After months of build-up, the 2017 Super Rugby season kicked-off over the weekend, with the Southern Hemisphere's premier club rugby competition in its second year of a major overhaul.

As proven last year, a fast start is vital for teams harbouring playoff ambitions and it was the Kiwi teams who impressed most during week one. A British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand may see some key players missing games for their franchises, but it will allow new youngsters to make a name for themselves, with players on the All Blacks periphery also hoping to make an impression ahead of a huge year.

Rieko Ioane kick-starts season with hat-trick as Blues hit Rebels for half-century in Melbourne

The new Super Rugby season got underway on Thursday evening in Melbourne, with the visiting Blues laying down an early marker after claiming a 56-18 win over the Rebels.

Two tries in the opening half-hour from Rebel half-back pairing Nic Stirzaker and Jackson Garden-Bachop saw them build a 12-8 lead, before the away side started to get into their stride, crossing twice in the final ten minutes of the opening half through Matt Duffie and Rieko Ioane.

Rebels centre Reece Hodge notched the first points of the second-half from the tee, but that was as good as it got for the home side, with Tana Umaga’s Blues running rampant led by the 19-year-old Ioane. The outside centre grabbed a hat-trick, alongside 144 running metres in a performance which lived up to the lofty expectations he carried coming into the new season.

New signing Augustine Pulu also played a starring role from scrum-half, crossing for a breakaway try on his debut, with Melani Nanai also touching down following an excellent kick from Ihaia West as the Blues made a near-perfect start to the 2017 season.

Chiefs and Hurricanes rack-up bonus-point wins on the road to join Blues at top of Kiwi conference

The first New Zealand derby of the season took place at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, with the visiting Chiefs side defeating the Highlanders 24-15 in a game where they outscored their opponents three tries to nil.

The Chiefs defence was outstanding for much of the contest as they soaked up a ton of pressure before hitting the Highlanders where it hurt most on the scoreboard. Both of their tries before the break came thanks to two interceptions from winger James Lowe as the home side’s mistakes came back to haunt them.

Damian McKenzie challenges for a high-ball with Ben Smith (image source: Dianne Manson/Getty Images)

Taking a 14-9 advantage into the second-half, the Chiefs soon added to that when Hika Elliot scored in the corner after linking up with Tawera Kerr-Barlow from the lineout. Provisionally closing in on a bonus point win, the Chiefs defended for their lives for the remainder of the game and managed to hold out, with the Highlanders forced into kicking penalty goals as 2015 champions stuttered to a disappointing defeat.

In Tokyo, the reigning champion Hurricanes had way too much power and pace for the Sunwolves, dismantling their Japanese performance in a 83-17 win at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium.

The Canes scored seven tries before the break, and six after, with Vince Aso, Michael Fatialofa and Ardie Savea all crossing for try doubles. Wes Goosen, Blade Thomson, Brad Shields, Ricky Riccitelli, TJ Perenara and Ngani Laumape joined them on the try-scoring list, as did Julian Savea who grabbed the pick of the bunch, fielding a cross-field kick in his own territory before fending off two defenders on his way to the line.

Julian Savea on the rampage against the Sunwolves (image source: Koki Nagahama)

For the underprepared Sunwolves, their start to the season couldn’t have been much more disappointing. However they did cross for three tries of their own, with Willie Britz and Shokei Kin both scoring in the final 20 minutes which the Sunwolves won 12-0, despite their visitors bringing on All Black stars Dane Coles and Beauden Barrett from the replacement bench.

Reds and Waratahs claim hard-fought home wins to head Australian Conference

On Friday evening, expectation was high in Brisbane and the Reds did just enough to fight back and defeat the Sharks 28-26 at Suncorp Stadium.

The game started in the worst possible fashion for the hosts, with Sharks flanker Jean-Luc du Preez scoring an intercept try in the first minute, before Pat Lambie and Quade Cooper traded a pair of penalties to hand the visitors a 13-6 lead after half-an-hour. The new-look Reds got back on level terms in the closing moments of the first-half, with number eight Scott Higginbotham doing just enough to get the ball down on the base of the post protector.

Lambie added two more penalty goals to stretch the Sharks lead back out to six points, before Samu Kerevi provided the game with a spark, seeing off three challengers on his way to the line for a five-pointer. Just as the Reds were starting to take control, Kane Douglas was sent to the sin-bin for foul play and the South Africans took advantage with Tera Mtembu grounding the ball over the line following a pushover drive from the Sharks pack.

Samu Kerevi breaks against the Sharks (image source: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Kerevi then crashed over for his second try of the game to cut the deficit to three, before replacement scrum-half James Tuttle finished off a flowing move to give the Reds their first lead of the game with nine minutes left on the clock. That wasn’t the end of the drama though, and after Karmichael Hunt was yellow carded for a high tackle, Lambie had the opportunity to win the game from the kicking tee but sent his effort wide of the uprights and the Reds held on for the much-needed home win.

The Reds were joined on four points at the top of the Australian Conference by the Waratahs, who were far from impressive in their 19-13 win over Perth’s Western Force. The low-scoring affair in Sydney was decided by the boot of winger Reece Robinson who stepped in for Bernard Foley to accumulate 14 points, with Will Skelton scoring the home side’s only try three minutes after the break.

In the second Trans-Tasman clash of the opening weekend, New Zealand’s Crusaders gave their nation a 2-0 win over their rivals following a 17-13 triumph at home to the Brumbies.

Scott Robertson’s side were seemingly in command at the break, holding a 12-3 lead following tries from debutants Seta Tamanivalu and Whetu Douglas despite playing with the worst of the conditions. However the Brumbies started the second-half with a new found confidence and cut the gap to just two when Rory Arnold dived over in the corner.

Israel Dagg with ball in hand against the Brumbies (image source: Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)

The Crusaders were dragged into a tussle which didn’t seem likely following their early dominance, but they had just enough to hold on for the four-point victory, with Pete Samu adding their third try in the 55th minute from close range.

Stormers take control of Africa 1 Conference with impressive Newlands win over Bulls

In a crucially-important clash in Cape Town, the Stormers produced an excellent opening 40 minutes to defeat the Bulls 37-24 and take the early lead in the Africa 1 Conference.

Robbie Fleck’s side were 24-0 ahead at the break following tries from SP Marais, Cheslin Kolbe and Nizaam Carr, with Marais’ opening score a stunning length of the field effort assisted by Jano Vermaak.

The Stormers celebrate SP Marais' wonderful try (image source: Betram Malgas/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Hanro Liebenberg crashed over in the corner to give the away side a great start to the second stanza, but the Stormers answered with another try of their own finished off by skipper Siya Kolisi. The Bulls didn’t lie down though, and further tries from Pierre Schoeman and Liebenberg cut the gap to 15 before Dillyn Leyds scored the Stormers fifth of the evening to all-but wrap up the win. Piet van Zyl dotted down for a consolation try after the full-time hooter, but it meant little for a Bulls side who will need a serious improvement when these sides next meet.

The Jaguares righted a wrong from last season, scoring three tries in their 39-26 win over the Kings in Port Elizabeth. Having lost this fixture 29-22 last season after being reduced to 12-men, tries from Joaquin Tuculet, Gonzalo Bertranou and Leonardo Senatore helped the Argentinian franchise get their 2017 season off to a winning start.

Last season’s beaten finalists, the Lions, secured a 28-25 win away at the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein to join the Jaguares at the top of the Africa 2 Conference standings following week one. The Cheetahs only scored one try through winger Raymond Rhule but still led with two minutes left on the clock thanks to 20 points from the boot of Fred Zeilinga. However, a penalty try, plus two five-pointers from 2016 breakthrough star Rohan Janse van Rensburg, the second of which was a 79th minute winner, saw the Lions claim an impressive scalp to kickstart their season. 

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