The best and worst from the Super Rugby action over the weekend.
Back of the week: Hayden Parker (Sunwolves)
Maybe someone should check if Parker has a pulse because the Sunwolves' first-five's kicking is machine-like in its consistency. The Kiwi kicked five out of five in his team's three-point winover the Waratahs in Sydney. He has now kicked 32 in a row since last year and before a miss in 2018 he kicked 38 in a row. Incredible. His running game is also under-appreciated.
Forward of the week: Patrick Tuipulotu (Blues)
Big Patty T was challenged to back up his performance off the bench against the Highlanders and he did it against the Stormers – his hit on fellow big man and international lock Eben Etzebeth is still reverberating around Eden Park. As coach Leon MacDonald said, Tuipulotu is playing like an All Black.
In a losing effort, and one in which his Hurricanes' pack was contained by a ferocious Crusaders defence in Wellington, Fifita was his team's best player by far. His carries and defence should have inspired the Canes more but unfortunately for them one mistake followed another. Fifita's performance was one which the watching Steve Hansen would have liked.
On the rise
Sunwolves: I'm sure this is exactly what the powers that be were hoping to see; the soon to be discarded Sunwolves getting up against a Waratahs side stacked with Australian representative players. Led by the magical boot of Hayden Parker, who kicked 11 of the team's 31 points, the Japanese club picked up their second win of the season.
Blues: An emphatic home win over the Stormers has led to many putting the Blues firmly in the playoff picture. While it's probably a bit early to be jumping to those conclusions just yet, they're definitely on the right track now with three wins from six matches.
Trending down
Hurricanes: At home to the Crusaders, the Hurricanes could only manage to score eight points – and five of those came when the Crusaders had a man in the sin bin. For a team with serious claims at a run to the grand final, the Hurricanes sure didn't play like it.
Waratahs: Up one week, down the next. Who knows what to make of the Waratahs at the moment? After an impressive win over the Crusaders last time out, they go and lose to the Sunwolves – at home as well. Too many turnovers and missed tackles cost the Waratahs, who missed a great opportunity to stake their claim the top rung of the Australian conference ladder.
