Super Rugby recap: The Waratahs can pass the ball six times on you and score at will

The first full week of the 2014 Super Rugby season is in the books and it did not disappoint. Thanks to the good people at RugbyDump you can already see the tries of the week right here:

The Queensland Reds and New South Wales Waratahs were the two most impressive sides following their opening matches. The Waratahs were an average team last year, but have a lineup filled with Australian National team members so yeah, they’re going to be really, really good if they can stay healthy. The last score in the “Tries of the week” video is from the Waratahs/Western Force game and it’s pretty amazing when you consider that New South Wales were able to put together a combination like that in the first minute of their first match. They’d go on to hang 36 more points after that opening try to win 43-21.

Queensland were also impressive in their opening match against the Brumbies. The Reds have some talent of their own with Will Genia and Quade Cooper anchoring their back line. Cooper is typically regarded as a jackass of the first order who can occasionally dominate a game when he’s not losing it for you. Saturday saw the return of “Good Quade.” If he sticks around the Reds will be in excellent shape for the rest of the campaign.

The other big story thus far is the fast start from the Golden Lions. The South African squad is a perennial doormat to the point of being on the outside looking in on Super Rugby after a one-year relegation for the 2013 season. Now they’re back and they have wins in their first two matches of the 2014 campaign against the respectable Cheetahs and Stormers sides.

The Chiefs/Crusaders game was a matchup of the two strongest New Zealand sides from 2013 and it came down to the wire. The Crusaders were down 11-10 and threatening deep in the Chiefs territory when winger James Lowe intercepted a pass and outraced Israel Dag 80 meters as time expired. Here’s the game in its entirety, but the final push and interception is at the 1:38:50 mark.

See above. The Waratahs are hosting the Reds this week. The game is broadcast live on DIRECTV channel 490 in the United States at 3:40 AM on Saturday, March 1st, so clear a couple hours on your DVR.