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Deputy Editor, espn.com.au- Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia's digital rugby coverage.
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Special to ESPN- John Goliath is a long-suffering Tottenham Hotspur fan, who likes to watch running rugby on sunny days at Newlands. He also wishes he could hit low stingers off the tee like Tiger Woods.
Super Rugby begins to take a little more Test significance during the month of May as the likes of Steve Hansen, Michael Cheika and new-Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus monitor the form of their frontline players and pray there are no serious injuries.
The Round 12 action begins in Hamilton where the Jaguares are eyeing off a perfect Australasian tour. A date with the Chiefs in Rotorua is easily their toughest assignment of those four games to date, and will be a real measure of whether they're capable of securing a maiden playoffs berth.
The Lions are also now in New Zealand, stung by last week's shock loss to the Reds. Beating the Hurricanes in Wellington is a far tougher challenge, as is the Rebels' pursuit of a third victory over the Crusaders.
Read on for some of the key storylines for Round 11.
Australian Conference
If Tahs can't be Blues, send Aussies to America
Having taken a game to the SCG last month, NSW Waratahs will break new ground once more when they run out onto Brookvale Oval on Sydney's northern beaches on Saturday night. Ironically, the team whom they accommodated by vacating Allianz Stadium, Sydney FC, failed to make the A-League grand final. That's sport, I guess.
But that shouldn't worry Waratahs powerbrokers, for this is a move they should have made some time ago. The crowds that have ventured to the venue for Waratahs trials over the past two years have been excellent, and the reward is a competition fixture proper.
There are some concerns about the playing surface however, with three NRL players suffering ACL injuries already this season. The only other disappointment is that Blues and All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams remains injured; his inclusion may have enticed a few more non-rugby types to Manly come Saturday night.
But it remains the standout game of the weekend regardless as hope abounds - on the western side of the Tasman Sea anyway - that Australia's long run of outs against New Zealand might finally be at an end. An Australian side has not beaten New Zealand opposition in 36 games, the last Aussie victory being the Waratahs' 45-25 triumph over the Chiefs on May 27, 2016. It has been brutal viewing ever since.
So the Waratahs head into Round 12 with somewhat of an expectation that they will finally stop the rot, particularly given the Blues' struggles which are partly been due to a wretched run with injury. Coach Tana Umaga is facing a huge fight to keep his job, a prospect that won't have been helped by last week's loss to the Jaguares at home, yet it's hard not to feel just a little for the All Blacks great due to an injury ward that has extended to as many as 19 players this year.
Umaga has this week welcomed back All Blacks Patrick Tuipoluto, Jerome Kaino and Blues skipper Augustine Pulu, offering the Auckland franchise a little relief. But there is no hiding from the fact that this game represents the best opportunity for an Australian side to step up and perform, and begin the long process of earning back some Super Rugby respect.
Adding to the contest is the return of Israel Folau whom Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson has switched back to fullback. It will be Folau's first game since he was hauled before Rugby Australia, and then let off without sanction, over his controversial anti-gay comments. Given the stir it caused, Folau will be keen to let his rugby do the talking.
And so must the Waratahs. For if they can't beat the Blues this weekend then all four Australian sides might as well be sent to play in a United States Super Rugby conference, as Fairfax Media claims is a possibility for the competition going forward. It could well be pie-in-sky stuff. But if this long run of outs doesn't end this weekend then it may never. Playing against fledgling American opposition might well be all Australian teams deserve.
Match Centre: Rebels vs. Crusaders
Match Centre: Waratahs vs. Blues
New Zealand Conference
Welcome back Richie Mo'unga
The Crusaders remained in Australia following their victory over the Brumbies last weekend, the defending champions spending a few days in Sydney before venturing south to Melbourne on Thursday.
Coach Scott Robertson wasn't exactly thrilled with his side's performance in Canberra, but having had two players sent to the sin bin, including a seven-minute period when both Scott Barrett and Ryan Crotty his the plastic chair, the Crusaders happily took the four points and moved on.
Never one to sugarcoat an opinion, Robertson gave an honest appraisal when asked about the state of Australian rugby and its obvious lack of depth. Declaring the next month of tran-Tasman games to be a litmus test for the Australian conference, Robertson quipped "there's a headline for you, mate".
Depth has never been an issue at the Crusaders while Robertson has done an outstanding job of introducing new players over the past two seasons, a decision forced upon him in 2017 through injury; but one which inevitably helped them end a 10-year wait for an eighth Super Rugby title.
Last week it was the veteran No.10 Mike Delaney who stepped up, save for one dropped ball behind his own goal-line. Robertson could have started the impressive Mitchell Hunt but he instead went with Delaney. The 21-8 victory suggests it was the right move.
And so to Melbourne on Friday night and the return of All Blacks hopeful Richie Mo'unga. Given Lima Sopoaga's decision to head to Wasps later this year, Mo'unga is in a battle with Damian McKenzie to serve as Barrett's back-up. Given McKenzie's versatility, it's likely he will fill the bench spot should All Blacks coach Steve Hansen return Ben Smith to fullback.
But Mo'unga still needs to hit the ground running from Friday. He has a month of rugby to ensure he at least makes the All Blacks squad and, from a Crusaders perspective, slots straight back in and commands the side in the fashion he did in 2017.
A clash with the Rebels offers the perfect game for a return. The Melbourne side have proven a much tougher opposition this season, largely due to the impact of Will Genia who returns from injury this week, but they still offer attacking teams opportunities with a less than sturdy defence.
Look for Mo'unga to have a big game first up, and Robertson to pull him around the 60-minute mark after two months out with a broken jaw. The Rebels will no doubt test Mo'unga's defence in the midfield channel early on, too. Broken jaws aren't the kind of injuries players quickly forget.
Match Centre: Chiefs vs. Jaguares
Match Centre: Hurricanes vs. Lions
African Conference
Stormers eye revenge against free-flowing Bulls
The Bulls were far too strong for the Stormers when the teams met in their first encounter of the 2018 Super Rugby campaign at Loftus Versfeld. And the way the Pretoria side are playing, only a fool would bet against them prevailing at Newlands this weekend.
But this is the north-south derby and one of the most anticipated fixtures on the South African rugby calendar, especially as the Bulls have again found their mojo under John Mitchell this season.
The Bulls are playing the kind of rugby the Stormers were known for in the late 90s and early 2000s, while the Stormers have gone back to a rather conservative way of playing after coach Robbie Fleck promised to expand their game.
For two years Fleck did just that, as the Stormers played some good rugby en route to two playoff berths. However, the pressure of losing a couple of games early on this year has seen the Stormers go back into their shell.
The Bulls have been playing an expansive style of rugby, and they are certainly not going to hold back at Newlands. Will the Stormers be able to match their bitter rivals in the attacking stakes when they face off on Saturday?
The Cape Town fans will certainly hope so. That is the Stormers' tradition. Not so much the Bulls'.
Match Centre: Stormers vs. Bulls
Match Centre: Sharks vs. Highlanders
It's a big week for ...
Daryl Gibson
Still without a contract for 2019, you can guarantee the odds of one being slipped under Gibson's door in the coming months will lengthen dramatically if the Waratahs fail to win this weekend.
Disgraceful against the Lions a fortnight ago, and hit by Nick Phipps' lack of bladder control, the Waratahs need to turn things around.
If Gibson can't get the best out of them this week, then he never will. It's that simple.