Are the Sharks Super Rugby Champions Elect?

North Shore's massive South African community would have been delighted by the performance and final result of last night's thrilling Super Rugby game which saw the Sharks beat the hosts, Blues 29-23 and maintain their lead on top of the overall Super Rugby ladder.

Despite playing a game more than the rest - they along with the Lions, Cheetahs and Bulls started a week earlier than the rest of the competition, the Sharks have surely secured the South Africa conference and are set for a home semifinal at least after a tour to Australia and New Zealand which finished with a 3-1 record - their only loss was to the Brumbies and one of their wins included a historic first ever win against the Crusaders in Christchurch.

The style of rugby the Sharks play may not be the most attractive, but it is clinical and effective. The Sharks are very much playing in the mould of their coach, Jake White - they may not have the flair of Jake White's previous side, the Brumbies but they have plenty of grit and determination as shown by last night's win and also the win in Christchurch where they won despite playing with a man disadvantage - even two - at times.

It is quite funny how in a season where the rest of the South African conference has been decidedly average while the New Zealand and Australia conferences have been highly competitive, a South African team is the one leading the pack.

But the Sharks definitely deserve to be there and rugby fans from the Kwazulu-Natal area are hoping that after making so many finals - and even hosting one - this will finally be the year that the Sharks are Super Rugby champions. And they would be quite deserved champions in a region that is mad about rugby.

As for the Blues, they are out of the playoff reckoning as a result of this loss and deservedly so after a pre-season where the focus seemed to be on the failed Benji Marshall experiment and what coach John Kirwan had to say, rather than in key flaws like a lack of a proper first five and discipline. There is a lot of talent in the Blues camp but that has been said for so long about the Super Rugby franchise with the biggest population base in New Zealand.

JK still has a bit more work to do and his job should be safe - perhaps solidity and consistency is what the Blues need to be Super Rugby contenders on a more frequent basis, rather than just during World Cup years.