SupeRugby Round 17 Recap:

And then there were seven fighting for six places. The only real surprise out of this weekend were the Lions. They came at the Sharks so hard that it took them about an hour to recover from the initial shock. This weekends games are going to be massive as the Bulls, Sharks and 'Tahs fight for two positions. The rest are fighting for prime positioning on the log.

• After all the controversy surrounding the Hurricanes this week it was good to see the players in the middle of it stepped up. It was however a rather tame game but you would have thought the chiefs would have finished the 'Canes off with a 10 point half time lead. It was however not to be and the 'Canes fought back well for a draw. Points level at 18 all.
• The Brumbies made short work of the Rebels at Canberra. The Rebels were never really in it apart from a tiny little burst around the 60th minute. The Brumbies however never lost control and ran in five tries to the two from the Rebels. Brumbies winning 32-17.
• The Crusaders too the Blues down in Timaru to take top spot in the NZ conference by one point. The Crusaders were briefly behind in the early parts of the first half but pulled it together and never looked back. Crusaders winning 23-16.
• Both the Waratahs and the Highlanders were in a battle to secure a play off position when they clashed in Sydney. It was the Aussies that clearly wanted it more as they ran in five tries to one. Tom Carter scored a hat trick of tries as he was clearly enjoying his new position at outside centre. Waratahs winning 33-7
• What an epic battle this game was. The Force were in a great position to shut out the table toppers but just could not withstand the pressure that they were put under. The Force deserved the win but the Reds earned it. It was a great game and the result came down to missed conversions by the Force. reds winning 24-21
• The Sharks might as well have been on the bus for the first 40. That is the only way to explain why they only started playing from the 53rd minute. The Lions were great and they showed why I believe they will be a great outfit next season. They made one mistake though, and that was when the Sharks woke up after 53 minutes it seemed that the opposite happened to the home team. The Lions did not register a single point after the 48th minute and leaked 21 points to allow the Sharks to earn a draw. I fell the Sharks have thrown their season away with this result but lets see the fighting spirit against the Bulls. 30-30
• Although there were only two tries in the game it was one of the most exciting games to watch. The first half was as boring as they come with only three penalties kicked in 40 minutes but the second half came alive albeit only from the 65 minute. Bryan Habana nearly stole the show in the dying seconds but could not escape the pace of Bjorn Basson. Bulls winning 19-16

This weeks action is going to be heartbreaking for some as there is a fight for the top two positions as well as just a place in the knock outs. What will SupeRugby deliver for us this week, the last of the league stages?

Player of the Week: Tom Carter
Team of the Week: The Lions
WTF of the Week: The Sharks seemingly flushing the competition down the toilet.