Super Rugby Pacific is up and running, with an entertaining first round taking place over the weekend.
There were wins for the Waratahs, Chiefs, Crusaders, Reds and Brumbies, though the ACT side needed a late try to sneak past the Force and avoid a huge upset in Canberra.
Read on as we review some of the Super - and not so Super - action from the opening round.
THE SUPER FROM ROUND 1
Drua delight with passionate 'Na Bole' war dance
They may have been well off the pace once the whistle blew, but Fijian Drua's pre-match 'Na Bole' war dance was a sight to behold as the expansion franchise threw down the challenge to the Waratahs in Sydney.
Cheered on by a strong Fijian presence at CommBank Stadium, the 'Na Bole' was the perfect way for the Drua to begin their Super Rugby journey. The Waratahs, too, deserve praise for agreeing to a performance that is usually reserved for the Test arena.
"They asked us if we would mind them doing their tribal dance, their challenge, and I believe it's an advantage to them, but geez that's the stuff you want to be there for," Waratahs coach Darren Coleman said.
"These boys will remember this moment, 'remember the time we faced the Fijian dance in their first ever Super Rugby game?', it's pretty cool for our lads to be a part of.
"It's a beautiful thing for the Fijian culture and how many Fijians were in the crowd, it was so good."
Tahs snap losing streak in grand style
The Waratahs were heavily favoured to defeat the Drua, but few would have dreamed that they would run away with a 40-10 bonus-point victory in Coleman's first game in charge.
And there was so much to like in the performance, though perhaps the most extraordinary stat from the opening encounter was the fact that NSW skipper Jake Gordon topped the tackle count with 15 tackles.
Overall, the Waratahs tackled at 87 percent, a significant improvement on the 81 percent they averaged in Super Rugby Trans-Tasman last year. There will be far sterner defensive challenges to come, but this was an excellent starting point for the Coleman era.
NSW, meanwhile, ran in five tries in attack.
The pick of those was scored by Wallabies prop Angus Bell, who scooped up a beautiful, if low, flat pass from returning lock Jed Holloway to barge over from five metres out. Amid the sweaty, and then stormy conditions, it was a sensational pick-up from Bell as both he and Holloway topped the Waratahs ball-carries with nine apiece.
Wilson back to his best for Reds
If Saturday night's performance against the Rebels is any marker, the decision not to take Harry Wilson on last year's spring tour looks to have been a masterstroke from Dave Rennie.
Wilson looked in exceptional condition at Suncorp Stadium, clearly benefiting from a full preseason, before being at the centre of a determined Reds performance as they got their season off to a winning start against the Rebels.
Wilson was back to his free-running best, registering 51 metres on 15 carries - which were both match-high efforts. He also produced a Go-Go Gadget like arm extension to stretch out and place the ball on the tryline to give the Reds their second five-pointer of the night.
A worthy man-of-the-match, further performances like this will have Wilson right back in contention for a spot in a Wallabies back-row that is starting to swell with quality candidates.
Having started the first two Tests against France, Wilson slipped down the pecking order as Rob Valetini, Lachie Swinton and then Rob Leota all were favoured to fill the No. 6 and No. 8 jerseys in the Rugby Championship.
But there is no doubting the quality of the Reds youngster and he is likely to be a key fixture of Wallabies squads for the next decade.
Chiefs forwards turn on the style in first-up win
Competition fancies the Chiefs got their season off to a winning start on Saturday afternoon, rolling the Highlanders at the picturesque Wakatipu Rugby Club in Queenstown.
In a match that struggled for fluency at times, there were two eye-catching pieces of attacking play from Chiefs forwards Pita-Gus Sowakula and Brodie Retallick.
Clearly inspired by the Super Bowl, Sowakula hurdled All Blacks ace Aaron Smith to score in the corner, in a move that was equally funny as it was skillful, with the Highlanders scrum-half seeing the lighter side himself with a post on social media after the match.
Now I know how NFL players feel getting jumped 😠pic.twitter.com/N0EUGbVGVj
— Aaron Smith (@Te_Nug) February 19, 2022
Retallick, meanwhile, has long been known to range in the wider channels, often stinging the Wallabies with his rangy stride en route to the tryline.
But on Saturday it was a miraculous flick pass that would have had the spectators on their feet, had any been allowed in to watch the match.
Drawing in two defenders as he drifted back infield out by the left touchline, Retallick was able to contort his body just enough to give him the space to drop a sensational offload to Emoni Narawa, who then ran in to score the Chiefs' third try untouched.
THE NOT SO SUPER FROM ROUND 1
Brumbies' lineout all at sea
So often a strength of their game, the Brumbies lineout was absolutely shambolic in the first half in Canberra before the Force later went within two minutes of a massive upset.
While coach Dan McKellar was reluctant to blame hooker Folau Fainga'a, the Brumbies' timing and execution was off for much of the opening 40 as the Force were able to get up and disrupt their opponents' set-piece on multiple occasions.
That also contributed to the Brumbies' heavy defensive workload as they made almost double the tackles of the Force in warm conditions in Canberra.
McKellar will demand a far more competent set-piece display as they welcome the Drua to Canberra in Round 2.
Crowds can't return soon enough across the ditch
The contrast in atmosphere between the Australian and New Zealand games over the weekend was stark.
With New Zealand's current COVID restrictions not allowing for any crowds at games, there was a distinct lack of off-field energy in both Queenstown and Dunedin, with the indoor Forsyth Barr Stadium particularly cavernous for the Crusaders-Hurricanes clash.
There is hope that the New Zealand Government will ease some COVID restrictions in the coming weeks, allowing more than the 100-person density limit that currently applies to big gatherings which includes sporting matches.
NZ Rugby, meanwhile, is reportedly considering breaking the Queenstown bubble a week earlier than planned and returning the six teams to their home bases, according to stuff.co.nz.
The report comes after Ardie Savea hit out at the four-hour bus trip from Queenstown to Dunedin, which players face as part of the existing bubble.
Gardner goes down
Australian referee Angus Gardner was probably feeling a tad foolish after he took charge of the Reds-Rebels clash in Brisbane.
While Gardner did a largely satisfactory job of controlling proceedings, he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time as the match drew closer to its conclusion.
Standing at the tail of the lineout on a Reds throw, Gardner failed to clear the impact zone as the Reds brought the ball to ground and then looked to move to a first phase.
💣 BOOM! #REDvREB #SuperRugbyPacific pic.twitter.com/SKxndpsqT1
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) February 19, 2022
Steaming on the ball on an unders angle was No. 8 Harry Wilson, who had no choice but to cannon into Gardner and send him flying, the referee curiously squatting down rather than stepping out of the way.
Calm as ever, Gardner quickly blew his whistle, got back to his feet and awarded a scrum to the Reds.
But he is sure to feature on bloopers reels for many years to come.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Reds coach Brad Thorn lauds fullback Jock Campbell
"He's got a big kick, defensively (solid), he moves so nicely, he's got this movement like a (Darren) Lockyer-style step. He's (Campbell) a banker, you feel good when he's on the park. He could comfortably go up another level ... but he's like one of those guys you can pass over. Not as flashy; it's like they don't have bling or whatever, but they always seem to make the right decisions."