Anzac Day witnessed two trans-Tasman Super Rugby clashes - and a New Zealand versus South Africa clash in the Republic - with the Anzacs right on top in all of them even if it wasn't necessarily the Kiwi on top.
Firstly, in Auckland, John Kirwan's Blues got a much-needed win after a week overshadowed by the media attention and furore over the failed Benji Marshall experiment. The Blues were actually pretty impressive against a very good Waratahs side, and scored some scintillating tries - they could have had a few more but for some shoddy handling as the likes of Francis Sai'ili, Charles Piutau, et al were finding more holes in the Waratahs backline than a block of cheese.
Suddenly, the Blues are right back in contention for the New Zealand conference - helped by the fact that the Chiefs are in the midst of their first losing streak in 3 seasons.
Indeed, it was the Chiefs that looked like the Blues in Canberra against the Brumbies - porous defence at the back letting in an always talented Brumbies backline dot down 5 times. The Chiefs struck back with 3 tries but once again, deservedly came away from Canberra with nothing in a 41-23 defeat.
The Chiefs return to New Zealand to face the Lions at home - perhaps a good chance for the Chiefs to regroup and end their losing streak - by then, they might very well have lost the lead of the New Zealand conference to the Hurricanes should they beat the Reds with the bonus point on Saturday night.
Another Kiwi side hot on the Chiefs' bumper sticker is the Highlanders, who scored a tremendous win over the Sharks in Durban - highlights not available yet but will come later so do check back!
This was probably the most satisfying win for the Highlanders in their history considering that the Sharks were clear favourites going into this game - unbeaten at home and top of the whole Super Rugby, littered with Boks stars and a former Boks coach at the helm, plus a far superior scrum as evident in the game.
The Highlanders were highly impressive both in attack and defence even being a man down, after losing Joe Wheeler for 10 minutes - their pressure definitely told on the Sharks whose slippery handling didn't really help particularly at the back, as the Highlanders capitalized on some schoolboy errors to score 4 tries and even gain a bonus point.
Malakai Fekitoa was again the Highlanders' most dangerous weapon as he powered through gaps and gained vital metres for the Highlanders into the danger zone but the rest of the backline was just as impressive and industrious.
The Highlanders now face another big test in Cape Town against the struggling Stormers who are very good defensively at home. However, after going to Durban and shocking the Sharks, they will be quite confident against a Stormers side that appears very out of sorts at the moment.
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