Who would have thought the bookies could have got it so wrong? Who could have imagined the home sides struggling so much in the opening round?
No one really. Hence round 1 of Super Rugby surprised many with a number of interesting results. Check out the review of each game below:
Crusaders v Rebels
The Crusaders continued their sloppy starts in Super Rugby to fall to the Rebels at home in a dull game littered with errors and disciplinary indiscretions. When the number of yellow cards is the same as the number of tries you know you’re in for difficult viewing and that’s exactly what Friday nights opener was. Especially for Crusaders fans who were left frustrated by a disjointed effort and another injury to the Daniel Carter.
The Rebels already look a better team this year. Some strong off season recruitment and an unbeaten pre-season has instilled a belief that could see the Rebels win more overseas games in 2015.
Brumbies v Reds
If the Crusaders were bad, then the Reds were abysmal. Taking nothing away from the dominant Brumbies outfit who were clinical in all facets, it has to be said that the Reds were the most disappointing of all sides on show this week. They can’t possibly make the Top 6 on this evidence. Karmichael Hunt was outdone by Matt Toomua, and David Pocock, Scott Sio and Robbie Coleman were immense in the massacre.
Stephen Larkham’s men are incredibly well coached. Their set piece was incredibly organised, and their backline penetrative in a strong indication they’ll go a long way this year.
Lions v Hurricanes
Chris Boyd got his coaching tenure underway by overseeing a Hurricanes victory over the Lions at the daunting Ellis Park (Johannesburg). This was another in the “not overly entertaining” category as the Lions failed to turn big possession into points and were eventually outdone by tries to TJ Perenara and Matt Proctor.
One of the finds of the competition last year, Marnitz Boshoff, was uncharacteristically wayward with the boot, which impacted his side’s ability to win the territory battle. For the Hurricanes their back row took the pundits over the much fancied backline.
Blues v Chiefs
In one of only a few matches we correctly predicted the Chiefs got by the Blues at Eden Park by 23-18. Sonny Bill Williams picked up Rugby where he left off two seasons ago and had a hand in both of the Chiefs’ tries. Debutant Damien MacKenzie got the better of Ihaia West in the battle of the young number 10’s, and James Lowe was terrific on the wing for the men from Hamilton. West’s boot was the only source of points for the Blues, who in truth didn’t have that many opportunities in attack and when they did West kicked it away. The Blues face an interesting next week on whether to go with West again or whether to entrust the retuning Dan Bowden to provide the spark at first five-eighth.
Sharks v Cheetahs
This was by far and away the best game of the round. Both teams played with energy and enterprise and only a Marcell Coetzee error settled the match in the Cheetahs favour. The Cheetahs bonus point win on the road is a major coup for the prior year also-rans. This should have been a difficult game for the Cheetahs away from home, but they remained undaunted by the heavily fancied Sharks and produced an upset that highlights their credentials for the season ahead.
Bulls v Stormers
We actually thought both these teams might do alright this Super Rugby season and if Saturday’s opener is anything to go by they are both right on track. Beating the Bulls in Pretoria is no mean feat, so fair play to the Stormers who got by relatively comfortably in the end, winning 29-17. The Bulls were unbeaten at home last year, and will need to get back on track quickly if they are to feature in the qualifying rounds of the tournament. Handre Pollard will ensure that though, now that he doesn’t have to face Duane Vermeulen again for a bit.
Waratahs v Force
In what was probably the single biggest shock of the round, the defending champion NSW side lost at home to the Western Force. In a performance that mirrored the Crusaders limp effort, the Waratahs never got going and failed to shake off the early season rust in any aspect of their play. It’s certainly no cause for panic, as early season woes have been seen across the board in round 1, but the lack of enthusiasm on display from some of the top teams is an unusual trend. Here’s hoping the Tahs can shake of the early season woes, and the Force can continue their hard tackling and committed efforts throughout the season.
