Super Rugby: String of away victories gives tipsters yet more to chew on

The victory for the Hurricanes was significant because New Zealand teams won only seven of the 20 matches they played in Australia and South Africa last year. Photo / Getty Images

Daniel Richardson runs his eye over the stats from the opening round of Super Rugby.

If you do any form of Super Rugby tipping competition, you'd have been best served to let a random-number generator do your picks during the opening round of the competition.

Home advantage - so often a vaunted mark in the travel-heavy Super Rugby competition - was rendered nearly useless during the weekend as six out of seven teams won on the road.

With only one week of games in the books it's tough to read too much into any player or team trends yet but winning away from home is something that needs further examination.

The Hurricanes and Rebels won on foreign soil, while the Cheetahs, Stormers, Chiefs and Force all won away games in their homeland. The Brumbies, who mauled the Reds on Friday night, were the only hosts to win.

The victory for the Hurricanes was significant because New Zealand teams won only seven of the 20 matches they played in Australia and South Africa last year. Points on the board was vital for Chris Boyd's side.

For the Blues, losing to the Chiefs during the weekend was a terrible way to begin their campaign given they play on the road seven times during their next nine games, including a trip to South Africa. The Blues have only won two away games during the past two years; a worrying figure.

The Stormers' win over the Bulls may have been the most surprising of the opening round given the Bulls were unbeaten in Pretoria since 2013 when the Brumbies knocked them over in the semifinals. The Bulls had also produced 17 wins and a draw from their past 18 regular-season home games dating back to 2012.

The Bulls don't leave South Africa until week 14 this year and play five of their first six games at Loftus Versfeld, so they should emerge as an early-season pacemaker if they return to type at home.

One of the most interesting matches during the second round will be when the Bulls host the Hurricanes. Something will have to give.

Week two will give us a better idea of whether home advantage is starting to become less of a factor in the professional game.

It must be an anomaly but the four most efficient teams on defence all lost during the weekend. The Waratahs made 92 per cent of their tackles but were upset by the Force, while the Reds (91 per cent), Crusaders (91 per cent) and Lions (90 per cent) all came out on the wrong side of the ledger despite making most of their defensive assignments.