The best teams are doing the simple things well
It is no coincidence that the best performing teams in this year's competition are the ones playing good, simple rugby. In an age obsessed with running the ball from everywhere and playing a fast paced game, too many teams are resorting to playing helter-skelter, reckless footy.
Simple is better. Rather than taking a quick tap at a penalty and risking turning the ball over, take the easy 40 metres with a kick down the line. Win your set piece and do not try to overcomplicate, it is after all the most fundamental ball source. Support the runner and protect your own ruck ball, committing to rucks really is not optional if you want to retain possession.
And above all, stick to sensible rugby in general play rather than looking to offload everything and play the game at 100 miles per hour when your team clearly is not skilful enough to do so.
Defence still wins games
Just look at the Chiefs. They have been under the pump for sustained periods, but they just tackle and they tackle and they tackle. It was this that saw the Highlanders held to just seven points in a prolonged period of attack on Friday night, and was also what saw the Cheetahs held to just three earlier in the season in a very similar situation.
There are two components to a good defence. One is to have a good pattern and to be well organised, while the other is simply to show a bit of ticker and make your tackles. Good defences have both. Look no further than Friday night to see that.
Sometimes you need to create your own luck
So often we bring luck into play in sport. Whether it be "unlucky" decisions, or the other team scoring a lucky try because their player just happened to be there.
But there are ways to create your own luck - such as not putting yourself into positions to be the victim of a poor decision, or by convincing the referee that you are the team on top, or by cutting simple mistakes out of your game.
Look at recent trends. The calls generally do not go the way of teams that aren't committing numbers to the breakdown, so if you are not going to commit players to this area, don't run the ball from deep in your own half. Chase kicks hard, that way you may get a lucky bounce. Put pressure on when defending and try to capitalise on a mistake like the Chiefs and Cheetahs have been doing.
No results can be taken for granted
This has been a stumbling block for so many teams already this season, particularly New Zealand and South African teams playing Australian teams. The Australian teams have been widely regarded as among the weakest in the competition and you get the feeling that they are being underestimated.
But recent results indicate that you can ill-afford to do this. This weekend we have seen the Reds beat the Bulls, a week after having lost to an abysmal Force side. The Brumbies beat Sharks in South Africa last week, while the Blues fell to the Waratahs in the Sunday game this week.
The bottom line: do not write off anyone. You do not want to drop winnable games because of poor preparation.
A sleeping giant has awoken
It is hard to read too much into a home win over the Kings, but even so the Crusaders have shown enough over the past two weeks to make it clear that they are well and truly back.
They are playing simple rugby, but it is very effective and their ability to be clinical is making sure they get the most out of what they are creating.
The forward pack is looking exceptionally good, getting on the ball carrier quickly and getting at least three players to each ruck to retain possession. They are running strongly, with Kieran Read in particular proving tough to pull down, while the set piece is simple but wins the ball.
Their backline is beginning to operate well too, with the back three looking dangerous and Daniel Carter starting to find the form that has made him one of the best in the world for so long. They have a trip to South Africa ahead and will be without Carter, but if they can continue showing this form they will be very hard to beat wherever they play.
