After two enthralling gams over the weekend, rugby is officially back and as good as ever. The Super Rugby Aotearoa began on Saturday, as the five New Zealand Super Rugby franchises are squaring off in a 10 week round-robin season to give the game of rugby a much needed comeback from the Covid-19 pandemic. 

In all honesty, it should come as little surprise that the games were of such high quality; after all, most of us circle the New Zealand derbies on the calendar during the regular Super Rugby season anyways. At the end of the weekend, it was the Highlanders and the Blues who came away the big winners, the former ousting the Chiefs 28-27 while the latter took care of the Hurricanes 30-20. 

Looking back on the games this weekend, here are my 10 quick notes from the action:

1.) Yup, Super Rugby is the best rugby

Say what you like about northern hemisphere vs southern hemisphere rugby, there's just no denying that Super Rugby is the most entertaining and the best to watch -- particularly the New Zealand teams. 

The games this weekend served as yet another reminder of the remarkable skill levels and athletic abilities of the Kiwi players, and how the slightest of opportunities can turn into tries from anywhere on the field. The teams are always willing to take chances and make the extra pass to free up more space, while he footwork and offloading is daring and exciting, opening up the game and making for a much tastier brand of footy.

The high-octane highlight plays don't take away from the sheer intensity and physicality of the game either. All four teams were laying down the law on defense, putting in big shots and effecting turnovers. If Round 1 was any indication, this Super Rugby Aotearoa is going to be one heck of a ride. 

2.) Refs are cracking down early

If there's been any slight on Super Rugby over the years -- and it's not a huge slight -- it's been the perceived free-for-all at the breakdowns, as refs have tended to let a lot of things slide in the past. On Saturday and Sunday, however, the officials made an effort to really clamp down on some of the laws in and around the breakdown. 

A few calls I noticed frequently being made were double movements on the ground, coming in from the side, and diving over. These all affected the team carrying into contact, and while it served to cause a lot of penalties it's a good thing that the refs are finally not letting some of that stuff slide. Lately it has seemed like the offense is seldom prohibited from doing anything wrong in the ruck, so pinging players early in the season will make for a cleaner and safer campaign.

3.) Otere Black stepped up big time

With All Black greats Beauden Barrett and Dan Carter each on the roster, the Blues still elected to hand the fly-half reigns over to 25 year old Otere Black. Black, who served as Barrett's backup at the Hurricanes for three years, began playing for the Blues in 2019 and was the first-choice 10 for the side in 2020. His Blues had been off to a great start this year, beginning the season 5-2 before the shutdown. 

With Black at fly-half and Barrett at fullback, the Blues looked extremely sharp. The young fly-half played with heaps of composure and never put a foot wrong over the course of the 80 minutes. His passes were extremely sharp and on target, his decision-making was spot on, he took high balls very well, and his kicking was phenomenal. Black was a perfect 6/6 off the tee, and from hand consistently had the Blues playing in the right areas of the field. He's looking very good, and his side will be one tough nut to crack.

4.) Bryn Gatland sinks dad's ship

Coming on as a late replacement at fullback, Bryn Gatland slotted a monster drop goal with just over 90 seconds remaining to give his Highlanders a one-point lead over his father Warren's Chiefs team. Following Damian McKenzie's late drop goal to put the Chiefs in front, Bryn Gatland responded less than two minutes later to give his side the lead for good. 

5.) Some impressive performances from young players

20 year old Chiefs second row Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 23 year-old Highlanders No. 8 Marina Mikaele-Tu'u, 21 year old Blues Winger Caleb Clarke, and 24 year old Blues center TJ Faiane were all mighty impressive over the weekend. 

Ah Kuoi came on as an early replacement for the injured Mitchell Brown and was an absolute menace with ball-in-hand. Mikaele-Tu'u was equally dangerous with the ball for the Highlanders, and even bagged himself a try at the end of the first half. Clarke had a few sensational runs for the Blues, one of them an outstanding try, and took high balls very well. Faiane was a cool operator in the midfield and had a sublime grubber through to Dalton Papalii for one of the Blues' tries. 

6.) The pre-game tribute to Covid-19 victims was very nice

Despite New Zealand's commendable response to the coronavirus pandemic, they did not gloss over the fact that some innocent people still lost their lives. Compared with the rest of the world, New Zealand's damage was minute, but 22 lives were still lost due to Covid-19. Before the games this weekend, fans stood for a moment of silence to honor the lives lost and pay their respects to the families who suffered heartbreak as a result of the virus. 

It was touching to see the people of New Zealand come together like that and stand for their fallen countrymen. In America we have lost over 100,000 people to the pandemic, but I would hope we honor the fallen in the same way that New Zealand honored their 22. 

7.) Beaudy's debut was solid

Beauden Barrett donned the blue for the first time this weekend and came away with a victory over his old club. Beaudy, playing at fullback, wasn't required to do anything spectacular, but he was his typical efficient self, racking up meters on the counter attack, gaining territory with the boot, and distributing well. He played a key part in the Blues' second try, hitting Mark Telea on an inside ball to free up the winger for a break and assist. 

As Barrett gets more comfortable in the Blues system, he can be expected to make more splash plays. With Barrett, Otere Black, and Dan Carter in the Blues set up, this side might be the biggest favorite to push the Crusaders at the top of the table.

8.) We saw some legendary water boys

If the weekend wasn't already entertaining enough, we all got a good kick from seeing three of the game's greats carrying water for their teams. 

All time rugby leading point-scorer Dan Carter and fellow All Black legend Tana Umaga were both on the sidelines for the Blues running water for the side. 38 year old Carter, the long time Crusader, is now a fly-half with the Blues, while Umaga, the long time Hurricane, is now a coach with the Blues. Ironically, on the opposite side of the field, running water for the Hurricanes, was Blues talisman Carlos Spencer, another All Black fly-half who is now coaching with the Hurricanes. 

It's good to see that rugby players of their standing still possess the humility and modesty to do the most basic of tasks for the team. That's what rugby is all about -- "everyone sweeps the sheds."

9.) It was lovely seeing full stadiums

For whatever reason, Super Rugby has struggled immensely in filling out stadiums for games. Even though the games are arguably the most entertaining on the planet, the teams are constantly playing in front of empty crowds. 

After a long layoff, however, it seems that fans have been missing going to the games more than ever, and both the Highlanders and the Blues drew massive home crowds over the weekend. It made the action more exciting and palpable, and once again hats off to the people and the government of New Zealand for making it happen. 

10.) The Aotearoa is going to be very fun indeed

In just one weekend, it looks clear that this Super Rugby Aotearoa is going to be one heck of a ride. It's going to be physical, intense, and fast, and only the fittest will survive. The Round 1 games are just the tip of the iceberg, and we're sure to see plenty more sublime action as the season moves on!