Two from four, but enough was shown from all of the franchises to suggest that no Australian team will be humbled this year. And as always, a number of key Wallabies stood up for their respective sides.
At the forefront of this was Test captain Stirling Mortlock, who had an impressive match, showing the tactical nous that Robbie Deans needs from an international second five-eighth.
Brumbies
Control, polish and outstanding execution from set plays. The Brumbies brands of play look to shine again under new coach Andy Friend as the ACT based franchise won just their second game at Dunedin’s House of Pain.
Even after conceding three quick tries to the home team, the composure of a team laden with first choice Wallabies showed as they put on a point a minute unanswered run to shut out the rookie home team.
Concern will be had at their inability to score in the last 25 minutes, as well as conceding two late tries to a team that they had tactically shut out of the game. The premier sides of the competition will not be as unfocused as the Highlanders were in the middle stanza.
But the stalwarts of the team stood high.
Stephen Hoiles looked solid with the captaincy, and was supported by the sheer magic of George Smith. The Brumbies midfield was exceptional, with Stirling Mortlock looking to have added some more tricks to his already formidable arsenal.
Force
Two tries in six minutes, the first being wonderful orchestrated by Matt Giteau, showed the class of the Perth-based franchise when they string it together.
The off-field spectre of discontent between coach John Mitchell and the players must be playing on the teams mind, and the curious early second half substitution of Ryan Cross – their best attacking player – exemplified the disgruntlement surely being felt at Subiaco.
Indeed, Subiaco itself has become a bogey ground for its own team, with the Force now sitting at 7 wins from 20 at home.
More aggression and uncompromising brutality (qualities systematic of John Mitchell) will need to be shown as the Force was physically outplayed by the Blues for long period of the game.
Rugby is won and lost at the contact area, and the Force will need to remind themselves of this as the season will only get more arduous.
Waratahs
Despite having the heart of their engine room ripped out from last season due to player movements and injuries, NSW looked ably competitive in their first match of the competition.
Phil Waugh, still questioned as to whether he is the player he once was, reigned supreme as the victorious captain. Despite his team being deserving of harsh scrutiny in the policing of the ruck area, it is fair to say that much of the Waratah’s luck was due to Waugh’s shrewd leadership.
Their tactical imposition on the Hurricanes was impressive, with Sam Norton Knight and Rob Horne in particular looking assured and organised on attack and defence.
But it was their iron curtain in the tight, led by Dean Mumm, that won NSW the game.
With barely 40 percent of possession, and pinned in their own half for nearly three quarters of the game, nothing else but good defence was going to win them the game.
However, teams with more structure and control will test the Waratahs, but if they can eradicate their poor finishing and continue to impress in the set piece despite its heralded 2009 weakness, perhaps they can challenge for a debut title this season.
Reds
Of the Australian teams, Queensland was up against it more than any other team. In the vast surrounds of Pretoria, a pumped Bulls team with their World Cup winners firing up was always going to be a bridge to far for the dynamic, but young Reds team.
But, irrespective of this, the Reds are going to need to learn quickly that unless they can compete up front, it is going to be a very long season.
They missed injured forward Hugh McMeniman’s presence, but number eight Leroy Houston stood up. Though he needed more support.
Marquee player Daniel Braid had a solid game, but his short arm infringements put unnecessary pressure on the Queensland game.
Winger Digby Ioane had an outstanding match, but the Reds will need the electric backline to spark if they are to compete with the more uncompromising teams.
Still, an away match against the 2007 champions was the hardest start for any team of the competition
The Australian Super 14 Team of the Week
15 – Sam Norton Knight, 14 – Digby Ioane, 13 – Rob Horne, 12 – Stirling Mortlock, 11 – Drew Mitchell, 10 – Matt Giteau, 9 – Luke Burgess, 8 – Leroy Houston, 7 – George Smith, 6 – Ben Mowen, 5 –Dean Mumm, 4 – Mark Chisholm, 3 – AJ Whalley, 2 – Stephen Moore, 1 – Al Baxter
sledgeandhammer
Guest
Re Phil Waugh, he's a great warrior and the Waratahs would certainly struggle without him. Having said that he did miss a couple of tackles last weekend which was very uncharacteristic. Hopefully not a sign of things to come.
Matt
Guest
"Brumbies ...Even after conceding three quick tries to the home team, the composure of a team laden with first choice Wallabies showed as they put on a point a minute unanswered run to shut out the rookie home team..." Although I am sure they would be pleased to be thought of in such company, other than Mortlock, Moore and George Smith, I'm not sure how many of the Brumbies players would consider themselves 'first choice Wallabies'. A good summary of week 1 though. Roll on week 2!
Hoy
Roar Guru
I agree with Gits for 12. Who to put inside him is a problem. Or it might not even matter as those of us who it seems so obvious to are ignored by national selectors, and those supposedly in "the know". HA. I am concerned about Barnes keeping on going for the drop. He has a pretty high shot ratio. Almost like Steyn. It is almost like it is always in his head as an option rather a last resort.
Cracker
Guest
Terry I agree with you on Giteau at 10. He is world class in that position but I believe it is not his best position. He served an apprenticeship as inside centre both for ACT and Australia with a natural progression to 5/8. It may be that inside centre is actually the best spot for him and it wouldn't surprise if in the near future that is where he is. Possibly playing outside a more matured Beale or Cooper. Giving Giteau more ball running work as opposed to predominately ball distributing could be very useful as his speed is under-utilised at present. Also he can find himself in a better position to exploit space and defensive chinks. Giteau for 12!
Terry Kidd
Guest
Looking at the 1st fives from all teams I thought that Beale gave the best performance. I thought Beale looked comfortable and confident, and was willing to have a go when the opportunity presented. Good stuff!!! He also gave the ball wide when necessary showing he also has vision. Cooper was rarely noticed in the Reds game, and his 2nd five Barnes seems to have only one option and that is to kick, even attempting drop goals when the attack was on a roll, Bulls defence in disarray and only 20m out, quick ball to the right and the Reds score ... no vision. Lealifano from the Brumbies was ok without setting the world on fire ... solid performance without standing out. Giteau, from what I saw, did do some good stuff without many options at times but I still wonder about him at 1st Five, he still seems to be out of position. Am I not seeing the right things or do others get the same impression?
Cracker
Guest
The Reds are an interesting one. They seem a bit thin on the ground in general play, almost as if they only have six forwards. They need Horwill and McMeniman back badly to give them a bit of grunt. Genia's inclusion in this weeks match is a good one as he provided spark when he came on against the Bulls and kept the defence on their toes. Why aren't the QLD backs running onto the ball? Cooper is dangerous when he does so although this tends to be only from set pieces - when he gets phase ball he rarely runs onto it. Barnes is worse as he does not run onto the ball unless his team has a massive roll on. In doing this they provide no momentum for the backline and thus they have to work even harder for every metre. This is a basic part of rugby and QLD would be much better for it if they ran onto the ball more often.
TommyM
Guest
AJ the pick of the tighheads?!! I'm a Force fan and that's crazy. He's been deservedly dropped from the match 22 this week. Yes, he scored a try (although he almost bungled it) but was absent in the hard stuff and the Force scrum finally stopped going backwards when he was replaced by Takiari. Look for Ben Castle and Gareth Hardy to make a big difference to the Force scrum this week.
LukeR
Guest
The Tahs are a house of cards stacked to dizzying heights. I'm saying this for the record so ya'll remember. Loose Dean Mumm or Phill Waugh, season over. Keep them fit and on the field, not only will the team flourish, but we may well win the title. Why? Phil Waugh leads the pack - the other players look up him. His hard on the ball tactics are perfect ELVs providing refs don't start pulling out the cards and full arms. Dean Mumm leads the lineout - He is also amongst the quickest forwards in world rugby. His performance at 6 last year when Elsom was injured was the crucial lynchpin in the Tahs coming 2nd instead of 8th. The backs have depth. Virtually every position is replaceble to degree. I'm not sure about the backup props - we'll see. If Waugh and Mumm stay on the field - Greg Growden eat your heart out.
LeftArmSpinner
Roar Guru
The Brumbies gave a Jekyll and Hyde performance. The way they came back in the final seconds was good, but giving them 19 points headstart was very poor. Mortlock needs to stay on the field. I think that their pack lacks the necessary mongrel to win the comp. The Force's performance is better than the result suggests. The Blues are a very good team. But, Sharpe didnt really give that full performance that he provided in 2008 for the Force. Cross was injured and they had a good replacement in O'Connor on the bench. The Tahs will go well this year. They are a mature team that is physically tough at the breakdown and in general play. They all have a good work ethic. They have played in the big games, want to go one further than 2008 and I believe are benefitting from the excellent coaching team and facilities they have in Sydney. The Reds are not fully understood. They are improving but, have a long way to go. But winning in SA is tough, particularly first up. We will learn more about them this week. Byrnes needs to stay on the paddock.