Super XV 2013 -Top four..

Hey you cant' go past an opportunity to say how good the Mighty Chiefs were this year...Hard luck Bean Brain with yr Stormers but just cause i know you love yr cliches the best team won at the end of the day....

2013 is almost upon us and with February kick off the teams most likely to dominate the competition next year...

are the Sharks and the Stormers...

slightly trailing the cream of world rugby ...

the Mighty Chiefs of course will star in 2013 like the rockstars of rugby they are,,,

...the Hurricanes look menacing...

and the wildcard will be wearing a red jersey...

 Brycy the Stormers have a very strong squad.

They have 30 experienced players of Super15 standard with depth in just about every position.

Also many players have experience of playing in other position at SuperXV level.

They should maintain injuries better than just about every team as with the Crusaders.

If they can sort out the attacking issues in their backline, I would say the will be the favourites.

-

The Sharks have lost Michalak who was perhaps the form flyhalf in the SuperXV, especially towards the latter end of the season. We still have Lambie at 10 and have been bolstered with Frans Steyn who will be well recovered for next season. The Sharks also have some good depth, but the Stormers probably have the most. depth. The Sharks will have a stronger start to the season next year, hence ensuring that they do not have the travel schedule of last year come quarter finals time

-

The Chiefs look good, one wonders just how much the loss of Sonny Bill Williams will be.

Sonny Bill Williams was perhaps the best rugby player in the world in 2012. Otago have also increased their depth. The have started well and one of the form teams at the start of the season, until injuries have decreaed their performance. Next year they have the most depth in a long time so should be able to retain their form for the whole season.

The Crusaders will be without Mccaw, but they allways produce new players that get to top level quickly and deal with injuries well through their squad system. 

The Cheetas could be a surprise package, and will knock over some of the top teams. Also a team that has struggled with depth to cover injuries, but they can score allot of tries. 

The Southern Kings will be a joke that makes the Australian teams look good

...bro i agree with most of what you said Sharkbok ...Highlanders should get into the top six given who they've signed but the Hurricanes look to me like the team to beat with aload of raw talent and their attacking flair they will be hard to beat...

I looked at the potential of the teams of the various countries and would not at this stage predict anything about the logs position oher than to rate the teams on an internal basis.   I think the teams can be rated as follows:-

New Zealand

1.   The Chiefs 

2.   The Hurricanes

3.   The Highlanders

4.    The Crusaders

5.    The Blues

I could be wrong here - but I use as a basis the outcome of the ITM, the fact that the All Blacks were not playing in the ITM,  as well as the contracting of some teams - in other words which players they are going to gain and lose in the Super Series next year:-

*    I think the big loss for the Chiefs was SBW.   The rest of the team is stable and has now more experience in playing on Super level.   The weak spots are few and far between - but they can expect problems in their line-outs and other aspects of forward play against the stronger teams.   Cruden under pressure never looks good - but the forwards may come to the party and provide some better balls - which would lessen that problem.

*    The  Hurricanes have the cream of the younger exciting players insofar as New Zealand teams are concerned.   If these players fire - they should be hard to beat.

*     The Highlanders signed up many big names - but the problem is that most of the signings are of oldish players and that is not a good sign at all.  The players they think that would benefit them - may be a bit over the hill (Thorne and Nonu in particular).

*     Insofar as the Crusaders and the Blues are concerned - most of their players will come from the ITM teams of Canterbury and Auckland respectively.   The ITM final was a mess of bad forward play - and that is where these two teams are going to struggle.   The absence of McCaw makes a big difference to the Crusaders as well.

Australia

1    The Reds

2.   The Brumbies

3    The Waratahs

4    The Rebels

5    The Western Force

The return of injured players will in the main benefit the Reds - hence their top position.   Very little to go by - other than performances in 2012.   

South Africa

1.    The Stormers  (?)

2.    The Sharks  (?) 

3.    The Cheetahs

4     The Bulls

5     The lowest of the Low - the Kings

I am not sure about the no 1 and 2 positions at all.  It could be vice-versa.  The Sharks have a very good team - but need to improve their line-out play.   I believe there re youngsters that will produce better results in future in the latter aspect - especially Du Toit and the Marais brothers and their throw-ins will also improve - Bismarck is back.  There backline play is tops and has been strengthened on paper by Francois Steyn - hopes he fires though - but they have depth in any event.

The Stormers may have a repeat of 2012 - with their try-scoring deficiencies.   The weakness remains in their backline with Jantjies (a lottery ticket at best) and De Villiers and De Jongh being weak in attacking play.  However, they have nice youngsters coming through and we may yet see more of those in this tournament than before.  

The Bulls are indeed poor and they have serious problems in virtually every department of the game.  The Kings is a disaster.   There is one confident prediction I am going to make and that is that they will be bottom of the log and may even end up without any log points whatsoever - disgusting mess.

The top six teams in the log could be -

The Chiefs, the Stormers, the Sharks, the Reds, the Hurricanes and ??????????????  Not necessarily in that order though.

the king are going to be 15 with 5-15 pionts max and max of 2 wins if they are lucky witch i hoop there not. i think the semi stormerd vs reds chiefs vs sharks they are the top a.

top six

1.chief

2.stormers

3.reds

4.sharks

5.highlanders

6.bulls

i agree with all the posts i feel from a SA perspective the stormers and sharks will be right up there only if the stormers learn to attack more and be more up tempo. the sharks game pattern alone will ensure they will be right up there.

in terms of the nz teams all there teams are strong but i think the blues will be a surprize package next year. from what i heard and have seen i think they wil be right up there. the reds are world class they just had a bad season with injuries but they play a great brand of rugby and will be there or there abouts. the brumbies will also be right up there.

it all looks good for next year. the kings will get the pasting of a life time. for all those who like to play pub dont play a drinking game for the times that a kings will leak a try. i reckon you might end up in the ICU after the first couple of weeks watching them play

Chiproll

You are very bave in putting the Bulls as  no 6 on the log.   I hopewith their team as bad as it is - that they do not fall into the bottom 3 positions on the log.   They have serious problems in respect of the props and their backline play is seriously deficient.

One can only hope they perform better than they did in the CC - but I am not sure of that as well. 

bulls will inprove im not a bull supporter but you can never under estetemt the bulls. but we have to wait and see wat happens but i think the top 4 i have is moost likely going to be the top 4 in 2013