The Wellington-based team shredded the Sunwolves 83-17 in Tokyo. Ardie Savea, Vince Aso and Michael Fatialofa scored two tries apiece and the defending champions scored 13 in total. First five-eighth Otere Black added nine conversions.
The Crusaders edged the Brumbies 17-13 in Christchurch. Pete Samu’s second-half try proved the difference between the teams. It was the Crusaders’ seventh successive victory over the Canberra-based team. The Blues got off to a promising start with a resounding 56-18 win against the Rebels in Melbourne, while the Chiefs pounced on some mistakes to beat the Highlanders 24-15 in Dunedin.
The Stormers prevailed 37-24 in a frenetic South African derby in Cape Town. The Stormers led 24-0 at the break after a dominant first-half performance, but the Bulls rallied through tries to No 8 Hanro Liebenberg (two), prop Pierre Schoeman and halfback Piet van Zyl.
Argentina’s Jaguares proved too powerful for the Kings, winning 39-26 at Port Elizabeth.Tries from halfback Gonzalo Bertranou, No8 Leonardo Senatore and fullback Joaquin Tuculet tipped the game in favour of the visitors. However, ill-discipline saw the Jaguares finish the match with 13 players following two yellow cards. Last year’s beaten finalists, the Lions, squeaked past the Cheetahs 28-25 at Bloemfontein. Centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg scored two tries, including a match-winning effort in the corner.
The Waratahs overturned a 13-9 halftime deficit to beat the Western Force 19-13 in Sydney. Massive lock Will Skelton scored just after the break and a fourth penalty from Reece Robinson helped the 2014 champions seal the win.
The Reds beat the Sharks 28-26 in a physical contest in Brisbane. Quade Cooper missed several shots at goal but tries from Samu Kerevi, Scott Higginbotham and James Tuttle ensured the Reds hit a winning note.
The Sharks made a strong start and scored a couple of tries through Jean-Luc Du Preez and Tera Mtembu, but the visitors could not really cash in on it when Kane Douglas and Karmichael Hunt were both sin-binned in the second half.