At the start of the season it was mentioned that the Highlanders had a tough draw and how important it was that they got away to a good start because they're going to feel the brunt at the end with their stretch of away games.
After their first-round bye they lost their first game at home to the Crusaders but since then they've been giant killers. They won in Hamilton and not many do that and now they've toppled the defending champion Waratahs. They have shown they're contenders. Many have written them off, but I'm not one of them, I think they will make the top six. They have resilience and real x-factor in their backline. They will cause teams a lot of trouble this year and a lot of that is down to Tony Brown's appointment to the coaching staff.
Brown joining Jamie Joseph, Jon Preston and Scott McLeod seems to have brought more cohesion among their backs. They look like a team gelling a lot better this year. That victory over the Chiefs and now their win over the Waratahs has put them in a good position.
I enjoyed the Hurricanes v Blues match. Both teams entered into the spirit of it, with the Blues wanting to use the ball, as they had promised. Both teams also had good set pieces so it was an entertaining and even game. I saw some signs of the Hurricanes going off the boil which has happened in years gone by. Their previous performances this season, all wins, were probably more solid, and if they are going to be title contenders they need to improve their defence. I think everyone can see that they will score buckets of tries this season and they will be hard to contain, but their biggest challenge will be to stop others scoring.
I was encouraged by some things from the Blues. They look like they are trying hard and there was a better balance on attack. Again, decision making cost them, and again they didn't show enough patience to really squeeze the opposition. They are a team trying to find their mojo and because they haven't got a lot of confidence they are making some poor decisions. I did like the way they adapted, the way the forwards ran with the ball and the way guys like Francis Saili ran straighter in midfield.
