The second round of Super Rugby brought with it some remarkable results with Crusaders and the Sharks the only two sides to record a second win in as many weeks.
The game week began with the Reds travelling to Dunedin to face the Highlanders. What was expected to be a comfortable game for the Highlanders quickly became the exact opposite as they had to fight until the last whistle to edge the visitors 36-31 on Friday.
Saturday then saw the Sunwolves give the Waratahs a real scare with the tahs beating the Japanese side by just one point in a nail-biting encounter that would have given the Waratahs coach a lot more questions than answers about his side.
The Crusaders then sealed a solid win against the Hurricanes as the reigning champions amassed 38 points to the Canes’ 22.
It was then the turn of the Brumbies to steal the headlines as they hammered the Chiefs 54-17 in an unbelievable match that gave Australian rugby supporters at large good reason to feel a bit more optimistic about the season ahead!
The Sharks then picked up where they left off against New Zealand teams as they beat the Blues 26-7 in Durban to go top of the South African conference.
The Stormers and Lions became the talking point of the weekend after referee Egon Seconds performance became the main talking point as the Stormers scored an 85th minute try to beat the 2018 finalists at Newlands.
Finally, the Bulls took two steps backwards after their terrific opening performance against the Stormers in round one as they fell victims to the Jaguares who continue to be hand full in Argentina, beating the South African side 27-12.
Overall it was exactly the type of weekend the competition needed with close matches, resounding upsets and a little bit of controversy to keep the conversations at the pubs flowing.
Super Rugby has been desperate for relevance for some years now and if every game week can bear resemblance to this one, it will quickly gain exactly that!
The Crusaders, Highlanders and Sharks have taking an early possession of dominance, but what is already obvious is that any result could be possible in this year’s competition.
