Sunday, 4th February 2007 at 1:40 pm

Super 14: one week in

Four minutes of play with neither kick nor whistle: an electric start to this year’s Vodacom Super 14, and one that suggested we’re in for some irresistible rugby. And when, 76 minutes later, the Blues (under new skipper Troy Flavell, an unlikely but effective leader) sealed a win over the Crusaders, the defending champions, one very open season presented itself.

Six games later, and we’re through round one; and while the frenetic surge of unbroken play that got us started in Auckland slowed somewhat (the Highlanders’ 8-7 win in Perth was a throwback to the Reds at their worst), it wasn’t a bad weekend’s rugby, with the Sharks’ win in Durban underlining why they lead South African hopes this year.

Competition will come in the form of the Cheetahs, however, who reminded the Stormers of the importance of a front row, a gleeful (and not terribly small) Ollie le Roux celebrating his 100th Super rugby match with a derby win, that most cherished of triumphs in South African rugby. And while the Bulls and Stormers both have too much talent to be written off (the less said about the Lions the better), it’s outside of South Africa where Sharks and Cheetahs fans are looking for their chief competition

Ones to watch, then? The Blues, certainly, who showed some sparkling running. The Crusaders, because even without their superstars, they’re still the Crusaders, with a strong, experienced squad. The Brumbies, who won on the road in New Zealand (21-15 over the Chiefs) without ever really hitting top gear. And the Waratahs - a win over the Lions might not count for too much, but they’re always dangerous, particularly in the first half of the tournament.

Those four would make an honest quartet of semifinal picks right now. But while it’s only a week old, the South African challenge is looking more assured than usual, and four of the South African sides will at best challenge for the final four, and at worst give the established big guns a genuinely tough time. Pre-season optimism is an annual South African curse; in 2007, backing the home teams seems more reasonable. Four of them, anyway.