Wes Goosen of the Hurricanes. Photo / Photosport
The surprises keep coming in Super Rugby, although the suspicion remains that 14 teams are still playing for the right to make the hardest trip in rugby – a grand final against the Crusaders in Christchurch.
Scott Robertson's side had their first bye this weekend and yet no team made
a concerted attack on their position at the top of the table. The Hurricanes are the closest on 27 competition points to the Crusaders' 34 but the Sunwolves made them work extremely hard for their 29-23 victory in Tokyo.
Such is the close nature of the competition this year, a defeat for John Plumtree's side, who were without many of their front-liners, wouldn't have been a great shock. Of the 15 teams in the competition, 14 still have a realistic chance of making the top eight and a place in the quarter-finals.
Every team, apart from perhaps the Crusaders, has appeared vulnerable this season, which is just over halfway completed. And even the Crusaders dropped a game to the Waratahs in Sydney.
Of the Kiwi teams it is the Hurricanes who inspire the most confidence as potential challengers to the Crusaders' attempt to win three titles in a row for the second time. The Chiefs and Blues, in particular, failed to impress again this weekend.
