14 reasons why New Zealand Conference teams are streets ahead

NZ Herald

2 Apr, 2017 05:55 PM3 mins to read

Patrick Osborne of the Highlanders tries to break a tackle against the Rebels. Photo / Getty

The New Zealand Conference powerhouse continues to roll on.

New Zealand's five franchises have been dominating the other conferences in Super Rugby this season with 14 straight wins after another clean sweep over the weekend.

The majority of those wins have come against the Australian Conference.

New Zealand teams are 11-0 against their Australian counterpart this season following four victories over the weekend.

It's got so bad that the two-win Brumbies and their points tally of 11, enough to lead the Australian Conference, would place them well at the bottom of the New Zealand Conference.

And it's not like the Aussies can cry about the New Zealand teams have home advantage. Six of the 11 clashes have been in Australia.

The last Aussie side to win across this side of the Tasman was the Waratahs against the Hurricanes in round 10 in 2015.

The Crusaders have already beaten four Australian sides this season and if they beat the winless Rebels on May 27 they will clean sweep the Aussie Conference for the second straight year. They last lost to an Australian team in round 15, 2015 a 32-22 defeat in Sydney.

The Rebels looks odds-on to lose that encounter having already been defeated four times by New Zealand teams this season - conceding 56 points to the Blues, 71 to the Hurricanes, 27 to the Chiefs and 51 to the Highlanders.

Last season New Zealand teams had a 22 wins, one draw and three losses against the Australian Conference. Adding insult to mediocrity, 13 of those 22 New Zealand wins were by more than 13 points.

It's not just the Australian Conference who face the daunting task of beating New Zealand sides in New Zealand.

Spare a thought for the Sunwolves. After hosting the Bulls this weekend, the Japanese side head to New Zealand where they will face the Crusaders, Highlanders and Chiefs in consecutive weeks.