Super shots

Friendly rivalry
Was it our imagination, or do the Blues and the Crusaders really not like each other? You could feel the animosity burning through the square screen. Nothing wrong with a bit of blood and guts either, even if one team was handing out a lesson to the other on the scoreboard and in reality.

After-match friction
And it's about time we had a couple of coaches letting rip. So step forward Robbie "furious" Deans and David "that's rubbish" Nucifora who cleared their throats after the Blue-bashing in Christchurch. Deans was a bit mischievous, not following through by spelling out exactly what he was grumpy about, instead of the bail-out "you guys watched the game" line. But whatever the merits of their verbal stoush, wasn't it good to hear some coaches going off the long run with feeling?

Coach's blues
And speaking of Nucifora, might he be wondering why he took on the problem child of the New Zealand franchises? Might he also be wondering if he would have been better off sending back a different answer to the Australian Rugby Union a few weeks ago?

Cheetahs sneak up
Four rounds in, and we have a split developing; an 8-6 split that is, with the Cheetahs a slight surprise in 8th, although they may struggle to stay the journey. You wouldn't rank among the world's bravest punters if you head down to the TAB today and wager on the four semifinalists coming from Crusaders, Brumbies, Hurricanes, Waratahs, Bulls and Chiefs.

Bonus-bungling
Will the Brumbies' and Highlanders' inability to nab a solitary bonus point so far count against them? In their three wins, the Brumbies have bagged three tries; the Highlanders have done it twice. The Brumbies had three in half an hour against the Cats and couldn't get a fourth. The other three bonus point-less teams are among the bottom four.

Drive for five
Watch the Highlanders over the next fortnight. They've rolled the Cheetahs and Stormers back to back, now they have the Bulls in Pretoria, the Sharks in Dunedin and the Cats in Invercargill. Attention trainspotters: did any New Zealand franchise beat all four South African Super 12 teams on the bounce?

Sailor adrift
What would have been running through Wendell Sailor's mind sitting in the stand on Saturday? With Lote Tuqiri and Peter Hewat going gangbusters on the wings for the Waratahs, and Mat Rogers making his return in the second half at fullback, where does Dell-boy fit in when he returns from suspension in a fortnight? League?