Inga Tuigamala writes that relative strengths and weaknesses in the Kiwi Super 14 teams are beginning to show after several games.
After a month of the Super 14 the table is a fair reflection of where New Zealand's five franchises are tracking.
It is still too early to make bold assumptions on where they will finish as some teams have been on the road while others have had kinder draws. Nevertheless,
it is a good time to assess the strengths and, in some cases, the weaknesses, of New Zealand's five teams.
BLUES (9th)
Apart from their first, woeful match against the Hurricanes, the Blues have not been too bad.
They've shown real signs of improvement. They had to dig deep to beat the Reds in Queensland and while they followed that up with a loss to the Crusaders, that was always going to be a tough ask.
They haven't been helped by niggling injuries to Isaia Toeava and Anthony Tuitavake and the loss of Ali Williams for the season, but more than that they have been hurt by the fact that some of the older brigade, the Tony Woodcocks and the Keven Mealamus, haven't put their best foot forward yet.
Another problem has been the fact that Stephen Brett has yet to settle at No 10, but on the other hand Alby Mathewson looks a great acquisition at halfback.
Pat Lam took a while to find his feet at this level last season but there are signs he is getting it right.
The Blues are a team that need to string a couple of wins together, who need to keep winning the tight games, to really find their confidence.
CHIEFS (2nd)
I've always maintained, if you want to have a chance of making the semifinals, you have to be a good "road" team and the Chiefs certainly look like they've mastered the art of playing in hostile territory.
The Bulls, by comparison, might be top of the table with a game in hand, but they have yet to travel out of South Africa.
The Reds are a much-improved team, but I was still shocked to see the Chiefs lose at home to them. I settled in for that match, watched the first 20 minutes and thought everything was in hand so stepped outside to cook the barbecue. When I came back they were unravelling in front of my eyes and I was like, "you're joking".
People like to point to the Chiefs' firepower as the key to their success and when you've got guys like Mils Muliaina and Sitiveni Sivivatu you can see why. However, I really like the look of their forward pack. They hunt together well and have unearthed a real front-row strongman in Sona Taumalolo.
It hasn't helped, though, that Sione Lauaki seems to have gone on a bit of a tiki tour.
The Chiefs are the No 1-ranked New Zealand side right now for a reason.
HURRICANES (4th)
I like the way Colin Cooper puts the game in the hands of his experienced players. They've put Aaron Cruden back to the bench and promoted Willie Ripia and that's a good move for this match against the Stormers, which has taken on more importance after losing to the Cheetahs.
The return of Tamati Ellison and Conrad Smith should give the backline a lot more direction than it had last week, but listening to Cooper, I think they'll be smarter for the loss.
I like how they're playing, apart from last week, of course. The new rule interpretations will suit them and I believe they're well on track for the semifinals. They have perhaps the best-balanced squad in the competition.
CRUSADERS (5th)
What can you say about the Crusaders that hasn't been said before? They are still the benchmark team in this competition in terms of doing what they need to win and timing their run to the semifinals perfectly.
Teams that perform consistently, that build slowly, win the Super 14.
The Crusaders are not a flash outfit. They'll suffocate teams. They only play on their terms and that is the major reason they're the masters of winning tight games.
When you've got guys like Richie McCaw and Corey Flynn charging around in the forwards, it allows players like Dan Carter to get a nice ride at the back.
I'd like to think Todd Blackadder had added something as well as continuing the legacy of Robbie Deans.
They might be sitting fifth on the table but for me they're still the team to beat. When you've got McCaw and Carter, that's a 10-point start on most teams.
HIGHLANDERS (11th)
It's no surprise they're the worst-performed of the New Zealand sides because they're the weakest squad.
Nothing is never easy for those guys. They don't have the depth to survive and the draft has not helped them as much I thought it would. They will probably remain the sort of side that will pull the odd upset out of the bag.
