Rugby: Points table happy reading for Chiefs

Chiefs captain Craig Clarke will be relaxed this weekend as his team enter the June break as competition leaders. Photo / Getty Images

Chiefs captain Craig Clarke has revealed himself to be a keen student of the points table so he will be extremely satisfied with his team's lot as he prepares for a weekend off.

The Chiefs' bye will add four points to their total, putting them on 56 and meaning they will enter the June break as competition leaders. The Bulls and Brumbies, their closest rivals, are on 50 points heading into this weekend's round.

After the Chiefs beat the Crusaders in Hamilton last weekend, rather than trot out the usual one-game-at-a-time line, Clarke said the points table was indeed part of his team's thinking in preparation. The honest response reflected what many suspected.

"We do actually talk about how we sit on the table and situations of who plays who - if we beat this crew what happens to the gap we have at the top," Clarke said.

The Chiefs are certainly sitting pretty. With matches to come against all the New Zealand franchises bar the Highlanders, Dave Rennie's men can afford to lose one and still top the New Zealand conference as after this weekend they will be at least nine points ahead of the Crusaders and Blues, their nearest conference rivals.

They looked vulnerable in losing to the Reds and Waratahs on consecutive weekends and faded badly in their victories over the Sharks and Rebels, but the 28-19 win over the Crusaders at Waikato Stadium should have blown those doubts away. Their latest performance has put a new complexion on their season - suggesting they do have the firepower to go all the way again.

Rennie is also likely to get some reinforcements after the break. Midfielders Tim Nanai-Williams (stomach ulcer) and Andrew Horrell (sprained ankle) should be back in the frame, as well as fullback Gareth Anscombe (broken foot) and prop Ben Afeaki (sprained calf).

Playmaker Aaron Cruden is likely to get a lighter workload with the All Blacks over the next month and he is due for a rest, having started every match for the Chiefs over the past two seasons. Just as he had a small respite in sight - sitting on the reserves bench for the Force match at Pukekohe - Anscombe went down.

Last season the Chiefs finished the regular season atop the New Zealand conference but second on the table behind the Stormers, who lost only two matches. The South Africans were undone by the Sharks in the semifinal in Cape Town, a fine effort by the men from Durban who had beaten the Reds in Brisbane in the qualifier the week before.

No wonder they faded in the Hamilton final. It really was a travel schedule from hell but could provide a glimmer of hope for coaches Todd Blackadder and Sir John Kirwan, who, if their teams do make the play-offs, are likely to be travelling.

The Bulls remain ominous but Clarke and Co this weekend have the luxury of resting, and watching to see how the points table plays out before the final push.