Last week the Southern Hemisphere club competition, the Super 14, got off to a lacklustre start in games featuring poor handling, missed tackles and a bunch of yellow cards. Now that all 14 teams have had 80 minutes of game time, we should be able to look forward to an improvement in standard this weekend.

Several teams have already suffered injuries to key players with Hurricanes captain Conrad Smith likely to miss several weeks with an eye injury, Force playmaker James Hilgendorf out with a groin strain and Highlanders game breaker Nick Evans is yet to recover from a preseason knee injury.

The new scrum engagement process also moves into its second week and is getting mixed reviews. Many spectators are saying that the new four stage process has ruined the scrum as a spectacle and made defending at scrum time much more difficult. While All Blacks and Hurricanes prop Neemia Tialata has endorsed the new sequence.

Chiefs vs Hurricanes

This weekend’s round kicks off with an all Kiwi affair from Hamilton. Both teams are coming off narrow losses last week and are better than their previous outings. The Hurricanes have lost captain and centre Conrad Smith to injury but his replacement, former All Black captain Tana Umaga, is more than capable of filling Smith’s place in midfield. The Chiefs’ only injury to come out of last week’s game against the Brumbies was to reserve first five Tasesa Lavea.

Both teams played well at times in last week’s losses and could have snatched at least a draw with better goal kicking. A loss this week will make the battle for a semi final spot an uphill battle. The Chiefs forward pack performed well despite having both Jono Gibbs and Marty Holah spending time in the sin bin, while the Hurricanes forwards competed well during the first half against the Reds. Injuries to two props meant the Hurricanes played uncontested scrums for most of the second half, this placed too many forwards in the back line and ruined any chance for the Hurricane backs to cut loose.

This game will close and whichever team makes the fewest mistakes will likely come away with the points. Home advantage means I am picking the Chiefs.

Stormers vs Force

Another two teams coming off first round losses, both will be looking for good performances to boost their confidence. The Force played poorly against a sub-standard Highlanders team, going down 8-7, while the Stormers could only manage 3 penalties in their 27-9 loss to the Cheetahs. Force playmakers James Hilgendorf is out with a groin strain, forcing new signing Matt Giteau into the pivot role.

Like last year’s team, the Force look good on paper but are yet to really fire, while the Stormers need to score points at home before embarking on a long tour to New Zealand and Australia. This game will likely be won up front, and in this area the Stormers hold an advantage. I’m picking the Stormers to win this game.

Sharks vs Waratahs

This game will be the first real test for both teams. The Waratahs easily accounted for the hapless Lions, while the Sharks were able to grind out a victory against the Bulls. The Waratahs will doubtless feel more at home in sea level Durban than the high altitude of Pretoria, however the Sharks will provide a far sterner test than the Bulls.

Both teams will be looking to improve on their poor handling last week, although the Durban humidity will make that a difficult task. In this match both forward packs match up extremely well and this game will likely be won by one of the many game breakers like Lote Tuqiri for the Waratahs or JP Pietersen for the Sharks. I think the Sharks will win this match.

Crusaders vs Reds

Saturday night’s matches kick off with what could be the match of the round. The Crusaders have not lost a home match in almost three years, a record that could be in danger this weekend. The Reds played a conservative, forwards based game against the Hurricanes and will likely use similar tactics again. The Crusaders had their chances against the Blues, but too many handling errors and missed tackles cost them the game. Rua Tipoki and Casey Laulala swap positions in mid field giving the Crusaders a stronger defense in close, while allowing Laulala to range wider where he is far more effective.

The Reds have not beaten the Crusaders since 1999 and this trend will likely continue if the Crusaders can shore up their defensive wall. The Reds kicking game worked well against the counter attack minded Hurricanes, however the more conservative Crusaders’ back three will handle this game plan better. Look for the Crusaders to win this one.

Brumbies vs Blues

In this top quality clash, two genuine contenders meet in Canberra. The Blues dealt to the defending champion Crusaders last week, while the Brumbies looked a bit shaky against the Chiefs. With All Black Luke McAlister returning to the Blues line up in place of the injured Isa Nacewa the Blues have strengthened their back line, while Wallaby Stephen Larkham returns for the Brumbies. Last week Brumbies’ first five Julian Huxley controlled play with his long kicking game, but with Huxley now at fullback he will have to look to run more often against a Blues team who will attack from anywhere.

The Blues forward pack dominated the Crusaders in all aspects of the game – especially at scrum time, an area the Brumbies struggled in. Both teams kept to their game plan and showed excellent discipline, if they repeat this, the fans will be in for an excellent game of rugby. I pick the Blues to win, but not by much.

Bulls vs Cheetahs

The Cheetahs were held scoreless for almost the entire first half of their last game by the Stormers before coming away with a comfortable win. The Bulls, however, only managed 3 points against a sub par Sharks. The Cheetahs forward pack muscled up and ground the Sharks into the ground, however this is a risky tactic against a huge Bulls forward pack. Last season the Cheetahs beat the Bulls with running rugby, negating the big Bulls forwards. The Bulls will be feeling the pressure to not disappoint their home fans two weeks in a row but another loss seems likely against the improving Cheetahs.

Lions vs Highlanders

After beating a woeful Force team last week, the Highlanders are in position for an ideal start to the season against the Lions. With playmaker Andre Pretorius the Lions team will struggle against most Super 14 teams, but with Pretorius out injured this week any hope the Lions had is now gone. The Highlanders, who are probably the worst of the New Zealand teams in Super Rugby, will be far too strong for the Lions this week.

Week 1 of the 2007 Super 14 is in the books, dominated by rusty players, upsets and yellow cards. This year’s Super 14 has started 2 weeks earlier than any other Super Rugby tournament and one of the side effects of this early start has been that teams look under-prepared. Handling errors, missed tackles and bad decisions littered every game, but with the calibre of players in the tournament this trend is unlikely to continue. However, the early start needs to be rethought.

Another trend that came out of this weekend’s games was the willingness of referees to deal with back chat and dish out yellow cards. Several players found themselves offside with referees for verbal chips they would have gotten away with last year, some costing their teams an extra 10 metres after conceding penalties. Referees also dished out at least one yellow card in 4 of the 7 games played.

Blues 34 Crusaders 25

Two traditional rivals opened this year’s Super 14 in Auckland with a game that was probably the match of the round. Both teams have lost several key players to the All Blacks preseason conditioning program but were still able to perform to a high standard. The Blues were the better prepared of the two teams, looking sharper and more cohesive in all aspects of the game. Blues Captain Troy Flavell played well, helping set up the first Blues try, but undid all his good work when he was sin binned late in the game. The Crusaders looked underdone with their forward pack dominated and their usual staunch defense leaky. Crusaders’ captain Corey Flynn scored the team’s opening try, followed by Mose Tuiali’i and Rico Gear while Isaia Toeava, Rudi Wulf and Doug Howlett dotted down for the Blues.

Force 7 Highlanders 8

In a scrappy and error ridden game the Force proved that buying big name players does not guarantee success. In financial terms, these teams are polar opposites with the Force buying in several new players, while a lack of funds has forced the Highlanders to field only local players. On the field the new Force players Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell and league convert Ryan Cross failed to fire, but returning players Scott Staniforth and James Hilgendorf did – Staniforth breaking tackles and setting up Hilgendorf for the Force’s only try. Hilgendorf would later leave the field with a groin injury. Highlanders’ captain Josh Blackie scored his teams only try after a botched clearance by the Force. Prop Clarke Dermody was sin binned after punching Matt Henjak.

Lions 16 Waratahs 25

The new look and renamed Lions performed like the Cats of last season falling to a disappointing home defeat at the hands of the Waratahs. The Lions were in the game until later in the second half, trailing by only 16-6 at half time and 16-18 with 18 minutes to play. However the Waratahs were able to extend their lead during the last quarter and came away three tries to one winners. Jacque Fourie saw a yellow card after a lifting tackle on Lote Tuqiri as the procession of yellow cards continued.

Chiefs 15 Brumbies 21

The Brumbies hit the ground running for the 2007 Super 14 with an impressive win over the luckless Chiefs. In a game that featured a lot of aimless kicking and three yellow cards, it was the Brumbies who took their chances to come away with the points. Chiefs captain Jono Gibbs saw a yellow card after a high tackle, soon followed by Brumbies open sider George Smith for repeatedly infringing at the breakdown. Chiefs open sider Marty Holah joined Smith in spending 10 minutes on the side line for the same offence, as both teams continued to spoil opposition ball despite repeated warnings from the referee. Brumbies’ replacement first five Julian Huxley controlled the tempo of the game for his side and in the end it was his goal kicking that was the difference between the two teams. While the Chiefs scored three tries to two, they were unable to kick any goals.

Sharks 17 Bulls 3

JP Pieteren scored two tries as the Sharks beat the Bulls in Durban in an error filled scrappy game. The Sharks led 7-3 at half time and only 10-3 with five minutes to play before Pietersen’s second try sealed the match for the home team. Both teams defended staunchly but attacked poorly, the Bulls looking particularly lost on attack, their only points coming via a Morne Steyn penalty.

Cheetahs 27 Stormers 9

In a game that remained scoreless for 39 minutes the Stormers became the second team to finish the round without crossing the goal line. The Cheetahs forwards contributed all the tries, while centre Meyer Bosman kicked four penalties. Hooker Adriaan Strauss gave the Cheetahs a 5-0 half time lead in the 39th minute, while Springboks prop CJ van der Linde and flanker Kabamba Floors added tries in the second half. All of the Stormers points came from the boot of first five Naas Oliver who kicked three second half penalties.