As the rugby season grinds on, it’s worth reflecting on what has been.

Here are the rugby truths we’ve learned:

A team doesn’t always play in the image of its coach.

Were this true, the Brendan Venter-Gary Gold combination would produce flamboyant rugby and the Lions would be dour and conservative.

Instead, the opposite has been true. Johan Ackermann was never the most cavalier of players, in personality or deed, but he’s flipped the switch on the Lions.

Entertainment underpins everything they do and they play with an exuberance that goes against the grain of SA rugby. The Lions are a tightly-knit bunch and their loyalty and trust feeds into the splendid rugby they produce.

There’s still a gaping hole at 13.

Assuming that Jean de Villiers reclaims his place in the Bok team at inside centre, it leaves a massive vacancy at 13. Both Damian de Allende and Jan Serfontein have been playing at inside, so there’s no form to speak of at 13.

Juan de Jongh has been encouraging, but his size and defence count against him. JP Pietersen has done a job of sorts for the Sharks, but the form man is uncapped Lionel Mapoe, a retreaded wing.

Injuries blighted his ambitions, but he’s been a revelation for the Lions this season, offering pace and sharp attacking instincts. If nothing else, he’s worth a look.

The black tide is a reality.

The question of transformation is never far away in SA sport. Rugby routinely cops it for not including enough black players.

The numbers still don’t stack up, but the signs point to the slow revolution finally taking hold. Last weekend the Stormers started with seven black players. No-one blinked, which is a sure sign that we are probably growing up. At last.

Age-group teams are packed with black players and almost every weekend a new black player is introduced to Super Rugby. It’s not to say the game has transformed, but it suggests franchises and coaches are finally doing the right thing.

Tragedy if form not rewarded.

It used to be that players who put their hand up in the early season would guarantee a favourable nod from the Bok coach later in the year. But the Bok squad is largely a closed shop nowadays. You must bang the door down to get a look-in.

This is a great shame for players like Warren Whiteley, Vincent Koch and Jaco Kriel, unfancied blokes who have smashed their way into the public consciousness through compelling play.

It’s true that SA’s rugby depth is generally outstanding, but players need to know that there isn’t a glass ceiling stunting their ambition.

New Zealand still the standard bearers.

As much as it grates, New Zealand remain the unrivalled kings of Super Rugby.

Our sides beat them on occasion, but you always get the feeling that our best can never quite match theirs. The speed with which they move the ball, the clever angles and their attacking mindset is magnificent. I’m often surprised we win at all, but sheer bloody-mindedness has its virtues.

They have their wobbles – Blues, take a bow – but pound-for-pound they are streets ahead of the rest. Nothing new there.

Cheika offers full value.

Watching Super Rugby is worth it, if only to see the look on Michael Cheika’s lived-in face when his team is losing.

The Waratahs (and Wallaby) coach knows his oats, but is as combustible as they come. Last weekend, as he watched his team blowing their chance against the Lions, he was back to his miserable, tempestuous best. And then he refused to front up at the press conference. Just as we have come to expect.

Rugby’s law book is in tatters.

The confusion around the laws, or applying them, continues to damn Super Rugby. It’s not so much that referees get it wrong, but the inconsistency that rages. It is arguably the biggest stain on the tournament because it affects players and fans directly.

Allied to this is the capricious nature of disciplinary proceedings. Some of the punishments are so arbitrary they defy belief. No-one reasonably protests when the book is thrown at a guilty player, but the random nature simply baffles. – © Sunday Tribune