Super 15 Rugby Round 3 2012 confirmed what we all know that New Zealand has the toughest conference and plenty of young talent coming through the ranks. 

Four New Zealand teams won in Round 3 and the only team that lost were the Crusaders who lost to the Chiefs.  The Chiefs showed us that they mean business this year.  Coaching staff Dave Rennie and Wayne Smith have got these guys firing and they were too tough for the Crusaders who are missing that extra experience and class that Daniel Carter and Richie McCaw usually provide. 

Both the Hurricanes and the Blues recorded upset away wins over the disappointing Force and Bulls outfits which show the competition that New Zealand is the toughest conference at this stage.  There were also some new stars unveiled including Hurricanes halfback T.J.Perenara and Blues fly half Gareth Anscombe.  Perenara scored a hattrick of tries, while Anscombe scored all of the Blues 29 points thanks to two tries, two conversions and five penalties.  The Blues were waiting for the experienced Piri Weepu and Ma'a Nonu to return before unveiling him.  They join a list of the latest batch of quality inside backs elligible for New Zealand including Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes), Aaron Smith (Highlanders), Mike Harris (Reds), Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Chiefs) and Tyler Bleyendaal (Crusaders).

My Highlanders scored a hard fought one point win over the Waratahs to remain unbeaten.  They appeared battered and bruised again from this one and you wonder how much longer the southern men can keep playing with such intensity.  It will be interesting to see if they go flat down the backend of the competition.

Speaking of flat, the Reds only just beat the Rebels.  They were a shadow of their victorious side last season.  They still did enough to win over the improved Rebels, and should win the Australian conference and claim a favourable route to the final.

The Cheetahs were unlucky to lose to the Brumbies thanks to a last minute penalty in Canberra.  The Cheetahs were up by 13 points with 30 minutes to go.  The Brumbies are the third best Australian side and somehow have won their only two games.  They must be wondering what has changed since those glory days of Gregan, Larkham, Mortlock, Finegan and co.

The Sharks defeated the Lions and showed that they are definitely in the top three South African sides.  It seems that the Lions are good at Currie Cup level, but struggle in the Super Rugby competition. 

It will be interesting to see if some of these early achieving sides like the Highlanders, Chiefs and Highlanders fade as the season progresses and eight derby matches take their toll.  Will the Crusaders rise from their lowly conference position and which South African team will most likely top their conference?  There are still 15 weeks of matches left before the finals for teams to make an impact and because of the draw, it is difficult to know until the very end how teams are going since teams go on the road at different stages.

Which teams look the best to you?  Which teams will make the finals based on what you have seen?

I think the Stormers are the best South African team, while the Reds are the best Australian team, but I would not have a clue which New Zealand team will top the conference, but I would love it to be the Highlanders!

Crusaders 19 v Chiefs 24

Crusaders Scorers:

Try: Fruean
 Conversion: Bleyendaal
 Penalties: Bleyendaal 4

Chiefs Scorers:

Tries: Messam, Taumalolo
 Conversion: Cruden
 Penalties: Cruden 4

W Force 19 v Hurricanes 46

W Force Scorers:

Try: Hodgson
 Conversion: Stannard
 Penalty: Stannard 4

Hurricanes Scorers:

Tries: Perenara 3, Taylor, J Eaton, Ngatai
 Conversion: Barrett 3, Kirkpatrick 2
 Penalty: Barrett, Kirkpatrick

Brumbies 24 v Cheetahs 23

Brumbies Scorers:

Tries: Speight, McCabe
 Conversion: Lealiifano
 Penalty: Lealiifano 4

Cheetahs Scorers:

Tries: Le Roux, De Bruyn
 Conversion: Goosen 2
 Penalty: Goosen 3

Highlanders 18 v Waratahs 17

Highlanders Scorers:

Tries: Smith, Hardie
 Conversion: Slade
 Penalty: Slade 2

Waratahs Scorers:

Try: McCutcheon
 Penalty: Halangahu 4

Reds 11 v Rebels 6

Reds Scorers:

Try: Shipperley
 Penalty: Harris 2

Rebels Scorers:

Penalty: O’Connor 2

Sharks 32 v Lions 20

Sharks Scorers:

Tries: Viljoen, Mvovo, Bosman, Botes
 Conversions: Lambie 3
 Penalties: Lambie 2

Lions Scorers:

Tries: Taute, Dreyer
 Conversions: James 2
 Penalties: James 2

Bulls 23 v Blues 29

Bulls Scorers:

Tries: Spies, Basson 2
 Penalties: Steyn 2
 Conversion: Steyn

Blues Scorers:

Try: Anscombe 2
 Conversions: Anscombe 2
 Penalties: Anscombe 5

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