Waratahs in a huddle during round one of the Super Rugby Trans Tasman match between the NSW Waratahs and Hurricanes. Photo / Getty Images.
OPINION:
Alarm bells ought to be ringing at New Zealand Rugby headquarters. And, no, for once, we're not talking about the stagnant Silver Lake deal.
When it comes to sport New Zealanders often take pleasure in Aussie-bashing but the first two rounds of Super Rugby transtasman is no joke.
As far as soft launches go, this competition has fallen as flat as an America's Cup race with no hint of a breeze.
All the uncertain intrigue from the 13-month Covid-19 enforced separation has evaporated.
Many stats have been rolled out to portray the lopsided nature of the resumption in transtasman relations. While 10-0 stands out, it's best conveyed in the realisation two Kiwi teams will contest the final – and other unbeaten New Zealand sides could miss out.
In a two-country competition, that scenario is not in anyone's best interests.
Perhaps Dan Carter has something at Chemist Warehouse that can help. Australian teams sure could use a shot in the arm.
Jibes aside, the major issue with Super Rugby transtasman is not only the here and now but more so what happens next year, when two new teams are slated to join the expanded 12-team league.
The credibility of that competition is already on the line - some might go as far to suggest quickly being eroded.
If Australia's five established teams can't match their New Zealand counterparts, what hope do Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua have?
History is littered with challenges start-up teams face. In a Super Rugby context, look no further than the ill-fated Sunwolves experiment.
Assembling credible, competitive squads in year one is a huge hurdle for the two Pacific teams to clear. Patience will be urged to give those teams time to get up to speed but there is a real risk that commodity will be wearing thin should transtasman results follow the one-sided script.
Launching a new competition amid the backdrop of the same old New Zealand dominance hardly screams fresh appeal.
After splitting from South Africa and Argentina, New Zealand Rugby needs this new 12-team competition to work.
For that to happen their pitch desperately needs Australian teams to front in the four remaining weeks of the transtasman format.
As it stands, the drop in quality from the Aotearoa competition has been swift which, after two seasons of intense Kiwi derbies, essentially leaves NZ Rugby attempting to push a vastly inferior product next year.
If you were comparing restaurants it would be entirely acceptable to expect a reduction in cost for the consumer.
Super Rugby transtasman offers a buffet of five matches compared to Aotearoa's two each weekend. At present, though, it's the equivalent of dining at Valentines or a Michelin Star venue.
As much as everyone was in awe of another Richie Mo'unga masterclass in Brisbane on Saturday night, it's impossible to understate the damage the Crusaders did in utterly humbling the Australian champions.
In a matter of weeks, we've gone from the Crusaders losing two games on their way to the Aotearoa final to putting 63 points on the premier Australian team at home.
The best against the best? Not even remotely close. This was men against boys.
The contrast could not have been starker as the Crusaders consistently bullied the Reds in the contact and at the breakdown, with rookie prop Tamaiti Williams powering his way over for a maiden try; Ethan Blackadder again stating his case for higher honours and Sevu Reece underlining his freakish skills.
Last week the Waratahs started $21 to defeat the Blues at Eden Park. After achieving their franchise-record worst 10 losses in a row, the Waratahs can only now plead for mercy when they confront the Crusaders.
The Brumbies were the big hope of round two after missing a sideline conversion to secure a draw in Christchurch. In Dan McKellar and Laurie Fisher they are well coached and have a healthy appetite for defence.
Yet the Chiefs, after trekking back from Perth where they narrowly avoided defeat against the Force, blew the Brumbies away with their powerful scrum, sumptuous counter-attack and superior offloading in Hamilton.
The Brumbies should be considered an even-odds chance of winning their final two games in Canberra against the Highlanders and Hurricanes. But, by that point, it will be a matter of pride.
The age-old debate about whether Australia has the depth to sustain five teams has again reared its head, too, with talk of bolstering their sides with up to three overseas imports.
Will that really help their game?
The reality is it could take two, three years before the likes of the Waratahs sort out their myriad issues. Even then there are no guarantees.
Do rugby fans have the staying power to stick with this new format that long? Retaining interest in the face of foregone conclusions is extremely difficult, even for the most ardent supporters.
In the reshaped southern hemisphere landscape New Zealand needs Australian rugby to mount consistent, credible challenges now because with two new teams on the horizon, competitiveness will not improve next year.