on to their lead to the end, though completely exhausted.

The Chiefs weren’t so lucky losing unexpectedly against the Reds. This completed a full house of wins for the Australian sides. The Chiefs looked as if they were going to run away with the match, but did not bank of the Reds resolve, buoyed by their win against the Crusaders and near win against the Blues, their confidence levels were very high.

They must now surely be the danger team in the tournament. I believe the Chiefs ran out of steam in the second half and just couldn’t raise the tempo to clinch this one – the legs were finished. Jetlag claimed another victim.

South African teams should take note of this, particularly the Bulls and Stormers who are clearly our strongest title contenders. Both these teams won’t have a “rest bye” when they return from their overseas leg later in the competition and will have to deal with the potential impact of jetlag. 

The Bulls will face the Lions upon their return while the Stormers will face the Crusaders. Both these matches come in weeks 11 and 12 of the tournament when competition for playoff spots starts heating up.  

The Stormers will be slightly better off than the Bulls because the Crusaders will be travelling to South Africa the same week as them.

The Waratahs and Brumbies were let off by their South African opponents when both of them were on the rack. However, the Lions and the Crusaders will definitely not return the favour when they get the opportunity to beat the two top South African contenders in their own backyard.