George Smith, pictured on Saturday, and his fellow Brumbies are silencing those who thought the team were past it. Mark Nolan / Getty Images
Bang-on
Talk about making an impact. Young Blues flanker Onosai Tololima-Auva'a banged heads with Stormers loose forward Luke Watson on Saturday night. The result? Watson headed for hospital with a serious case of claret flow, Tololima-Auva'a just kept on trucking as the Blues bagged their first bonus point of the
year.
Loud silence
Remember those nay-sayers at the start of the Super 14 who reckoned the Brumbies weren't going to be much chop this time round? Who reckoned that their old legs were past it? We can't hear them now as George Gregan, Stirling Mortlock, Stephen Larkham, Jeremy Paul and co are revving their engines for a charge towards the semifinals.
Desperate measure
Did the Chiefs err in not deliberately setting out their stall for a last-gasp drop goal against the Bulls? The word from the camp is that they wanted to retain possession in the dying moments and wait for a Bulls slipup. Eventually Loki Crichton tried an ambitious 40m shot from wide on the left, which had a whiff of desperation about it.
Woe again
Deja vu all over again? Waratahs flanker Wycliff Palu's season last year ended when he damaged his shoulder against the Crusaders in Sydney. Same opposition, same result, different venue on Friday night.
Almost brilliant
Also in Christchurch, what's the hard-luck story of the round? What about Crusaders wing Scott Hamilton's almost brilliant try, spoiled only by the ball touching the line in-goal on its final bounce before Hamilton pounced. Right decision, just tough luck for the rosy-cheeked utility.
Dirty dealings
Remember Butch James, who specialised in the illegal, dangerous no-arms tackles for the Sharks and Springboks? There was Stormers captain De Wet Barry taking up James' baton and living up to his reputation as one of the dirtier players in the competition, shoulder charging Isa Nacewa and copping 10 minutes in the bin for his trouble against the Blues.
Ho-hum
Every year around this stage of the competition, there's the odd game which no one cares about, let alone gets up at 3am or stays up to watch. Step forward the Cats against the Reds yesterday in Johannesburg. On occasions like this, there's almost a case for saying, "That's two points each lads, so no need to put us all through purgatory".
