Once the local rugby season starts full on and Super 12 is on at the same time I almost feel overdosed on the game by the weekend's end. Is it just me or does anyone else get that 'it's all blending into one' feeling at times?

On Friday night the Chiefs thumped the Cats 45-14 in Hamilton, Byron Kelleher starring by scoring two tries for the NZeders.

The Bulls forwards came out again this week determined to take no prisoners in their game against the Reds. Who can blame them? The formula served them well in the previous round against the Crusaders, and it again proved very effective against the lacklustre Reds with the Bulls having a convincing 32-7 win, picking up a bonus point in the process.

The Auckland Blues should thank Xavier Rush for their flattering final scoreline finish of 36-13 over the Sharks. There were mistakes aplenty in this encounter, and for the majority of the game the game could have gone either way. In the last quarter though, Rush stepped up to the mark and led by example to directly help his team bung on three quick tries to finish the game and pick up a bonus point.

The Brumbies blew their Round 8 game down in Canberra trailing the Waratahs 6-10 at the end of the 80 minutes. This was not a good game to watch, but the Tahs got the points on the board to win in a game that saw George Gregan break his leg - meaning of course that he's now out for the rest of the Super 12 season. Good win for the Waraths!

The Crusaders cruised to a whopping 51-23 victory over the Stormers. Ouch! They might start the season slowly, but once they get going it doesn't take them long to get up near the top does it? In the second half of this game they ran in 7 tries and 48 points! Reminds me of that old joke about what Hirohito said when the atomic bomb landed... They're now in second place on the ladder. I think I'll have to try to get over to Jade to watch them play a game this season - awesome performance.