What was pleasing about Super Rugby over the past weekend was the noticeable lift in skill level and intensity, and that was exemplified by the Crusaders.
There was a bit of first-round syndrome last week - nobody really made a statement apart from the Brumbies - but in round two other teams lifted their intensity level so we got better quality rugby and better tempo rugby.
The Crusaders are a very proud franchise and their success is from personal pride in performance. I know, having been part of the team for 10 years, that the culture of the Crusaders is all about consistency of performance and work ethic.
That wasn't existent when they lost to the Rebels. In sport you're going to win some and you're going to lose some but, if you lose, you make sure you lose with dignity, and that's through attitude and performance.
After Saturday's game against the Highlanders, I spent a good hour in the bar having a cold beer with Todd Blackadder, Aaron Mauger and some senior players. They were thrilled with the win but Toddy told me last week he didn't get any sleep, because performances like that are stressful.