Only the Crusaders were happy at home in the 7 Super 14 matches of the weekend!

Of course, the only 2 sides who can really feel satisfied with the 1st round results are the High-stepping Champions, the Bulls and the Crusaders. These 2 winning sides were the only ones to score a full 5 Log Points in their respective wins.

The Hurricanes and Chiefs showed their pragmatic sides in a fairly predictable first round of Super 14 rugby matches over the weekend.

The Blues and Highlanders, the least-favoured of the New Zealand sides, suffered defeats while the strongest sides in South Africa and Australia notched wins in contrasting styles.

Unusually, the Crusaders were the only home side to emerge victorious with their 32-17 defeat of the Highlanders but they are second on the table to the defending champions the Bulls, who raised a half century against 2009 wooden spooners the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

Blues 20 vs Hurricanes 34

Nowhere was the new application of the breakdown rule more evident than in the competition opener at Albany on Friday, where Australian whistler Stu Dickinson dished out 25 penalties.

The majority went to the Hurricanes, who responded with a competition-record nine penalty goals in their 34-20 win.

“The Blues’ fortunes were summed up by a rollercoaster ride for brave new signing Stephen Brett. In the first 40 everything he touched turned to gold as he scored one try and created the other with some wonderful instinctive running”

Blues first five-eighth Stephen Brett ran hot as his team opened up a handy lead but looked fragile in the second spell as the visitors hit the front through their lone try, an intercept to winger Hosea Gear.

Halfback Weepu explained how a halftime tune-up from skipper Andrew Hore led to the Hurricanes exhibiting their, well, mature side.

“In the second half, all the boys were on song, and we played the rugby we’re supposed to be playing.

Force 15 vs Brumbies 24

An ACT Brumbies side missing injured first five-eighth Matt Giteau were still too good for the Western Force in Perth, their 24-15 win perhaps the most uninspiring fixture of a lively opening weekend.

Cheetahs 34  vs Bulls 51

The Bulls stuttered at times but had too many weapons for the Cheetahs in a six-try performance notable for the lights going out for a period midway through the second half. First five-eighth Morne Steyn was back to his old goalkicking tricks, landing 21 points with the boot plus a try.

Crusaders 32 vs Highlanders 17

The Crusaders also finished strongly, leading by one point with 10 minutes before creating tries to wingers Zac Guildford and Sean Maitland.

They led 15-0 early in the second spell but encountered dogged resistance from the southerners, who crossed twice through reserve first five-eighth Michael Hobbs, the scorer of all their points.

The Crusaders probably deserved their four points and victory. They played, in patches, well enough to suggest they will be a force when the title is decided in late May

Highlanders was the big surprise for the 21,000 fans packed into AMI Stadium.

If they build on this, the Highlanders will at the very least bag a hatful of scalps this year.

Reds 28 vs Waratahs 30

The New South Wales Waratahs needed a last-minute try to Wallabies loose forward Wycliff Palu to beat bitter rivals the Queensland Reds 30-28 in Brisbane. The Reds dominated much of the a fiery match which has resulted in Waratahs forwards Dean Mumm and Will Caldwell and Reds lock Adam Byrnes being called before the SANZAR judiciary. A biting allegation was leveled at Byrnes by Caldwell midway through the first half.

After leading 28-18 with 10 minutes left, the ill-disciplined and tiring Reds took their foot off the visiting team’s throat as the Waratahs scored two tries in the last seven minutes.

“We just shot ourselves in the foot and we gave away too many penalties,” Reds skipper James Horwill said.

“I’m just shattered.”

Lions 13 vs Stormers 26

It wasn’t so pretty for Lions No 10 Carlos Spencer in his team’s 26-13 loss to the Stormers in Johannesburg. His team trailing 26-6 at halftime, Spencer was replaced by coach Dick Muir and the hosts produced a better second half although they never threatened to catch the visitors.

Sharks 18 vs Chiefs 19

But it is perhaps the Chiefs who will emerge happiest after week one, snaring the closest thing to an upset with their last-gasp 19-18 defeat of the Sharks in Durban this morning (NZT).

First five-eighth Stephen Donald landed a penalty after the final hooter to follow a crucial conversion of the game’s only try three minutes from time as his team overcame a dour Sharks side and frightfully wet, muggy conditions.

New Zealand referee Keith Brown was the arch villain in the crowd’s eyes, with either he or Donald the target of a spectator’s jug of beer as the No 10 lined up second five-eighth Jackson Willison’s late try.

It ended a game that was dominated by kicking, with Sharks halfback Rory Kockott threatening to steer the hosts home with six penalty goals. They led 15-6 before the Chiefs dug deep, helped by a series of calls in their favour from Brown, including the sinbinning of Springboks front rowers John Smit and Bismarck du Plessis.

Chiefs coach Ian Foster felt his side deserved the win based on their discipline and grasp of Brown’s interpretations.

“It was swings and roundabouts at the end, I guess, but I think we deserved our luck in this game,” Foster said.

“It was almost an unlikely sort of Chiefs performance. We didn’t blast their turnover ball or through our attack. I think we won it through our discipline and our patience.”

A high penalty count was typical of several games and Foster said it was a matter of every player adapting to a new approach to the breakdown.

“It’s pretty clear the refs have gone out to make a statement, particularly at the tackle, and I thought Keith stuck to his guns and did it well. Sticking to his guns created a better game, it’s the way forward for the whole game.”

Overall View

The best side of week 1 was undoubtably the Bulls, no question about it.

Second best side was probably the Crusaders, even though they made heavy weather against the Highlanders.

Third best is debatable…. Brumbies or the Stormers in their First Half blitz of the Lions.

The Cheetahs, even though they lost, would probably be good odds for 4th best side of the weekend. They entertained well, distributed well, played a warm and rich brand of rugby and created meaningful opportunities.

Thirty tries were scored and healthy crowds, particularly for the two games in New Zealand, will please local administrators.

No one will mourn the death of aerial ping-pong in rugby. While it’s too early to say the aimless long kicking that made 2009 such a snore has gone for good – we’ll have to wait until the South African sides go to Anzac shores before we can be that emphatic – the signs appear encouraging as the number of long punts directed in no particular direction has greatly diminished.

That has given the game a new shape, a new look and feel.

It will probably take several weeks before the feeling is so ingrained in players that they can take the ball into the tackle and be guaranteed they will get it back. For that appears to be the way things are heading.

For now at least, accomplished ball thieves are keeping their powder dry at the breakdown for fear of giving away penalties in this era of increased vigilance by referees. And that has sped up proceedings markedly.

How long will it take coaches and players to devise schemes to get around the situation? Probably not long. Maybe three or four rounds – the number of weeks Richie McCaw plans to sit out while letting his body recover from the rigours of a punishing 2009.