The second round of rugby's Super 14 starting today is expected to test the competitiveness of South Africa's five franchises more accurately than the first, observers say.
Three South African teams won first-round games, but only one of those, Durban's Sharks, who beat the Waikato Chiefs 30-21, was playing a team from Australia or New Zealand. The Stormers easily beat the Cats, and the Bulls, hailed the strongest of South Africa's teams, beat the debuting Cheetahs.
The second round, in which the Cats play the Chiefs, the Bulls meet the ACT Brumbies and the Stormers face the New South Wales Waratahs, is likely to be more revealing of the strength of the South African sides. The Brumbies, who beat the Western Force, and Waratahs, who beat the Queensland Reds, were among first-round winners.
South African commentators declined after last week's games to make definitive judgments about the strength of local teams, to predict whether South Africa's title drought in the Super 12 would be broken by the competition's expansion.
Former Springbok Hennie le Roux, quoted in South Africa, said teams from the republic had to lift their games to measure up to the benchmark standards set by teams such as the Canterbury Crusaders.
"We will definitely have to lift our game if at least two of our teams want to finish the competition in the top five," Le Roux said. "The Cats and Stormers, in particular, require a big step up in their performance, especially to win their away games."
The second round begins today with an all-New Zealand clash between the Otago Highlanders and Auckland Blues, both under pressure after losses. The Cats play Waikato and the Bulls tackle the Brumbies today, while impressive first-up winners the Wellington Hurricanes host the Western Force tomorrow. The Queensland Reds meet the top-of-the-table Crusaders in Brisbane, and the Sharks play the Cheetahs, and the Stormers meet New South Wales.
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