OPINION

As Super Rugby Pacific kicked off in thrilling fashion, Kiwi fans revelled in the excitement of matches from Hamilton to Dunedin, yet a glaring talent gap between New Zealand and Australian teams persists. These
are Phil Gifford’s talking points after the opening weekend of Super Rugby Pacific.

The Good, The Bad, and The Weird

For Kiwis, Super Rugby Pacific started brilliantly in Hamilton and was bookended with an exciting game in Dunedin. Fans rolled out in large numbers in the Waikato and in Whangārei.

Refereeing that relied on the judgment of officials on the field, and the change to the offside law when players who are ahead of a kicker have to wait until he runs and puts them onside, worked perfectly.

But a major problem remains. The talent gap between New Zealand and Australian sides still looks painfully wide.

And to say there were issues with the new smart mouthguards is on the same blindingly obvious level as suggesting taking a train in Auckland is basically buying a raffle ticket.

It began well…

Most of the 15,000 or so fans who crowded into Waikato Stadium for the Chiefs’ 33-29 home win over the Crusaders got not only the result they wanted, but a scorcher of a match.

Until he had to leave the field in the 44th minute, Damian McKenzie’s counterattacking was sensational. Kicking the ball to him guaranteed danger for the Crusaders, and showed why he already must have the inside running for the first five-eighths position in the All Blacks.

More than ever, I’d tip the Chiefs and the Crusaders to meet again in the Super final.

Filling big boots

The comeback from the Crusaders was based on a potent scrum, a polished lineout and nerveless grace from fullback Chay Fihaki, replacing Will Jordan, and first five Rivez Reihana, replacing Richie Mo’unga.

Fihaki scored two tries and showed outstanding speed and anticipation, while Reihana appeared entirely unfazed by returning to Hamilton to play against the team he started his Super career with.

How bizarre

The first extensive trial of smart mouthguards was five years ago in Ireland. That, and further experiments, were so successful, World Rugby is planning to eventually have them in place at all levels of the men’s and women’s game.

The concept – a mouthguard with a tiny electronic implant that measures and immediately transmits to the sideline dangerous levels of impact to the head – is brilliant.

But what happened in Hamilton to an outraged Anton Lienert-Brown suggested the mouthguards are not yet foolproof.

There’s not even a hint of a sudden jarring of his head when you watch replays of the 73rd-minute tackle that must have triggered an alarm. But Lienert-Brown was sent from the field for a head injury assessment. Never remotely a prima donna, you could fully understand his obvious outrage at having to go to the sideline.

Stay stern, Vern

There was a lot to be impressed with in the way the Blues beat the Fijian Drua 34-10 in Whangārei.

Wings Mark Telea and Caleb Clarke hungered for work and Zarn Sullivan produced more of the class he showed last year at fullback. But the most promising sign for the Blues was the grit up front, epitomised by the energy and determination of No 8 Hoskins Sotutu.

Sotutu’s career stalled last year after 14 tests in the All Blacks, but if he keeps playing the way he did against the Drua, his days as an international may not yet be behind him.

Weak out West

The Hurricanes were committed and efficient in Perth, and it wasn’t their fault they hardly needed to engage top gear to thrash the Western Force 44-14.

Every Cane played well, not least their debutant halfback Jordi Viljoen, whose remarkable rugby lineage includes his father and grandfather both playing halfback for the Springboks.

That’s the way to finish

It’s hard to know what to read into the Highlanders’ hard-fought 35-21 victory over Moana Pasifika in Dunedin.

Have Moana, now under Tana Umaga’s control, improved a lot after last year’s sad record of 13 losses in 14 games? And if they have, does that mean the Highlanders, themselves only ninth in a 12-team competition in 2023, are also likely to do better in 2024?

We should have a better idea after the round in Melbourne, where the Landers play the Blues on Friday and Moana face the Drua on Saturday.

But there was not a shadow of a doubt that the try of the weekend was scored by Highlander Sam Gilbert in the 72nd minute. Started 80 metres from Moana’s try line, it had everything. An electrifying 40m burst by flanker Sean Withy. Brilliantly clever passing from halfback Folau Fakatava and wing Jona Nareki. And finally, tireless backing-up from captain Billy Harmon and Gilbert, who plunged over in the corner. I’d swap watching 100 tries from rolling mauls for this one.

Phil Gifford has twice been judged New Zealand sports writer of the year, has won nine New Zealand and two Australasian radio awards, and been judged New Zealand Sports Columnist of the Year three times. In 2010, he was honoured with the Sparc lifetime achievement award for services to sports journalism.