Aaron Cruden
Round 1 of Super Rugby has come and gone with a hiss and a roar. Here are five things we learnt from the inaugural round of 2012.
1) A close game is a good game.
Round 1 of Super Rugby’s 2012 season would have to be one of the most closely contested rounds on record. Remarkably, in all but one game the losing side gained a bonus point for being within seven points – and the other was within seven with less than ten minutes to go. This made for enthralling, entertaining contests. With the Sharks and Bulls going into the second half 0-0, many outsiders would see this as a boring game of rugby. As most of you reading this would agree, this was far from true. Sometimes defence can be better to view than offence, and this was the case here. The Sharks came back gamely in the last 20 minutes, but ultimately the Bulls sheer determination to keep the Sharks out made for great viewing.
2) Dan Carter: Watch out.
New Zealand is packed with many young, quality five-eighths. While the likes of Ty Bleyendaal, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Cruden, Michael Hobbs and Tim Bateman aren’t going to be challenging Carter for the number 10 Jersey in the near future, they all have huge potential.
3) Conferences are a winning formula.
Despite some initial scepticism about a system used rampantly in American sport, round 1 of Super Rugby reinforced the value of the franchise system. Bumper crowds in Auckland, Sydney and Pretoria and some epic encounters showed its true value.
4) Kicking is crucial.
In a round with results as close as these, the true value of a decent kicker was proven. The Lions came back to beat the Cheetahs on the back of a Super Rugby record nine penalty goals by 21 year old Elton Jantjies, The Bulls won without scoring a try and the Crusaders beat the Blues despite being outscored two tries to one. The Sharks missed a handful of shots at goal and this ultimately cost them a valuable away victory against the Bulls. Super Rugby is always billed as the Southern hemispheres showpiece event, mainly due to the teams throwing the ball around, however, picking up points from shots at goal is going to decide a lot of games this season.
5) The best teams find ways to win when it’s tight.
It’s no coincidence the Reds, Crusaders and Stormers all won, despite competing in tight tussles. Last year’s three divisional champions showed they know how to close out games and this is one of the things which make them all so difficult to beat, no matter where they play.
