Craig Dowd
Dan Carter's body is becoming a liability
Craig Dowd
February 18, 2015
Greg Growden and Sam Bruce look forward to all the weekend action

Opening the Super Rugby season with so many upset results would have to be a marketing man's dream.

Normally it takes a week or three for teams to sort themselves out, but the 2015 version has seen the pressure applied from the outset. Given some of the results, it would be a reasonable bet that not too many people made any money at the TAB.

Teams have definitely improved on the starts they have made in previous seasons and the teams now appear to be a lot closer as the talent has been dispersed across the franchises. It may be that class will emerge as the Test players come back into the picture and that things will be closer to normal transmission, but for creating interest in the competition, the upset results could not have done a better job.

The Crusaders' Dan Carter watches on after a punt down field, Crusaders v Rebels, Christchurch, February 13, 2015
The Crusaders' Dan Carter watches on © Getty Images
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Against the Crusaders, the Rebels took their chances and they looked good at times. The refereeing in that game was pretty diabolical and the Crusaders looked lacklustre; they didn't quite kick into gear. It seemed that every few minutes the whistle was blowing for a penalty and it was hard to understand where the referee was coming from which didn't help the occasion.

What I did enjoy about some of the refereeing I saw was in the Blues-Chiefs game. There were times when both scrums got touched up and the referee played on from it and it was great because that is what should happen. That's the game of rugby, if you drop your guard it shouldn't be an automatic penalty. Push them back and let the team use the advantage they just had from getting the defensive line retreat six metres or so and then play on from it.

We don't want to see it go to a penalty and someone have a shot at goal because no-one, unless it is a close game, likes seeing a guy lining up a shot at goal - it's boring.

Blues 18-23 Chiefs (Australia only)
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We want to see tries and when you get a solid platform that is your chance to attack.

There was concern with Dan Carter going off and there are a few 10s stepping up this year and the pressure is on him from all different areas. You can keep an eye on one guy who wants your position but there is a guy two spots back who wants to leap frog everyone else.

Carter's class is always going to be there, it is a tag he is never going to lose. But his body is a bit of a liability and he needs to put a lot of focus into his rehabilitation, and at the age he is now he probably needs to take a lot more care and have more of an understanding of what he needs to do.

He's a bit like Keven Mealamu is with his calf muscles, the tag of fragile is hard to shake and what he needs to do is string some consistent games together; it's what everyone is waiting to see. He could take the field and shake that tag off in an instant - that's where he needs to get to.

By comparison to the Crusaders, the Blues-Chiefs game was good to watch and was well refereed. We look at the form of teams but referees all control games differently and the best ones have the game in their mind, where the game comes first.

Damian McKenzie looked good for the Chiefs; he showed some good touches. As he thinks about the game he will probably discover the defence is a bit bigger and they hit a lot harder than what he has been used to. But he bounced back and got himself into the game after taking some big knocks. He certainly played very well and he is going to put pressure on Aaron Cruden. McKenzie is a class act and showed he has the temperament to play at that level.

Craig Dowd likes the look of young Chiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie © Getty Images
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Tony Woodcock's return at prop was of interest and he didn't like it when the Chiefs scrum put one on them early on; but he responded really well. It was also interesting to watch the difference in the scrum when Charlie Faumuina came off the bench; he really added something to the pack. When the Blues get their forwards operating like that they will do all right.

I was really impressed with Akira Ioane when he came on. He looked very good in making the step up at his age and did not look out of place in Super Rugby at all.

The Chiefs looked very good, and it was interesting how, with the spotlight on Sonny Bill Williams, it was the players around him who were good. James Lowe, Bryce Heem, McKenzie and Charlie Ngatai all looked good and it is very promising for the Chiefs.

The Hurricanes did well by going to South Africa and coming away with a win first up. It was a big ask, but they stepped up and now have something to build on. They look like a side who, if they get a bit of confidence and get on a run, will be tough to beat.

Waratahs 13-25 Force (Australia only)
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The Waratahs found out just how much the first round can be a banana skin. They went into the season with massive expectations as defending champions. But if you are going to wear the title of champions you have to play like champions. They will come away from that loss looking to improve, much like the Crusaders who are in the same place.

When you are top dog everyone wants to knock you over. You can't ever let your guard down and that is why time in and time out we see the Crusaders in the first round come away with a loss.

They know that you can't let daylight get between you and the other teams if you want to avoid playing catch-up. But when you look at the Waratahs, Crusaders and even the Bulls to a certain degree, they have enough class players to sort things out and come back to put good performances together.

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