Who's hot…and who's not!
It is time for our weekly wrap of who has their name in lights at the moment…and who is making headlines for the wrong reasons.
It is time for our weekly wrap of who has their name in lights at the moment…and who is making headlines for the wrong reasons.
They're on fire!
Castres: You would have been hard-pressed to find anyone outside of the little town in the south west of France -(Castres has just 43 000 inhabitants) willing to back the underdogs in the Top 14 Final. But les Tarnais were thoroughly deserving winners, defending with guts and discipline, scrumming like Trojans and grabbing their chances with both hands.
Highlanders: A rare sight in the top half of this column in 2013 but the boys from Otago got it right in a big way against the Blues, scoring four tries in just their second victory of the season to retain the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy.
Bulls: When the chips are down, only the very brave would bet against the Bulls coming up with the goods, and they did just that on Saturday. Victory in Bloemfontein means they are now in pole position at the top of the SA Conference.
The Lions (from Britain and Ireland): No, that wasn't a great Baa-Baas team but you can only play what is put in front of you. “Ruthless” is a word we're hearing a lot of out the Lions camp and Hong Kong was step in the right direction.
The Lions (from Jo'burg): The play-off against the Kings is going to be tasty isn't it? Samoa weren't at full strength but they did send out a very solid side, only to get smashed at Ellis Park. Eight tries later, fans in Jozi will feeling a lot better about their chances of having a Super Rugby berth next season.
Rory Kockott: Top points scorer in the Top 14 season. Winning-try scorer in the final. What next? A move to Toulouse or Racing Metro? Very possible. A Springbok call-up? Probably not.
Willie Le Roux: For a while it seemed the Cheetahs wing might be one of those flair players deemed to be 'too small' or 'too unpredictable' by the Bok brains trust but no one can ignore a player that keeps on scoring tries. Can he now make the step up to Test rugby?
International newbies: Greig Tonks, Alex Dunbar and Pat MacArthur will make their Scotland debuts on Saturday. Charles Piutau, Francis Saili, Steven Luatua, Jeremy Thrush and Ben Afeaki could do the same for New Zealand this month. Lourens Adriaanse, Trevor Nyakane, Lappies Labuschagne, Jan Serfontein, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Arno Botha, Siya Kolisi, Jano Vermaak and Robert Ebersohn are in line to pull on the green and gold. Congratulations to all.
Delon Armitage: We've haven't had much good to say about the Toulon full-back in recent weeks, but we must admit he was outstanding for most of the French season, including the final.
Broken thermostat:
Play-offs: We love to see underdogs upset the odds and Castres winning the Top 14 title was certainly a breath of fresh air. But it would be impossible to argue that they were the best team in France in the 2012/2013 season having finished 17 points behind Clermont and 16 behind Toulon, who both paid the price on the domestic front for their European exploits. Yes, having six clubs involved in knock-out games adds some spice to the end of the season, and Castres played very well in all three of their play-off fixtures, but can we honestly say they deserve the title of 'champions' of a season that is 10 months long?
Michael Cheika: The Waratahs coach was so angry after Friday's defeat to the Crusaders that he immediately tried to phone SANZAR referees boss Lyndon Bray to complain about the game's officiating. He may well have had legitimate grievances, but we believe that his own mistakes were just as telling. The premeditated substitution of Brendan McKibbin – who had been pulling the strings for an hour – changed the complexion of the game.
Vern Cotter: Another coach who needs an honest look in the mirror. After pointing fingers at players and administrators following Clermont's failure to deliver silverware – again – perhaps the Kiwi coach needs a reminding that with the resources at his disposal, second place is never going to be good enough.
Bbbrrr….someone turn the heater up!
Toulon: The highest highs are often followed by…you get the idea. A handful of big names (like Rossouw, Giteau and Michalak), whose previous experience of finals was highlighted before the showdown at the Stade de France, buckled under the weight of expectation.
Jonny Wilkinson: What do Toulon do when Wilko misfires? Well, they lose. Everyone's favourite non-Lion left 14 points by the wayside in Paris. Sure, most of his shots at goal were difficult but, by his standards, 43% isn't up to scratch.
Barbarians: Not great against England, not much better against the Lions, the Baa-Baas were disappointing from start to finish.
Samoa: A 60-point drubbing at the hands of a Golden Lions team missing a bunch of their best players is not the way to start a tour. A massive step up will be required ahead of Saturday's clash with Scotland.
Schalk Brits and Owen Farrell: Team-mates, eh? The strike from Brits was silly but the clapping from Farrell after the yellow card was childish. That said, what should we expect from a front rower and a 21-year-old?
Below-strength Western Force: There must be a few players in Perth who are spewing after the being denied a once-every-twelve-years chance to play the Lions. For what? To save themselves for clash with the Waratahs which – win or lose – is almost certain to leave them rooted to the bottom of the Aussie conference table anyway.
Wallaby setbacks: The injury list in Australia is verging on a state of crisis. Everyone wants to see a contest worthy of the wait, let's all hope Robbie Deans doesn't get any more of those messages from the medical staff.
Ali Williams: As if constantly berating the referee wasn't enough, the 6ft7', 118kg Blues skipper's scrap with 5ft 5', 75kg Highlanders scrum-half Fumiaki Tanaka didn't impress anyone.
Compiled by Ross Hastie