KEY POINTS:
This Super 14 was always going to be a bit different.
Think about it. An early start, 22 of the best All Blacks resting, new rules and a competition heavily influenced by the forthcoming World Cup.
After five rounds, the only New Zealand team in the top four
are the Blues. You would have expected this given their depth, but in recent years the Blues have squandered their talent and self-destructed with alarming regularity.
Not so this season. There appears a clarity in game plan, strong leadership both on and off the park and a simplicity in defence and attack not seen since Graham Henry made a cameo appearance as technical adviser in 2003.
The choice of Troy Flavell as captain has worked - maybe better than coach David Nucifora could have dreamed. He plays and leads with a direct approach suited to the mentality of the players around him and his actions and words off the field ideally suit the All Black catch-cry "better people make better All Blacks".
On current form it would seem hard for the All Black selectors to leave him out of the World Cup squad.
The Hurricanes have exceeded my expectations and have shown the patterns and consistency introduced by Colin Cooper last season are still intact, despite a shocker at Palmerston North last week.
When the rested All Black cavalry arrive in a couple of weeks, the Hurricanes will be a nuisance for all opposition.
The Crusaders are close behind. Coach Robbie Deans has done a remarkable job, given his missing internationals, and they will be well in the picture by the end of April.
I wonder about some of the senior players, who looked so good alongside the All Blacks but so far have been responsible for some very un-Crusaders-like play. This will be noted by Henry and his panel.
The young guys have stepped up well, enhancing the depth of rugby in the region.
The Chiefs and Highlanders have highlighted to me what is required at the different levels of rugby.
What changes as you climb the ladder? It's the pace of the game, the need to think quicker and react to smarter opposition. These are not so much physical but mental issues here.
Some can do, some can't. Unfortunately for the Chiefs and Highlanders they have more who can't than can.
The rise of the South African teams has been due to a favourable early-season draw, a self-belief based on the knowledge that New Zealand teams are missing the superstars and are vulnerable, and greater depth than the likes of the four Australian teams.
The competition is weighted against the South Africans due to travel and time away from home. But I suspect the better start will see the momentum continue and their teams being in the dogfight for the top four play-off spots.
The Australians seem a million miles away from their halcyon days of John O'Neill and Rod McQueen. They are fighting among themselves on the field and nobody has a good word for anyone off it.
The preoccupation with correcting their crappy set pieces has made scoring tries a novelty.
In a land where league and Aussie Rules dominate, and soccer is on the rise, I really fear for the Rah Rah boys across the ditch. Self-confidence can only get you so far.
On the subject of set pieces, the new scrum engagements rules had a rocky start but have settled down as players and referees have adapted the theory of the rules to the practical realities of front-row play.
I don't want to get into a debate about whether scrums are better or worse this season. Since the mid 1970s, there has been ongoing tinkering with the scrum for various reasons, some for safety, some for show and politics.
The guys up front have always managed to adjust to the changes and not let them interfere too much with the real business, which is a mix of brutality and cunning.
I suspect the same will gradually happen again. The next game you watch, keep an eye on how many times the props actually pack square, all touch shoulders simultaneously - if at all - and pause and engage on command. I bet not too often.
Still it's working - sort of - and the International Rugby Board guys think it's a winner, so best we all think positively and accept that, at least for the moment, it's here to stay.
