Crusaders fan Tim Cronin from RugbyShirts.net has a look at the early Super Rugby form…
After the first full round of Super Rugby for 2013 we've now had a chance to see every team except the Crusaders in action, so here are my initial opinions on each of the sides.
The Blues got new coach Sir John Kirwan's tenure off to the best possible start with an away win against the Hurricanes, and look to be a genuine force to be reckoned with. Pre-season the expectation was that Kirwan's young side would struggle, but it now looks as though there could be five quality sides battling for position in the New Zealand conference.
The Brumbies are the early pace setters in the Australian conference, with Jake White having created a near-impenetrable defensive structure. New signing David Pocock has already been prominent for the Canberra-based side, and they must surely be considered the early-favourites to top the Aussie conference.
Commentators were suggesting the Bulls' ageing squad may have run out of steam, particularly given their lacklustre finish to last season, but a resounding defeat of the highly-fancied Stormers on the weekend put those theories to bed. The Springbok-laden Bulls were back to their formidable-best, and will be contenders when the business end of the season rolls around.
The Cheetahs were competitive against the Sharks, although a late rally did make the narrow margin a little deceptive. A team that won't win many, but will earn plenty of bonus points along the way, and will tip over one or two of the top dogs before the season ends.
Can the Chiefs defend their title without Sonny Bill Williams? If Friday night is anything to go by the answer is yes. A stacked Highlanders team was favoured to win in Dunedin, but the Chiefs slipped straight back in to the captivating, expansive style of play which won them their first title last season, and they look set for another highly-competitive campaign.
The Force are terrible.
Despite having recruited heavily over the off-season, Jamie Joseph's Highlanders still lack depth in a number of positions, and this was exposed in their very first outing. In addition, the introduction of so many new players means the side will take some time to gel, with their midfield combination, complete with All Black star Ma'a Nonu, looking lost at times. A disappointing start for a much-hyped team.
The Hurricanes should really have won on the weekend. They had an inexperienced Blues side on the ropes, but failed to put them away. Plenty of X-factor out there, but Saturday's performance showed they might still lack the ability to finish opponents off. Another side who will be disappointed by their first hit-out.
The Kings rode a wave of emotion on the weekend to win their first game of Super XV rugby. Playing an expansive, free-flowing style of play the got up over the Force, but then again the Force are terrible.
The Rebels are terrible too, just slightly less-so than the Force.
The Reds bounced back from their first round loss to the Brumbies to beat traditional rivals the Waratahs and kick-start their campaign. Quade Cooper is controlling the game reasonably well, and with Will Genia to come back the Reds will be there or thereabouts when the Playoffs begin.
The Sharks were ho-hum against the Cheetahs, outclassing their compatriots but failing to really put them to the sword. They'll be better for the hit out though, and I still think they'll be serious contenders for the title this year.
The Stormers were the big losers on the weekend, suffering a heavy defeat in the most talked about game of the round, and looking poor in doing so. Their famous defence only leaked one try, but their ill-discipline allowed Morne Steyn to punish them time and time again, and despite scoring two tries of their own they offered little to excite fans of running rugby, and may have to rely on grinding out wins this year.
New recruit Israel Folau was impressive on the weekend but failed to inspire his Waratahs side to victory as the New South Welshmen went down to the Reds, thanks in no small part to a scoring blitz early in the first half. It was a reasonably tepid display from the 'Tahs, and while they'll battle away with the Reds and the Brumbies for honours in the Australian conference they look unlikely to challenge the big guns from New Zealand and South Africa for the overall title.
With all that said, it's early days, and plenty more questions will be answered in the next few weeks. In Round 3 the most notable match-ups include the Crusaders kicking off their campaign away to the young, exciting Blues, and the Stormers travelling to Durban to meet the Sharks in another mouth watering clash in the Republic.
Tim Cronin is a Rugby fan and full time writer based in the rubble of the Canterbury Crusaders’ home town, Christchurch. Tim is a part of the Pukeko Sportsteam, where his role is watching, writing, and complaining about all things rugby.
