It's fair enough that Super Rugby Transtasman has copped a lot of heat for a lack of competition through the first two rounds.
New Zealand teams are 10-0 and have outscored their Australian counterparts 416-214.
But it is that lack of competition on the pitch that lends its handto making the transtasman competition far more intriguing than the Aotearoa incarnation.
In the Aotearoa competition, the majority of viewers go into the campaign viewing it as 10 rounds of good quality rugby, before the Crusaders – New Zealand rugby's own Evil Empire - inevitably lift the title at season's end.
But the transtasman campaign is a sprint - with five rounds of decidedly mediocre rugby - the rules are different, and the points table is an interesting watch.
The Hurricanes have scored 15 tries through the opening two rounds of Super Rugby transtasman. Photo / Photosport
Okay, maybe not if you're a fan of Australian rugby – because there is no hope your team is winning the title. But even then, like Brad Thorn said after his Reds were demolished by the Crusaders last weekend, "sometimes the hardest lessons are the good ones".
The only way Australia will develop as a rugby-playing nation in this pandemic-ridden world is by testing their standard against their neighbours from across the ditch.
Before the competition got underway, the importance of bonus points and points differential had been well highlighted. With only five rounds before the final, every point teams can get puts pressure on the others. Then, unlike in Super Rugby Aotearoa where the first tie-breaker was most wins, in the transtasman competition it is points differential that makes the difference.
Alex Nankivell has scored in both of the Chiefs transtasman matches. Photo / Photosport
Those factors mean teams are encouraged to play an aggressive style of rugby if they want to be in a position to hoist the trophy at the end of the campaign, and that is having success in turning the competition into a spectacle; through two rounds the average points scored in a game is 63. It is highly watchable and the constant back-and-forth action is great for those with even the shortest attention spans.
It's not as if there is no competition – the Brumbies and Western Force had shots at goal to tie and win their opening round games against the Crusaders and Chiefs; they just missed.
But close games like that put the two Aotearoa finalists on the backfoot in the race to the Cup, as they only took four points for the win. Only the Hurricanes and Blues have managed to secure the maximum 10 points through two rounds, putting them in the driver's seat in the race to the final.
After a rather disappointing Aotearoa campaign for both teams, seeing them in contention should be enough to make their fans tune in, because this is a real title and don't let anyone tell you otherwise – for all we know it could well be the first and last Super Rugby Transtasman title; a piece of history to lock away in the trophy cupboard forever.
