Inter-conference games lead Super Rugby round 4

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — After three rounds made up mostly of derby matches Super Rugby goes inter-continental this weekend as injuries bite and pressure mounts on the tournament's slow starters.

Only two of the six matches in the fourth round — between the Durban-based Sharks and Johannesburg-based Lions and between the Western Force and Melbourne Rebels — feature teams from the same regional conferences.

The mingling of teams from the Australian, New Zealand and South African regions may provide the first clear indication of the comparative strengths of each conference while the form of teams yet to post a win will be more deeply probed.

At the start of the fourth round, one team from each conference has a perfect two-win record but two of those teams, the defending champion Chiefs and the New South Wales Waratahs, have weekend byes.

The Sharks, who are two from two in South Africa, will defend that record against the Lions, who have won two of three matches, in an early contest for first place in the South African conference.

The Rebels, who sat out the first two rounds and won their opening match last week against the Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs, defend their 1-0 record against the Perth-based Force, at the same time emphasizing the strength of the Australian competition.

The Force are one of only three teams which have yet to post a win after three rounds. Two of those — the Christchurch-based Crusaders and Wellington-based Hurricanes — are in a New Zealand conference which had appeared on paper to be the strongest in the tournament.

The seven-time champion Crusaders have been beaten by the Chiefs and Auckland-based Blues in their first two derby matches while the Hurricanes lost both of their opening matches on tour in South Africa — to the Sharks and the Stormers.

With the Hamilton-based Chiefs unbeaten and the Blues and Highlanders both with 2-1 records, the Crusaders and Hurricanes face early pressure to win to stay with the pace in the New Zealand conference. The coaches of both teams say their early defeats are unfortunate and not a true reflection of their abilities but weekend matches will test those assertions.

The Crusaders surrendered a 17-3 lead last weekend in going down 35-24 to the Blues in a performance which strongly called into question their ability to win a title they haven't held since 2007. Both of the Crusaders' opening matches have made apparent that, in the absence of All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter, their backline lacks players of quality, making their attack plodding and predictable.

The loss of All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, who is out of action for eight weeks with a broken thumb, makes the Crusaders' task more difficult, though McCaw seemed hopelessly out of form before his injury occured.

Assistant coach Dave Hewett said the manner in which the Crusaders gave up a convincing lead last weekend was thoroughly unlike a team which has won seven championships. He said the Crusaders' coaches and players were trying to respond calmly to the failures that performance has highlighted.

"Yes, you can get angry and we are angry and they (the players) are angry," Hewett said. "They are all angry with themselves and they are angry with their performance.

"But the reality is that kicking rubbish bins and kicking the cat and the dog is not going to help anyone. We just have to make sure the message is clear and it is executed properly."

The Crusaders may find the Stormers an easier opponent. The Cape Town-based side was outplayed in most areas last week by the Hurricanes before contriving a last-minute try for a 19-18 win.

That result left the Hurricanes with a single point from their two matches in South Africa, a shortcoming which coach Mark Hammett says will be easily repaired when they return home to host the ACT Brumbies on Friday. Hammett took charge of the Hurricanes three years ago amid much fanfare and promises he would change the "culture" of an underperforming side.

In those three years he has led the Hurricanes to eighth, ninth and 11th-place finishes and confidence in his cultural change is fast fading. The Hurricanes must win on Saturday or potentially face another season of struggle and disillusionment.

"We're not far off," Hammett said. "Certainly that second game, we should have won. We're under no illusions how important it is to start well at home."

The Sharks have won their first two matches under new coach Jake White but face a tough test against the resurgent Lions while the Queensland Reds, against the Cheetahs, will try to restore momentum after last week's heavy loss to the Waratahs.

The Bulls and Blues posted their first wins of the season last weekend and will try to build on those when they meet on Saturday in Pretoria.