Another very disappointing weekend for South African Super 14 teams, now after three weeks registering 1 win out of  7 (or is it 9) against non South African teams….and none of our sides have even travelled yet. Whets in store when we go abroad. Ouch.

Watching the Blues and Crusaders yet again decimate our sides with sublime running rugby, we SAFFA’s can only be envious of the style of rugby the Kiwi sides in SA are playing. The Blue’s specifically look too brilliant for words and even the Crusaders, traditionally slow starters in Super rugby are going to take some beating as usual.

Nick Evans has found a place in a team deserving of his talent, and in the Blue’s side he will get greater exposure and opportunity to offer New Zealand golden boy, Dan Carter a real challenge for the ABs number 10 jersey. I am by no means a Blue supporter but a keen fan of Evans as an individual.

When you look at what has gone drastically pear shaped for South African teams, their inability to adapt to these new laws which I am still no fan of…poor form coming from our leading players, I have to ask whether any of our teams can turn it around after just three rounds.

The current Super 14 champions, the Bulls have already lost 2 games at fortress Loftus, previously an impregnable and intimidating task for opposition teams to muster. To come to a supercharged Loftus and take on the mighty Bulls in front of  50 000 “Liefling” screaming Bulle fans was a daunting task, even for the strongest teams of Super 14 rugby. Yet even the Loftus atmosphere on Saturday seemed to lack that fear factor locked into the fortress with a a bunch of hungry Bulls and deafening supporters. Their Blou Bull anthem which usually bellows from their speakers seemed to be toned down to suit the on field performance of their battered and bruised team.

Two trouncings in two weeks. How the mighty have fallen

Sadly the Bulls are going nowhere this year. And their misery will increase once they tour. Like the Lions, Cheetahs and Stormers, I rate their chances of reaching the semi finals as zero. They have no hope. Not this season. Will not do it. Will not even come near. Even with Bryan Habana, Bakkies Botha and a few more of their missing stars, the Bulls defence of their first Super 14 title will not mount to much. And I put it down to their appointment of one of the most hapless and useless coaches ever to grace our shores in recent times and that being Frans Ludeke. A coach who doesn't know how to win and a coach who comes from a losing culture, having previously coached the Cats to something like 22 straight losses in a row. Fired by the Lions, and with Heyneke Meyers presumed promotion to the Bok coaching job, a successful franchise like the Bulls snap up this loser. That was the Bulls Super 14 challenge gone before the competition even kicked off. As a fan I was baffled and dumfounded by that appointment. Still haven't gotten over it. That was a good team down the drain for at least this season.

The Cheetahs received a real drubbing from the Blues as many predicted. However I gave them 100% for effort and heart, barring a few slipped tackles. They gave their all against opponents who were streaks ahead of them in class and quality players. I couldn't get angry with the Cheetahs simply because they lack the quality personal to match the big teams in the Super 14. They simply do not have the guys, yet in a losing effort, hopelessly outclassed, the Cheetahs still tried and never gave up, at times producing with all their limitations, positive and attractive rugby and some stunning tries. Only one of their players in Juan Smit is a current Springbok and a further two in Meyer Bosman and Kabamba Floors have previously donned the green and gold. None of their other players have ever been near Bok colours.

Having lost a string of talent, the Cheetahs cupboard looks very bare and when they line up against a star studded Blues side with big names like Rockoko, Nick Evans, Nick Williams, Troy Flavell ….it is simply unreasonable to expect a team with limited talent to beat the Blues, let alone run them close. The Blues on the other hand showed South African fans exactly how to run their opponents ragged with a classy performance that was simply awesome. Blue supporters must surely be enjoying Super 14 Rugby, 2008.

The Lions are in a similar boat to the Cheetahs and at the moment are just far too short on the big guns. No Boks in their lineup. They should have a very interesting game against a very bruised and battered Bulls this weekend.

The Stormers, well, they always promise so much and deliver so little. Of the three sides mentioned so far, the Stormers are the one team who can turn it around. And they do have the personal to do it. Plenty of talent around, couple of Boks in the mix, some world class players in Schalk Burger and Jean de Villiers. Some lightning speedsters in Geo Aplon and Tonderai. Two useful scrummies in Ricky Januarie and Bolla Conradie.  And of course a wily coach in Rassie Erasmus. No reason why they cant salvage something from this season. Then again, they are the Stormers. Definitely South Africans most disappointing team of recent years when it comes to the promise they provide and how incredibly short of that they fall. Bring in the Spears at their expense and draft their wealth of talent to other unions and you will see the impact their players will make.

Lastly, the Sharks. South Africa’s only real prospect. Soon as all our teams slide further and further down the log, supporters of other franchises will have to get behind the Sharks as this country’s last hope. BUT again, a team which looks powerful on paper has played some pretty crap rugby and have looked woefully off form this season…that was at least up until the last 7 minutes against the Bulls on Saturday when they suddenly burst into life and looked…well…more Shark like. They decimated the Bulls with three outstanding tries and sent the Bulls into the tunnel with ego’s badly dented after some dirty liberty’s taken by their players. A cheap shot punch by Jaco Engels on Johan Muller was deserving of at least the humiliating defeat they received at the hands of the Sharks. JP Nels spear tackle on Frans Steyn deserved to cost his side three tries.

But hopefully in those last stunning minutes, the Sharks may have rediscovered the Shark brand of rugby that has made them the mostly widely supported franchise in South Africa. This Saturdays match up against an in form Blues side will answer that dodgy question. Have the Sharks turned the corner in terms of form. Well, give us one star in an otherwise dark sky.