Round two of Super Rugby kicked off with two predictable results. Rather bizarrely Moana made 11 changes from their first round victory and paid the price with a 50-point drubbing by the Hurricanes at the Cake Tin.
The Drua kept their impeccable record of never winning away from Coral Coast as the Waratahs went two from two in Sydney to lead the comp. On Saturday it was down to the Highlanders and Chiefs to fight out a thriller in the Greenhouse. The officiating in the game was poor to say the least and the Chiefs were gifted a "14 point" non-try from 100m out which effectively won them the game. To be fair the Landers were stiff!
The Blues got the points late in Perth in an average game against the Force. It could be a long season for the men from the west. Then we had the show stopper in the village of the damned. There were some spectacular tries scored but it was the mighty Brumbies who racked up the tries late to put 50 on the Crusaders. What a shame! Hmmm not a great start!
In the deep South, Coxy from Pro Storage has opened up a four-point lead over Liam from JK’s when he top-scored with 12 points. He wasn’t alone though as Suzane from the Workingmen’s Club (perhaps a title change called for?) also cranked out a 12 to storm up to third on the table. Mike from BDO and Ben from Benny’s Footwear also had solid rounds with four points each. Liam, after a great start, had the round’s lowest score with a below average eight — more homework mate!
So where to in Round 3?
• Moana host the Force in "Puke" with both teams very average at the weekend. If Tana picks his best side Moana Pasifika (12-) can win this game but it will be close.
• The mighty Landers head to Brisbane on Friday night and I’ve got the feeling they will get this done for a crucial away win — Highlanders (12-) just.
• The Drua are back at the "Fortress" in Lautoka for a Saturday afternoon game against the Canes. They go in as favourites but have been poor in their first two so the Canes (13+) might just run away with it but I could be very wrong.
• The Chiefs are back at home and host the winless Crusaders. Surely the Chiefs (12-) consign the Crusaders to their third straight loss — what a thought! But there won’t be much in it.
• In the final game the Brumbies are back at home and sitting on top of the table and host the Blues. On current form the Brumbies (13+) will be too strong for the Blues and it’s hard to win in Canberra.
Good luck tipsters.
