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'The benefits for Australian rugby are far less tangible': The one-sided Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition becoming a concern

(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

After a second round of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, the gap between the New Zealand sides and Australian sides couldn’t be clearer. After ten games, the ledger stands at 10-0 in favour of the five Kiwi franchises.

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The second round was more brutal than the first, with the closest margin being 10 points between the Highlanders and the Force.

Every other game was a blowout with the Crusaders thumping the Reds 64-28, the Chiefs 40-18 winners over the Brumbies, the Blues 48-21 over the Waratahs and the Hurricanes dispatching the Rebels 35-13.

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Questions are now being asked whether we will see an Australian side get a win as the strength of the Kiwi sides has proven to be too much to handle.

Kiwi rugby journalist Paul Cully wrote that the competition has been ‘liberating’ for the New Zealand players after the toughness of the Aotearoa competition and questioned whether there were any benefits for the Australians.

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South African journalist Jon Cardinelli questioned whether there was enough balance in the Australian game, and highlighted just how far the former World Champions had fallen since the turn of the century.

Fans were in debate over whether the Trans-Tasman competition is healthy for the Australian teams, as Super Rugby AU was a confidence-breeder for them but hard games against New Zealand teams may help improve the standard.

Some fans believed the teams could benefit from a foreign import quota to provide some balance to the teams.

While the results in round two were disheartening for Australian rugby supporters, the Brumbies were a conversion away from a draw against the Crusaders while the Force missed a crucial match-winning kick against the Chiefs.

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It is within the realms of possibility that there will be some Australian wins but an all-Kiwi final is at short-odds after two weeks of action.

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