Who's hot… and who's not!
The Planet Rugby thermometer is back! Yip, it's time to separate the Dr Jekylls from Mr Hydes from around the world over the past month.
The Planet Rugby thermometer is back! Yip, it's time to separate the Dr Jekylls from Mr Hydes from around the world over the past month.
They're on fire!
Wales: No debate about this one after Warren Gatland's boys confirmed their form at the World Cup was no flash in the pan with a Grand Slam that looked on the cards from Day One. With a starting XV that contains nine players aged 25 and under, Gatland has set his sights on toppling the southern hemisphere giants, starting with Australia in June. We'll have to see it to believe it, but the signs are promising.
Warren Gatland: Barring a monumental twist in his contract negotiations, Gatland will be the next British and Irish Lions coach. What better way to prepare for facing the Wallabies in 2013 than going on tour with a team that is likely to contribute the lion's share of the Lions squad.
Stuart Lancaster: The doubters said he didn't have enough experience at this level. They said he didn't have enough time to rebuild England's squad. Well, the proof is in the pudding, as they say, and after coming desperately close to stealing the Grand Slam thunder from Wales, SL has now been given the full-time England job. Judging by his comments on South African TV, even Nick Mallett thinks the RFU got this one right.
The Stormers: The team from Cape Town are the only unbeaten side left in what is shaping up to be a very tightly contested Super Rugby season. But we've been here before – a good start to a campaign does not necessarily mean success at the business end of the season. No one in the Mother City is counting their chickens just yet, especially after seeing the Bulls smash the defending champs last week. Saturday's showdown at Newlands should be epic.
Clermont: Clermont edged Perpignan 29-23 on Saturday to rack up their 40th successive win at their Marcel Michelin fortress and move a point behind Top 14 leaders Toulouse. Les Jaunards are unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions. Saracens, you've been warned.
Exeter Chiefs: Three cheers for the little guys! Exeter have one of the smallest budgets in the Premiership but a last-minute try at Kingsholm on Friday kept them hot on the heels of Saints and Tigers in the battle for the play-off places. Since November, Chiefs' have won seven of their last eight away games in all competitions.
Wesley Fofana and Dan Lydiate: Our players of the Six Nations. Fofana scored four tries in his first four Tests while tackling-machine Lydiate was – in Warren Gatland's words – the glue which held Wales together. Bright futures await.
Fiji Sevens: Fiji ran in five superb tries to beat New Zealand in the final and secure a record 13th Hong Kong Sevens title. The talent in the stands was pretty hot too…
Sold-out Wembley: Saracens and Harlequins are poised to set a new world record for a club game by surpassing the 82,208 mark set by Munster and Leinster at Croke Park in 2009. Seems like club rugby is alive and well in England.
Get these guys a blanket!
Scotland: Someone pass the Wooden Spoon. You have to feel for Andy Robinson – the Scots did so much right that it seems harsh that they ended their Six Nations campaign win-less. But Test rugby is an unforgiving environment and some of those missed tackles and poor decisions were, well, unforgivable.
Danny Cipriani: Oh Danny, Danny, Danny. What was that all about? The Rebels fly-half showed off his 'progressive dancing' on live TV last Friday, but Digby Ioane is clearly is not. Great try Cips, but leave the 'moves' for the nightclubs.
England's misbehaving youngsters: Coach Lancaster's message has been clear: off-field shenanigans will come at a heavy cost, as Danny Care has found out. Unfortunately some on-field stuff is not helping the new-look squad's reputation and Ben Youngs could well see the one-week ban he got from his club extended by the RFU. We'll reserve comment on the Dylan Hartley ban until all the details have emerged in the written judgment (some have suggested that he had a finger-shaded fish hook in his mouth) but on the face of it, the hooker seems to have gotten off rather lightly.
Munster and Aironi: Shame on Munster for losing to the Pro12's weakest team. Shame on Aironi for following up that historic win with a hiding in Glasgow a week later.
The Blues: After a host of stars arrived in Auckland during the off-season, Pat Lam's side were widely regarded as serious contenders for the Super Rugby crown. Five games later and the Blues are…stone last. We expect a revival soon, but it might already be too late…
Saracans spam mail: Late last month Saracens sent a press release saying that Owen Farrell had extended his contract. Great! But the release contained an ominous line at the bottom explaining that 19 other players has also inked new deals and that details would follow. Cue a steady flow two-line press releases every hour or so for the next two days. What a pain in the…er..mail box.
Compiled by Ross Hastie