Super Rugby: Who Are the Real Contenders After 3 Rounds?

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at Internationaled.org

Published: March 6, 2011

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All unbeaten and holding the top three positions on the ladder, the Highlanders, Sharks and Stormers are the front-runners three weeks into the 2011 Super Rugby competition.

It is the Highlanders though that have set the benchmark in the early stages with wins over the Hurricanes and Chiefs, as well as an impressive win over the defending champion Bulls side at Loftus Versfeld.

The Bulls hadn't lost at their home ground of Loftus since 2008, making the win even more impressive.

The southerners have completely blown their opposition off the park in their three games, smashing teams up front, allowing them to win good ball for their backs.

It seems things have finally taken a turn for the better at the Highlanders. Whether they can go the distance remains to be seen, but if they keep playing the way they are at the moment they will be tough to beat.

The Sharks and Stormers are both unbeaten and have looked good as well although their competition hasn't been quite at the same level as that of the Highlanders.

How they go in the coming weeks will show how good they truly are. Both sides look to have strong forward packs which will be their strengths as the competition progresses, and, like last year, will rely on strong defences as opposed to a good attack.

Much hype had surrounded the Waratahs as they entered their match against the Crusaders on Friday night.

This was premature as their opponents hadn't been the strongest and they had been found wanting too often only to be bailed out by a poor option from their opposition. This proved to be the case as a lack of forward dominance saw them struggle to maintain any sort of control against a dominant Crusaders team.

This will be the Waratah's downfall this year and may have to rely on each on the automatic playoff berth rule for each conference winner to progress any further.

It hasn't been entirely smo...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Rugby Union

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