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Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – The relatively unfashionable Chiefs, who have never even reached a Vodacom Super 14 final, suddenly threaten South Africa’s expectations of the showpiece game being staged on our shores.
While both the log-leading Sharks and third-placed Bulls remain in sound positions to secure key home semi-finals, the spirited Chiefs side are very much in the picture themselves for a shock top finish to the “league” phase.
Certainly, they will have been heartened by the Cheetahs’ giant-killing act against the Sharks in Bloemfontein, which sees the New Zealanders now just three points adrift of the Durban-based side and with a game in hand.
The Sharks have 30 points from nine games, with the Chiefs and Bulls locked together on 27 from eight each, although the former have a slightly better “for and against”.
While the Chiefs have lost three of their eight games to the Bulls’ two, their present marginal superiority is aided by their possessing seven bonus points to the Bulls’ three and Sharks’ mere two.
They have had little trouble in recent weeks crossing the proverbial whitewash for the required four tries, while they have also lost some games within seven points for additional helpful log points.
But there is also comfort for the Sharks and Bulls in the form of the gritty Chiefs’ taxing run-in: three of their five remaining fixtures in South Africa (starting this weekend against the awakened Cheetahs) and then a possible “eliminator” derby at home to the Hurricanes followed by a visit from the still-respectable Brumbies.
Indeed, the top two South African sides will be keenly rooting for Chiefs-downing favours from both the Cheetahs and similarly out-of-contention Stormers.
Mercifully out of the hunt now after a few weeks of horribly impotent rugby, the Newlands-based side remain capable of some redeeming wins when they finally get back home and possibly let their hair down as an attacking force at last.
The Chiefs’ record in South Africa over the past two years is iffy, at best: last year they lost 33-27 to the Lions and 47-25 to the Sharks, while in 2007 -- in the same three fixtures they will experience this time -- they lost 21-16 to the Stormers and 30-27 to the Bulls and drew 22-22 against the Cheetahs.
Still, the Sharks and Bulls would remain well advised to keep destiny in their own hands by winning as often as possible in their respective, fairly promising final stretches mostly on familiar soil.
The Sharks will keep a sturdy foot in the semi-final door if they return to winning ways at Absa Stadium against the champion Crusaders, expected to field a fit-again Richie McCaw on Saturday.
Meanwhile the Bulls have one more overseas game to negotiate, against the Brumbies on Friday, and a loss would badly dent their “home semi” plans. Neither of their world-class locks, Victor Matfield and the suspended Bakkies Botha, are available for Canberra as things stand: will such adversity spur or demoralise them?
The Waratahs and Hurricanes, of course, still right in the picture in fourth and fifth respectively, will be eyeing any Bulls slip this weekend as their opportunity to make up precious ground.
While it is unusual for just one New Zealand side to be loftily placed at this advanced stage of the 2009 competition, it is also worth noting that no Kiwi side is lower than eighth at present, either.
The South African challenge is a bizarrely lopsided one, with the Sharks and Bulls carrying the national flag quite proudly while all of the Stormers, Lions and Cheetahs languish among the bottom four.
Run-ins for top five sides on table:
Sharks: Crusaders (h), Highlanders (h), Waratahs (h), Bulls (h)
Chiefs: Cheetahs (a), Bulls (a), Stormers (a), Hurricanes (h), Brumbies (h)
Bulls: Brumbies (a), Chiefs (h), Force (h), Cheetahs (h), Sharks (a)
Waratahs: Force (h), Cheetahs (a), Sharks (a), Lions (a)
Hurricanes: Stormers (h), Brumbies (h), Blues (h), Chiefs (a), Reds (a).
