Three Points
Pocock v Hooper still as clear as mud
Brett McKay
May 6, 2015
Brumbies 10-13 Waratahs (Australia only)

Round 12 of Super Rugby saw the Waratahs take the chocolates but not the Australian conference lead in Canberra, while the Stormers' shock loss to the Cheetahs saw them overtaken by the Bulls in South Africa.

We saw the thumping that probably ended the Sharks season, while the Hurricanes' ninth win of the season means that the Crusaders' run home just got that much harder. Some might even say, 'too hard'.

Here were a few things that stood out in Round 12.

Pocock v Hooper remains clear as mud

Immediately after the Brumbies-Waratahs slugfest in Canberra on Friday night, I was able to point my ABC Grandstand mic toward victorious Waratahs coach, but confused Wallabies coach, Michael Cheika and raise the big talking point:

"The Pocock/Hooper equation didn't get any clearer tonight?" I asked him.

Immediate chuckle from the coach. It was obvious he enjoyed the No.7s battling it out as much as anyone.

"No, no, I think they both just had really good games, and a bit of blood spilt. It was good," Cheika said with a straight bat and a massive grin on his face.

So what did we learn from the head-to-head? Well, in all honesty, nothing we didn't already know.

Michael Hooper (C) and David Pocock (L) were never too far away from each other in Canberra © Getty Images
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Pocock was outstanding over the ball, and Hooper was a handful in attack. Both players made the same number of runs and a similar number of tackles, but Hooper made more metres, while Pocock forced more turnovers. And Michael Cheika still has a tough decision to make, which explains his immediate and large smile when the topic was raised.

We may get an idea in the coming weeks, however, as both Pocock and Hooper test themselves against international counterparts. Pocock is in South Africa now, preparing to face the likes of Schalk Burger and the entire back-row of Lions tackling machines. Hooper can measure himself against another fine Aussie No.7, Matt Hodgson, before facing the Sharks' Marcel Coetzee and the Crusaders' master and apprentice: Richie McCaw and Matt Todd.

But is great to be blessed with the choice of quality options, and that's not to exclude Liam Gill, Hodgson, and even one George Smith from the discussion, either.

Melbourne Rebels of 2015 v Western Force of 2014

Last season, in that golden run that had everyone excited about rugby in Perth, Western Force's nine wins included the scalps of the 2012/2013 champion Chiefs, the champion Reds of 2011, and eventual 2014 winners, the Waratahs.

The Melbourne Rebels this season have already beaten both the Crusaders and Brumbies away, and now the Chiefs on Saturday night. Along the way, they've also picked up losing bonus points against the Brumbies, Lions, and in the two point loss to the Waratahs in Sydney ten days ago.

Their run home is: Blues, Reds (Away), Stormers (A), Sharks (A), Bulls, Force (A), and there's certainly three very winnable games in there - maybe even four, if we consider the form line of the Sharks currently.

The Rebels have already claimed some major scalps this season © Getty Images
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If the Rebels could snare four wins from their remaining six games, they would equal the Force's best ever season from last year, and would prompt decent discussion as to whose breakthrough season was the more impressive. Nine wins could also push the Rebels north of 45 competition points, and though I still think they'll fall short, bonus points along the way could actually sneak them into the playoffs.

First and foremost though, their focus will just be on the Blues this week, who will be buoyed by their impressive win over the Force in Auckland on Saturday afternoon.

But the Rebels' patience in defence in the second half as the Chiefs threw everything at them will equally hold them in very good stead. That they were able to able to repel the Chiefs is further proof that Tony McGahan's systems, and faith in his young halves, is paying dividends.

And here's proof of the Rebels' defensive rewards coming through. In ten games, they've conceded 19.7 points and 2.4 tries per game in 2015. In the last three weeks since their second bye - where they beat the Brumbies and now the Chiefs, and lost by two to the Waratahs - the Rebels have conceded just 13.7 points and 2.0 tries per game. Their defence kept them in games earlier in the season, but now their defence is winning games.

And here's something else for the Blues to consider: how many of their nine penalties conceded against the Force came within 57 metres of their own posts? That's now in range for Rebels superboot Jack Debreczini.

Would the real Bulls side please stand up

I don't mind admitting that I'm finding it difficult to get a handle on the Bulls currently. They sit second overall, lead the South Africa conference now by four points, and their seven-and-four record puts them in good company in the top six.

But there seems to be the two Bulls teams in operation this year. The team that threw the ball around and ran four tries past the Lions in Pretoria looked -and defended - nothing like the team that lost the gruelling Test-intensity match against the Stormers, and beat the Sharks in similarly stodgy fashion.

The team that beat the Lions looks like it has enough points in it to beat anyone. The team that played the Stormers and Sharks looked bereft of ideas that don't involve attrition.

Bulls 35-33 Lions (Australia only)
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They have the bye this weekend coming, and then head east for the four-week trek through Auckland, Hamilton, Canberra, and Melbourne, before arriving home for the final round. In this current 'Jekyll and Hyde' guise, the Bulls could just as likely arrive home confirmed as South African champions, or with little chance of making the playoffs.

The key to reaching the ten wins that I think will be the minimum number needed to qualify, will be winning at least two games on tour. But with the Blues and Rebels looking a lot better than they did even only recently, a 50% return on tour is no given for the Bulls.

It's all going to come down to which Bulls team boards the plane next weekend.

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