By David van der Merwe - Super Rugby Writer

The first weekend of Super Rugby has come and gone and what a weekend it was. We could not have asked for more excitement, controversy or closer games, but then there also were those games that a surgeon could use to put a man down before open heart surgery and then struggle to wake him up afterwards.

I would love to know how your predictions went and your thoughts on the games so let me know. Here is how I did and a brief take from me on the games...

BLUES vs CRUSADERS
I expected the Crusaders to miss Dan Carter and Richie McCaw and this they did, but I thought that they would still win this one easily with about 7 points. The Blues however surprised me and put the Crusaders through their paces. Two early tries by the Blues made this a game worth watching again when the highlights are shown.

The Crusaders fought back valiantly and in the end made it a one point ball game. Was it not for a missed conversion by the Blues and a lucky touch by a Crusaders hand on Piri Weepu's final drop goal the Blues would have won. Bleyendaal impressed me and showed that he can fill the boots of Carter for now. Piri Weepu lacks a bit of game time but he did make a difference to the Blues when he came on. Both sides will get stronger as injured stalwarts return and they will probably fight it out for top spot in New Zealand and both be in the top four overall.

BRUMBIES vs FORCE
This was probably one of the most boring games of rugby I have seen in a long time. Neither team really looked like taking it away from the other. Both sides made to many mistakes and with Bryce Lawrence as referee the game never had a chance to start flowing. The highlights package is worth about 5 minutes and you can use this to fall asleep when suffering from insomnia. In the end my 10 point margin to the Brumbies was way off the mark and they could only pip the Force by 2 points.

BULLS vs SHARKS
The South African derby never lived up to the pre-match hype. This was truly a game of two halves. The first saw two Springbok goal kickers missed 4 attempts at goal between them. The only real excitement came when Riaan Viljoen attempted a 65 meter penalty which he pushed to the right. 5 kicks in all at goal and a 0-0 score line at half time. The second half came to life as both sides started to run at the other. The Bulls however opted for the high ball more and this never really put them in scoring positions. Morne Steyn kicked 6 penalties for them and that was enough to win the game. The Sharks scored the only try of the match and had they not made so many errors they could have won it easily. This time round however I got it totally wrong as I had the Sharks by 6 points and they lost 18-13. Both sides will have to work on discipline and handling if they want to compete. Bismarck du Plessis might be the best hooker in SA but his temper needs some work.

CHIEFS vs HIGHLANDERS
The Chiefs will still wonder how they let this one slip through their fingers. With 20 minutes to go they were leading 19-9. The Highlanders had the game 5 minutes later after two well worked tries at 23-19. With 3 tries in the game this gave neutral fans something to watch and some thing to cheer about. My prediction however again came to nought as I had the Chiefs to win this one by between 3 and 7 points. Both sides looked good at stages but again basic errors cost them scoring chances. And the injury count in this game will be worrying to both coaches.

WARATAHS vs REDS
The Waratahs and their fans will look at this game and think they must have had a bad dream. Leading 21-16 as the siren went for full time only to see the Reds steal it with a 60 meter converted try. Yes the Reds stole this one even without Quade Cooper in the side. Queensland must still be celebrating the win as it was as unexpected as snow in the Sahara.

Sarel Pretorius showed that he can play individual rugby but did not impress otherwise. Genia was not up to his usual standard and this had the Reds under some pressure. In the end a good game and both teams can take a lot of positive from it. I had the Reds to win by 10.

STORMERS vs HURRICANES
This for me was the game of the weekend. The only game that saw the losing team not take a bonus point. Kolisi impressed when he replaced injured Schalk Burger. Burger looks to be out for at least 6 weeks with a knee injury but it might be as long as 3 months. Marius Jonker had an average game as referee and handed out 3 yellow cards to a Hurricanes team that looked like they were out to injury players instead of playing rugby.

Both Hurricanes props got yellow carded for tackling players in the air and this after Jonker warned them. In the end the Stormers won 39-26 courtesy of a penalty try. I had them to win by 14. The Stormers will be well advised not to protect a lead as they could well have lost it after being 23-9 up just before half time and 23-23 5 minutes after the break. The Hurricanes will have to sort out their discipline and quickly if they don't want players suspended for a couple of weeks.

LIONS vs CHEETAHS
A record breaking 9 penalty kicks by Elton Jantjies saw the Lions win this won 27-25. Well on par with my 3-5 points prediction for them to win by. With only one try in the game, by Cheetahs prop WP Nel, once again had a SA derby decided by the goal kickers. The Cheetahs could have won this game had they not have to play with 14 men for 20 minutes. Ten of these were with out fly half Johan Goosen who kicked a 57 meter penalty after he landed a 50 meter drop goal. And he is only 19 years old. His time in the bin saw a goal kick missed by the Cheetahs. The Lions seem to be building on last year's Currie Cup victory but will have a lot to doe as they never really looked like scoring tries. The Cheetahs again will have to work on discipline. They already have Andries Strauss suspended for 2 weeks after a tip tackle. Johan Goosen is as a player to watch in coming weeks.

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