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Opinionated Rugby Commentary - by Fans for Fans
Spill what you really think about events in the rugby world.
Super Rugby Round 1 Review - 10 Things We Learnt 2 views
16 February 2015 by The Swede Eaters
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Super Rugby Round 1 saw plenty of interesting results. Here are 10 things to get out of the weekend.
Super 15 Rugby Round 1 was not only a humble reminder to tipsters just how difficult it is to tip Super 15 Rugby results, but it also showed 2014 Super Rugby conference winners the Crusaders, Sharks and Waratahs just how tough Super Rugby is.
Here are 10 lessons we have learnt from Super 15 Rugby Round 1 2015;
1) The home team doesn't always win - In the first full round of Super Rugby 2014, five out of seven home teams won, while for the Super Rugby 2014 season 71 percent of games were won by the home team. In Super Rugby 2015 Round 1, only one game was won by a home team with an emphatic win to the Brumbies over the Reds.
2) It is difficult to pick on form in Round 1 - While all teams played some pre-season games, it is difficult as a tipster to pick Super Rugby Round 1 results on form. It will be interesting to see if the more fancied teams improve for next round or not? There is usually on average one to two upsets in each Super 15 Round, but not as many as in Super 15 2015 Round 1. In total, according to tipping website SuperBru, there were only two predictable results with the Brumbies and Chiefs victories the only wins that many tipsters picked. The Hurricanes and Stormers won away from home in "upsets", although given the Hurricanes team on paper, that result was hardly surprising. When you have the Super 15 Rugby 2014 three conference winners losing to three of the least fancied teams in Super 15 Rugby, then you shouldn't feel too bad for not tipping these. Only two percent of tipsters picked the Rebels to beat the Crusaders, while six percent picked either the Cheetahs to beat the Sharks or the Force to beat the Waratahs. It is difficult to know if it was a bad night at the office, or if these teams have more serious issues.
3) Don't write anyone off anyone after Round 1 - You don't want to be peaking in Round 1 and it showed that Super Rugby is a long competition. The top teams like the Sharks, Crusaders and Waratahs will slowly get into form as the season progresses. The Crusaders are known for being slow starters, but are usually there at the business end of the season. It will be interesting to see how they go next week.
4) Super 15 Rugby is a tough competition - The standard of Super Rugby is good. Even the teams that finish towards the bottom of the table have international players and sometimes all these teams need is a bit of luck and a good run with injuries to win several games in a season.
5) Is it good to have lots of international players? - The Crusaders, Sharks and Waratahs have teams stacked with international stars. Many of these players have come off long 2014 seasons and sometimes it takes them plenty of time to get back into their groove and be at the best of their ability.
6) The Crusaders miss Nadolo, Whitelock and Read, the end for DC? The Crusaders really missed the extra power that key players Nemani Nadolo, Sam Whitelock and Kieran Read possess. These three are world class players and were sorely missed against the Rebels. The Crusaders have some solid performers, but lack powerful ball runners. Is this the end of Dan Carter? Colin Slade could surpass him for the Crusaders, let alone Cruden and Barrett for the All Blacks. There is no room for sentimentality when you want to win a Rugby World Cup.
7) Teams to watch - The Brumbies, Chiefs and Hurricanes are definitely three teams to watch who could easily find themselves in the Top Six finals after good wins in Super Rugby Round 1. All three of these teams finished handily placed in 2014, but look like they will be in the mix later in the season.
8) Unearthing new talent - It is always great to see new stars emerge from Super Rugby and the Chiefs first five eighth Damian McKenzie is no different after a quality performance in the Number 10 jersey for the Chiefs. It is interesting to see new players at Super Rugby level. Some players struggle to make the step up, while others do it with ease.
9) Winning margins - In Super Rugby Round 1, the average winning margin was 14.7 which is higher than the overall margins in Super Rugby regular season from 2012 (10.89) to 2014 (12.85).
The Brumbies massive 44 point margin was far bigger than expected, while the margin of 12 points happened twice in Round 1.
10) Super Rugby tipping is all relative - Because of the relative nature of most tipping competitions, it isn't time to hit the panic button just yet if you had a bad round in Super Rugby 2015. Most people picked the Brumbies and Chiefs victories, while hardly anyone picked the Rebels (two percent), Cheetahs (six percent) or Waratahs (six percent) to win. This means that even if you had a bad round picking less than 50 percent, you probably didn't lose much ground on your competitors as the community average on SuperBru is 2.35/7. Anyone sittiing at the top of your conference after picking most winners in Round 1 is either a genius or someone who simply loves going for upsets and could have made a small fortune sports betting. Chances are that they will slide down the rankings as the season progresses.
Which teams impressed you the most in Super 15 Rugby Round 1 2015? Can we read much into defeats for the Crusaders, Waratahs and Sharks?
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Super 15 Rugby Round 1 video highlights
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