Super Rugby power rankings: Chiefs have all the answers

Chiefs re-take Super Rugby Pacific lead and look set to stay there.

Beat Hurricanes 33-17. Record: 7-0. No change. Table position: 1.

They struggled with discipline early against the Hurricanes in Wellington, conceding five straight penalties, along with 17 points in the first half as the home side played with composure and no shortage of skill. In response, and without head coach Clayton McMillan, who didn’t make the trip due to illness, the Chiefs played with a physicality and ruthlessness that the Canes simply couldn’t live with. The performance bore all the signs of a very good team, if not a championship winning one. No.10 Damian McKenzie again impressed.

Beat Moana Pasifika 40-28. Record 3-5. Up 10. Table position 6.

This victory in 28 degree heat and stifling humidity in Apia, Moana Pasifika’s first game there, was huge for the Reds. It goes without saying that the conditions were difficult but when added to the scrutiny on coach Brad Thorn on an emotional occasion for their opposition and the crowd, this was a very good performance indeed. Backs James O’Connor and Jordan Petaia impressed.

Beat Fijian Drua 43-28. Record: 7-1. No change. Table position: 2.

A team with good fundamentals, especially up front, the Brumbies struggled to contain the Drua in Canberra, eventually doing so thanks to their superior set piece. The Drua, still in with a playoffs shot, have performed well this season and a victory over them is by no means a given, however the suspicion remains that the Brumbies, for all their organisational excellence, will lose their first sudden death match against a Kiwi side.

Beat Force 36-16. Record: 2-5. Up 5. Table position: 9.

This was only the Waratahs second win of the season and yet it moved them from 11th to 9th on the table. Can they force themselves up to eighth? The fans of the Drua, along with many neutrals, will hope not.

Lost to Reds 28-40. Record 0-8. Up 2. Table position: 12.

There would have been an expectation, or maybe a hope, that after basing themselves in Apia and doing nearly week’s worth of engagement with the Samoan community, Moana Pasifika would have been celebrating their first win of the season against the Reds. Unfortunately for them it wasn’t to be but there was another star turn from midfielder Levi Aumua and two tries from 23-year-old loose forward Miracle Fai'ilagi, who was representing his village of Vailele only a few kilometres from the match venue, as recently as last year, was a match highlight.

Bye. Record: 5-2. Up 1. Table position: 4.

The bye came at the right time for a Crusaders team running out of troops. They play the Rebels away next and will be aiming for a bonus point victory.

Bye. Record: 4-3. Down 3. Table position: 5

Buoyed presumably by their win over the Rebels before their bye and the re-signing of Rieko Ioane for another four years, the Blues will be aiming to cement themselves in the top four (at worst) over the second part of the regular season. They host the struggling Waratahs on Saturday.

Lost 28-43 to the Brumbies. Record: 3-4. Down 3. Table position: 8.

The Drua were in this game and could have taken the lead just after the hour mark with the score at 31-28. Unfortunately for them they lost the ball on the line and then, in another attack, were penalised for a double movement. The Brumbies went to their scrum at that point, which won them the game. Still in with a good chance of sneaking into the top eight. They deserve it – there are few finer sights than a Drua attack. They face a tough task against the Chiefs in Hamilton next weekend but may fancy their chances against the Blues and Hurricanes in Lautoka over the following fortnight.

Lost to Chiefs 17-33. Record: 6-2. Down 7. Table position: 3.

The big fallers of the week and while they remain in third position on the table after starting the weekend in first, the No.1 ranking always seemed a false one given they had already lost to the Blues at home this season, their only match against a quality opposition. The Hurricanes played extremely well at times but were let down by a series of errors after the break. A coach-killer moment came in the final moments when they had a one-man advantage (after Bryn Gatland was sinbinned), and an attacking lineout five metres from the Chiefs’ line. They messed it up and Damian McKenzie scored down the other end.

Bye. Record: 3-4. No change. Table position 7.

The Highlanders face what is now the longest trip in Super Rugby – Dunedin to Perth – to play the Force. They should return victorious.

Bye. Record 2-5. Up 1. Table position 10.

Climbed their way off the bottom of this list by virtue of their bye.

Lost to Waratahs 16-36. Record: 2-5. Down 4. Table position: 11.

They lost all three matches during their difficult trip to New Zealand, but did okay, especially in their final match, a narrow defeat to the Hurricanes in Palmerston North. Normal service resumed in Sydney.