We’re now well into the Super Rugby Pacific season and already we’ve seen a number of fantastic games and some unexpected results involving some of the best sides in Australian rugby union. The added excitement to this year is that it’s essentially a precursor to the upcoming Rugby World Cup in September and many players across the five Aussie teams know they’re playing for a place in the Wallabies’ squad – but of course, also for the chance to claim the Super Rugby title.

So with that, we’ve taken a look in isolation at how each of these teams are doing so far and whether or not an Australian side will indeed be victorious this year ahead of some fierce competition from the New Zealand clubs.

Brumbies

Following a 10-match unbeaten run, Brumbies were recently beaten 35-17 by Crusaders. However, we still expect Brumbies will be a force to be reckoned with across the rest of the season as this defeat came following the resting of six key Test players. When at full strength getting into the play-offs should be a minimum requirement and they’ll be wanting to better the fourth-place finish and semi-final defeat of last season.

Western Force

After narrowly missing out on a top eight and play-off position last year, fans of the Force will be hoping their team can improve on what was a bit of a dismal run. Sadly, things don’t look much better so far and despite two wins, they’re languishing near the bottom end of the table. Another middling season looks on the cards.

Melbourne Rebels

The Rebels underachieved last season and finished in a disappointing tenth place. The benefit here was that the only way is up for the side and there are some early indications they are indeed making progress. A recent, impressive win over the Reds also did a lot for others to turn their heads and take note of the great work interim coach Kevin Foote is doing there. With him at the helm a play-off finish is absolutely obtainable.

Queensland Reds

Although they made the play-offs last year, fans of the Reds felt like they should’ve done better, but this season has yet to show any real signs of that. Their loss to the Rebels has also added yet more pressure to coach Brad Thorn who is already expected to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season. It won’t be a surprise if we see this change coming earlier if their performances don’t improve soon.

New South Wales Waratahs

The Tahs had an average season last year, but ended with some positives in their play-off quarter-finals defeat that fans had hoped they’d build on. However, despite a strong start, the side has suffered some big losses and despite a lengthy injury list they need to improve and get back to the form we expect from them. Despite the issues, a side of the Tahs’ quality should have a play-off spot come the summer.