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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 has reached its midway point for 2018 and turned for home, the Australian and New Zealand conferences well and truly up for grabs across the back end of the competition.
The Lions, meanwhile, are 11 points clear of their African conference rivals. But the Johannesburg franchise this week embark on a four-game Australasian tour that sees them face the Waratahs followed by the Reds, Hurricanes and Highlanders. A good return would be two wins from four, that is anything but a certainty however.
The action begins in Auckland on Friday when the Blues host the Highlanders and wraps up with a rare Sunday afternoon fixture from Canberra.
Read on for some of the key storylines for Round 10.
Australian Conference
No SOS to Quade but Reds must show something in attack
With the Israel Folau story bubbling along south of the border, Queensland Reds have been able to escape the rugby spotlight. But there is a big issue at Ballymore and, so far, they have offered little to no answer as to how it will be addressed. Well that's not entirely true, coach Brad Thorn has at least confirmed Quade Cooper won't be part of the solution to his side's limp attack.
Unfortunately for the Reds, the stats don't lie. At the halfway point of the competition, the Reds are ranked last for tries and points scored. You can't expect to win games with those sorts of numbers, and unless something changes this weekend their surprisingly positive start to 2018 will be nothing more than a distant memory.
So if Quade isn't the answer, then who or what is? Thorn seems intent on sticking with the stable Jono Lance at No.10 and, returning to the stats once more, there may be some method behind that degree of madness.
The Reds aren't complete amateurs when they have the ball, they just need to make better use of it. Ranked ninth for line breaks sand fifth for defenders beaten, the Reds are actually getting in behind the opposition defence. But it's an inability to then turn those opportunities into scoreboard pressure that has seen them lose three straight.
And so the onus must be on Lance. The Reds No.10 needs to command the ball when his side are going forward and, individually, his individual skill execution must get a whole lot better. The forward pass he threw straight to Waratahs winger Taqele Naiyaravoro at the SCG last week was embarrassing. It was not the play of a Super Rugby No.10.
As a team, the Reds must also be prepared to take some risks. This weekend's opposition, the Chiefs, and their in-form playmaker Damian McKenzie are never afraid to attack and, in doing so, can leave themselves exposed on turnover ball.
The Reds are winning the second most turnovers of any team in the competition. That is possession they simply cannot afford to ignore, particularly with the speed of Filipo Daugunu, Izaia Perese and Aidan Toua available out wide.
Match Centre: Waratahs vs Lions
Match Centre: Brumbies vs. Jaguares
New Zealand Conference
All Blacks camp no help to Blues, Sunwolves
Those pesky All Blacks rest weeks are back this season, while coach Steve Hansen has also held a couple of camps to help familiarise his squad with patterns of play ahead of the June series with France.
One of those camps fell earlier this week in Christchurch with players from the Highlanders and Crusaders coming together for a taste of the Test environment.
It is far from the ideal scenario for the two south island franchises, particularly the Highlanders who play Friday and for whom the likes of Ben Smith, Aaron Smith, Waisake Naholo, Liam Coltman, Luke Whitelock and Dillon Hunt were all involved. In short, it robs the Highlanders of a day's preparation.
Coach Aaron Mauger has therefore taken the opportunity to give Aaron Smith a rest, of sorts, in sending the All Blacks ace back to the bench for the trip to Auckland to face the Blues. Hooker Liam Coltman will also ride the pine with co-captain Ash Dixon coming into the front-row.
Given Smith's central role in the Highlanders' game plan, it could foreseeably open up the opportunity for a shock Blues victory. Smith's replacement Kane Hammington plays a similar style of game to the Test No.9 however, and shouldn't have any trouble settling into the Highlanders' system from the opening whistle.
And then there is the Blues' lengthy run of outs against fellow Kiwi opposition, coupled with an injury list that now extends to a staggering 18 players. In other words, if you were considering tipping an upset in Auckland, it might well be worth a second thought.
Meanwhile in Christchurch, the Crusaders have taken the opportunity to rest for Saturday's visit from the Sunwolves. It is the perfect opportunity in which to do so.
Having returned home from an unbeaten two-week tour of South Africa and Argentina, the Crusaders then enjoyed the bye last week. By giving the likes of Sam Whitelock, Codie Taylor and David Havili an extra week off, coach Scott Robertson has effectively been able to give his frontline stars a fortnight's break. That could be crucial for the back half of the competition.
But it won't make things any easier for the Sunwolves who remain winless in 2018 and for whom defence continues to be a significant problem. Things could get really ugly, really quickly for the Japanese side this week; they won't be helped by the fact that Israel Dagg and Owen Franks are both back from injury, too.
Match Centre: Blues vs. Highlanders
Match Centre: Crusaders vs. Sunwolves
African Conference
Before the start of their Super Rugby campaign the Lions would have hoped to embark on their Australasian tour with less than the three defeats currently next to their name.
The second-placed Lions still sit pretty on the combined Super Rugby log with 25 points, two behind the table-topping Hurricanes who have a game in hand. But the South Africans certainly would have wanted at least one or two more wins before going into a rather tough month of rugby.
The Lions have been a bit bipolar in terms of their performances this season. They have regularly mixed the sublime with the awful, and haven't quite been at their clinical best in many aspects of the game.
They were good value at the start of the competition before having a bit of dip, which included defeats to the Blues and Jaguares. But then they ruthlessly dispatched of the Stormers in their previous encounter to show that they are still South Africa's best bet for silverware in this year's revamped competition.
But this tour will determine if they can take that next step and lift the trophy after coming up short in consecutive Super Rugby finals. Matches against the Waratahs, Reds, and especially the Hurricanes and Highlanders will give Lions fans a clearer picture of where their side stands in relation to the competition's front-runners.
The Stormers, Lions and Bulls have all struggled overseas this season. Can the Lions buck that trend?
Match Centre: Bulls vs. Rebels
Match Centre: Sharks vs. Stormers
It's a big week for ...
Israel Folau
He may not be playing at Allianz Stadium this week, but you can guarantee Israel Folau will be shown on the big screen at some stage on Friday night.
The reception he receives from the crowd will be interesting. No matter which side of the debate you sit on, there is no question Folau's anti-gay sentiments have caused an almighty stir far beyond the Australian rugby community. But its rugby's closest stakeholders, specifically the Waratahs supporters base, from whom the immediate reaction will be intriguing.
Will he be cheered or booed? Executives at both NSW Rugby and Rugby Australia should wisely take note, it could help determine his value at the negotiation table.