The biggest thing this new competition needed to get people engaged again was for the opening game to be exactly like it was.
The Blues v Highlanders match on Friday was a pleasure to watch. If you were one of the 22,000 at Eden Park, you got great value for money.
The quality of rugby was impressive and the drama of the close scoreline and finish should really get people's excitement levels up for the season again.
The next game of the night, the Brumbies v Hurricanes in Canberra, didn't have the same quality, and while the Chiefs and Crusaders fought out a close one in Christchurch on Saturday, I believe the Blues and Highlanders were the two most impressive New Zealand terms in round one.
Both teams backed their skills - they were patient - and I can't recall many errors. It was fast moving and there were some quality tries scored.