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Johannesburg - The shock defeat of the Sharks against the Cheetahs and the comprehensive way in which it was achieved will be pointers to the log leaders' opponents in the Sharks' remaining five matches on how to beat them.
The Sharks have charmed and excited lately but have nevertheless showed a number of weaknesses, and the Cheetahs - still very much last on the log - exploited that to the full.
The defeat probably came at the right time for the log-leaders who will take this lesson to heart and rectify whatever they can.
The Sharks, who have won but scored most of their thrilling tries from way back in their own half, have been missing too many tackles (39 in their last two matches, with 22 last week against the Hurricanes!) and spent too much time in their own 22 for comfort. They now have the realisation that they are effectively number three on the log. Both the second-placed Chiefs and the third-placed Bulls (both on 27 points) have a match in hand. A single slip-up will therefore see the Sharks (on 31 points) drop to third - if the Bulls and the Chiefs keep on winning, of course.
The Sharks defeat can, of course, be put down to simply over-confidence. However, there was more to that and full credit must go to Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske in planning the tactics and to his charges for executing it to a tee. "We were conservative on attack, and didn't want to throw loose passes," Drotske said, adding that the bulk of the Sharks 24 tries this season came from turnovers. They were simply not going to give the Sharks those opportunities, he said.
The Cheetahs, who are one of the leading lineout sides despite their dismal record, had a brilliant David de Villiers to thank in this facet. They also tackled with intent after a series of matches where they were simply falling off tackles, and Heinrich Brussow was outstanding.
Not only did he fetch and tackle, but also showed that he is a runner of quality. As a Sevens Springbok one should've expected as much from the stocky one-Test Springbok, but it was nevertheless a pleasant surprise and quite impressive.
At flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter also had a very good game, reading it well and playing to a game plan that could cause the Sharks more grief as they come into the straight.
As the Sharks folded, so the Bulls stood up in a tight, tough encounter against the Waratahs that their captain Victor Matfield described as "not pretty". That it certainly wasn't. But it was effective, kept the Waratahs pinned in their own half and with the Bulls lineout working after the previous week's hiccup, the score of 20-6 in Sydney was well-deserved.
A Bulls pack in this form is something to behold and for opposition to worry about if not fear. Morne Steyn was brilliant behind this pack and kept them on the front foot with Fourie du Preez not far behind.
There are, however, still some question marks over the Bulls scrumming.
The Stormers have now lost six of seven defeats by less than seven points, with the one against the Brumbies in Sydney on Saturday (17-10) the latest in a match where Australian referee Paul Marks gave them very little of the close decisions. The Brumbies, with excellent discipline, good scrummaging and solid defence gave the Stormers little leeway in a match played in pouring rain and where the solo effort of Springbok centre Jean de Villiers was the single highlight in a match marred by the weather.
He dummied, sprinted and stepped to a 60 metre try that was on the day only outdone by the polished 80-minute performance in the rain by Brumbies fullback Mark Gerrard.
Wickus Blaauw is perhaps a loosehead and should not be blamed for the scrumming shambles when he took over as tighthead.
However, even before the injury to tight head Brian Mujati who was replaced by Blaauw, the as yet unlearnt lesson was again that a good scrum is a prerequisite for success at this level To their credit, however, the Stormers as a forward unit played better than in previous weeks - forced by the rain? - and looked all the better for it.
The Lions put in probably their poorest performance of the season. They simply couldn't get their hands on the ball, and had to make more than 200 tackles, according to their coach Eugene Eloff.
"We wanted a good start," said Eloff afterwards, "but that didn't happen." The scoreline of 36-12 to the Blues in Auckland was another defeat for a lacklustre and executed almost everything poorly to remain third from the bottom of the log.
The Highlanders put together a hat-trick of wins in beating the Reds 29-14 in Invercargill in a pleasant game that sees the reds still stranded in second last position on the log while the Highlanders are finding their rhythm and could be there for the play-off run-in.
The Highlanders' forwards were simply too good for the Brisbane side.
The Force players' body language said it all after the amazing last try by the Hurricanes from their own try line which was mauled, rucked and mauled again until Cory Jane went over well after the final hooter.
The Hurricanes won 28-27 in Perth.
The defeat probably means the end of the 2009 challenge for the Force, who were ahead by 11 points with only two minutes to play.
They were the better side against the Hurricanes who seemed jaded after their South African tour and who will be very pleased for the two somewhat undeserved log points.
