Sky Super Rugby Transtasman: New Zealand Super Rugby teams need Australian opposition, says Aaron Smith

Aaron Smith in action during the Highlanders' win over the Western Force. Photo / Photosport

The New Zealand Super Rugby teams have played just two matches against Australian opposition in the past year but, for Aaron Smith, that's a big enough sample size to show their importance.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic rocked the world early last year, New Zealand rugby fans have been treated to two New Zealand-only incarnations of Super Rugby, which featured hard-fought physical games that were often tight on the scoreboard.

However, since the start of the transtasman competition, it has been one-way traffic, with New Zealand clubs winning all 10 games against their Australian counterparts through the opening two rounds.

It isn't all as the scorelines suggest, though. Speaking ahead of his side's third-round match against the Rebels in Sydney on Sunday, Highlanders halfback Aaron Smith noted the need for an extended transtasman competition.

"I think we're all stuck in a bubble in New Zealand around how good we think we all are because we're beating Australian teams, but these games are very hard," Smith said.

"I think we need to play a normally formatted Super Rugby against the Australians. We've lost to the Rebels the last two times we've played them; I've only beaten the Reds once over in Suncorp. Playing the [Waratahs] over in Sydney is hard; all these games are tough in their own way and it's probably the same for the Aussies when they come here, as it should be.

"We need them. We need that bond of the Bledisloe; that bond of New Zealand and Australian rugby to be strong for our rugby to be strong, and the Southern Hemisphere brand of rugby."

The Australian teams came close to stemming the flow of Kiwi dominance in the competition early on, with the Brumbies and Force missing shots at goal to draw and beat the Crusaders and Chiefs.

However, in the second round, there was little trouble for the New Zealand sides who took all five matches by an average margin of 23 points.

But while the Australians are yet to get on the board in the campaign, Smith has added his voice to a chorus of New Zealanders warning that, at some point in the campaign, the Australians will tip someone up.

"The Aussie teams are going to get a win in this competition and we've said it as a leadership group we don't want it to be us," Smith said.

"If we rock up to a game thinking it's just going to happen - someone's going to trip and get embarrassed if they don't show up."

The Highlanders match against the Rebels was initially scheduled to be played in Queenstown on Sunday, however a Covid-19 outbreak in Melbourne meant the match was moved to Leichhardt Oval in Sydney as the Rebels could not leave Australia.