The rivalry between Australia and New Zealand is a long and storied one.
Debates about everything from national flags to Phar Lap, summertime footwear to mobile refrigeration units... and even Russell Crowe!
Good thing we've got Super Rugby trans-Tasman, so we can at least settle the debate over who plays the best footy.
So, who was the cream of the pavlova in week one?
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Highlanders 40, Reds 19
Fresh from the mighty high of winning Super Rugby AU, the Reds walked into a bit of an ambush to kick off their trans-Tasman campaign.
In fact, it only took 35 seconds for the Highlanders to roll out the welcome mat for the champs, in the form of a Scott Gregory try.
The Reds bounced back though, as young halfback Kalani Thomas grabbed his first five pointer, to atone for an earlier error.
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But things slowly took a turn for the worst from there.
The Highlanders ruthlessly applied the pressure to pile on points for the remainder of the game and despite a couple of bright spots with Suliasi Vunivalu grabbing a brace of tries, this was not a night that Reds coach (and former Highlanders player) Brad Thorn will remember fondly.
All eyes will now be on James O'Connor's status for the coming weeks after failing an HIA.
Hurricanes 64, Waratahs 48
Anyone who's been to a game of footy will know this feeling.
When you're happily watching a game but – all of a sudden – nature calls.
So, you try to pick a strategic point of the contest when you can safely visit the stadium facilities, without missing any key moments.
Then, as you're wandering behind the stands your heart drops, as the crowd roars and you realise, you've just missed a try.
There was no problem with that on Friday night at the SCG, because tries were coming by like Metro trains.
If you missed one, there'd be another to follow in a couple of minutes.
Seventeen tries in total, in what was a reasonably comfortable win for the Hurricanes, but where was the defence?
No prizes for guessing what these teams will focus on this week.
Crusaders 31, Brumbies 29
The Brumbies could very easily have folded against the Crusaders.
Considering the heartbreaking nature of their AU grand final loss last week, heading to Christchurch to tackle Scott Robertson's all-conquering, breakdancing troops seemed a tall task.
The Crusaders started fast, albeit in dubious fashion, as their opening try appeared to come from a forward pass.
As the Brumbies appealed for the referee to check the pass, they were assured that it had been checked and cleared, despite it appearing more and more forward, the more you watched it.
But these wild horses from the ACT would not go quietly into the night.
They finished the stronger of the two sides and nearly stole a draw with two tries in the final 10 minutes, were it not for a tough Noah Lolesio conversion miss, right on fulltime.
Blues 50, Rebels 3
It was one of those nights for lock Rob Leota and the Rebels, as the Blues strolled on to AAMI Park and gave them… well… the blues.
Leota tried hard all game, so his commitment to the side and a premier mullet hairstyle cannot be questioned.
This was fiercely illustrated as he let out an expletive in a passionate post-match interview, live on Nine and Stan Sport.
Throughout the match though, the Blues scrum owned the Rebels time and time again.
Then it was time for the loose forwards to take centre stage, as Akira Ioane, Tom Robinson and Hoskins Sotutu bagged five tries between them.
Yikes.
Marika Koribete did get one back for his Rebels front row, putting a thunderous hit on Blues replacement prop Nepo Laulala.
So, at least that's something.
Chiefs 20 – Force 19
In American football, they love giving football games a name - like the Super Bowl, Rose Bowl, or even the Refrigerator Bowl (yes, that's a real name).
The clash between the Force and Chiefs could probably be labelled the Kahui Bowl, seeing as the former Chiefs standout is now a current star with the Force, at the tender age of 35.
The Force came out very strong with their 'rope a dope' tactics – a move that was popularised by the late great Muhammad Ali, who would absorb many punches from an opponent, before coming on strong later in the fight.
The Chiefs scored first and did all the early attacking, but the WA side stayed in touch and were ready to pounce on Chiefs errors, which gradually piled up, as fatigue and frustration grew.
Leading 20-14, you could even say the Chiefs choked by turning the ball over with time up on the clock.
The Force then scored, only to have their own choke, as Domingo Miotti missed the critical conversion.
So that's a choke layer cake, with the Chiefs (just) walking away with the Kahui Bowl.
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/rugby/super-rugby-download-trans-tasman-2021-highlights-scores-video-news/810e106b-65eb-4b7f-8fa6-10b64e6badcb
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