Brumbies, Stormers score big wins
There was no shortage of points scored as the Brumbies, Stormers and Bulls all notched comprehensive wins in their opening Super Rugby pre-season matches.
In two South African derbies, the Stormers thumped the Cheetahs 43-7 and the Bulls knocked over the Lions 38-17 in Harare on Saturday (Sunday NZ Time), while the Brumbies trounced the Australian Barbarians 59-0 in Adelaide on Saturday night.
The Western Force weren’t so convincing in their warm-up fixture against the Perth Spirit in Busselton, scrapping to a 22-14 win on Saturday.
Argentina’s Jaguares, who struggled in their first season in the competition last year, opened their preseason with 68-14 and 61-7 wins against an Argentina XV and Uruguay respectively last week.
All teams used their opening matches to give their wider squad a run, which meant Southland Stag Wharenui Hawera made his first appearance for the Brumbies on Saturday.
Hawera, who impressed for the Stags during an otherwise dismal Mitre 10 Cup campaign last year, kicked three conversions in his team’s win.
Kiwi fans will get a chance to see most of the New Zealand teams in action for the first time next weekend.
The Crusaders and Highlanders will play in Darfield on Saturday, while the Blues and Hurricanes will play in Epsom the same day.
Chiefs fans will have to travel to Brisbane if they want to see their team play against the Bulls on February 8.
The Super Rugby competition officially gets underway on February 23, when the Blues and Rebels do battle in Melbourne.