36 seconds.
That's all it took for the Highlanders and the New Zealand teams to deliver a 'reality check' to the high-flying Australian sides and set the tempo for last year's Trans-Tasman competition.
This leaves the four Australian teams playing in Super Round - as well as the Western Force (with their game with Moana Pasifika postponed due to COVID) - wanting to prove a point.
The Queensland Reds and Brumbies have admitted the focus barely wavered from last year's Final, a perfect storm that delivered record crowds and one of the greatest domestic games in the Super Rugby era.
Unfortunately, this seemed to cloud what was coming, struggling to recapture their form and match it with their Kiwi counterparts.
The champions Reds were thrown an almost unfair challenge, asked to back up on six days notice after wild celebrations and a historic achievement against a fresh and rejuvenated Highlanders team in Dunedin, thumped 40-19.
This started the Kiwi dominance, winning their first 13 games and 23 of the 25 between Australian and New Zealand teams.
The 13-game streak doesn't give a fair reflection on how close the first round was, with the Brumbies missing a kick to draw with the Crusaders before Domingo Miotti's conversion to win it for the Force sailing to the right against the Chiefs.
It seemed to zap the energy out of the Australian sides, playing catch-up until the end as the New Zealand sides claimed the top five spots on the ladder.
However, it's a new era for Super Rugby and there's a new, longer-picture view of the now combined competition.
After a tough Trans-Tasman, the Waratahs' clash with the Chiefs will tell us plenty about how the Australian and Kiwi sides will match up.
A lot has changed since the two sides concluded last year's regular season, with the Waratahs experiencing a resurgence under Darren Coleman and the returning Michael Hooper.
They sit just one point ahead of the Chiefs, who signalled their intentions early with a shock win over the Crusaders before they were dominated a fortnight ago by the Blues.
“I reckon it’s a good challenge for us,” assistant coach Jason Gilmore said on the opportunity.
“It’s Super Round down in Melbourne, there’s plenty of buzz and we get to open the batting for the first game down here so I know with this group, it’ll be full steam ahead.
“I think the Super Round will be really exciting for Rugby in Australia.”
The Waratahs have thrived this season as the underdogs and there's little doubt Coleman will use their status to get the best out of their side.
With some across the ditch expecting a whitewash, the Waratahs suggest the pressure lies more on Clayton McMillan's men to get the job done.
“Being the first Australian team to play a Kiwi side, there’s obviously going to be some eyes on us and that’s an exciting thing,” flanker Charlie Gamble believes.
“The pressure does go back on them because they are the first New Zealand team to play an Australian. We’re going to be extremely excited to play that game and rip in.”
Several Queensland Reds players have all but admitted there was significant focus on the Super Rugby AU, resulting in the Trans-Tasman competition almost becoming an afterthought.
The Queensland Reds struggled to begin the competition, falling to the Highlanders before a resounding defeat to the Crusaders in what was billed as 'Champion v Champion.'
A win over the Chiefs followed by a narrow defeat to eventual champions Blues got them back on track before they were thumped by the Hurricanes after a number of controversial decisions.
In building into the new season, the Reds have made it clear they felt like they let themselves down in Trans-Tasman, better equipt to deal with the intense pressure of the Kiwi sides.
“Absolute (there’s a point to prove) and I think that’s from every Australian team,” fullback Jock Campbell believes. “New Zealand are the provincial standout around the world I believe and we need better results against those guys and everyone in our squad wants to achieve that.
“Having not played them for a couple of years, we weren’t used to the speed of the ball they have and the fitness levels.
“They have four or five minutes more ball in playtime than us so that will be a shock to the system, but we’re preparing for that in training because that’s where they will hurt you when you get tired so that’s a focus for us.”
It's a similar story for the Brumbies, who showed they can match it with the best against the Crusaders to start last year.
However, the long season caught up with them and two back-to-back heartbreaking defeats drained their energy, only finding their feet on their return home with a last-minute win over the Hurricanes.
Brumbies flyhalf Noah Lolesio, who missed the kick to draw with the Crusaders, was adamant they will rectify last year's poor performances, starting with the Highlanders on Sunday.
“Last year at the start of Trans-Tasman, we went down by a point to the Crusaders and that probably took a toll on us because we were right in it," he conceded
"Definitely, if we can get a good start against the Highlanders and we stick to the processes, hopefully, it’ll put us in good stead with the other teams.”
As an outsider looking in, Jesse Mogg recognised the need for the Brumbies to improve, believing there has been a concerted effort from the younger players to improve their all-around skills over the past 18 months.
"I think they are really eager to learn and take their game to the next level, not just individual but as a collective," Mogg believes.
"I've been away for 5-6 years now and you watch the style and it's always been very similar early on but I think over the past 18 months they have been trying to evolve and over the next five weeks, hopefully, we show that.
"The biggest thing is consistency, you can't afford to have a really good weekend and a really poor one. You are definitely not going to play perfect Rugby for the next five weeks but if we are a high percentage of the game the way we want to play, we'll be in the contest.
Whilst all the New Zealand teams are listed as the home teams, no one will enjoy the three-day event at AAMI Park more than the Rebels.
The Rebels' turnaround over the past month has been incredible, securing their first two wins of 2022 over the Fijian Drua and Force before pushing the Reds to the limit last week.
They are hoping this as well as the festival-like atmosphere can deliver a fresh wave of support to the club, with tickets remarkably cheap at just $29.
"It's nice having the festival of Rugby as you would call it, it's got a bit of the Sevens vibe to it having all these different teams in," Rebels captain Michael Wells believes.
"Being able to host, it's a responsibility to put on a good performance because there's a lot of other teams and the Melbourne community wants to see good, exciting Rugby."
With Melbourne-born product Rob Leota returning to the side, there was a renewed optimism the event can help spark Rugby in the area and showcase the pathways for participation in Victoria.
"It's what we were trying to build, from the community here," Wells said.
"There's so many gems of Victorian Rugby from Rob Valetini to Hunter Paisami, they are all from here so there's definitely Rugby talent and having Rob represent them, it's great to have and we value it.
"Seeing there's a pathway for guys from Melbourne to actually continue to play well in Super Rugby and you don't have to go interstate and you can stay at home. A lot of the Rugby community is Pasifika and having those guys around their families, representing them for Melbourne, they do it very well and with pride. Showing guys they can come through the pathways is probably the most important thing."
"If you review this year to date compared to last year, it's our defence. We defended 26 phases against the Force when they were on our line and that's pretty impressive, the guys were working really hard for one another and that's what I've really impressed with our team. We showed last year we were good in attack and we could score points but we let in tries too easily so what you've seen this year, we've made massive shifts in our defence." - Jake Gordon
"It was a reality check really. We had to adapt to a certain style that came to Super Rugby AU and to some extent, we've had to do it again this year, but we've made a point on working on the things the Kiwis did well against us which was simple skills done well and under fatigue. Our pre-season was really pointed at that and that's what we're aiming to put out now. We just need to execute the one-on-one skills a lot better this year and it'll be telling against the Kiwi sides." - Liam Wright
"We had the Super Rugby AU final and then we went into Trans-Tasman so this year everyone understands the format a bit better and knows that first half of the season is about building blocks and putting the team forward. It's now about capitalising on the position we have on top but it's going to be a big challenge and everyone knows about it." - Jesse Mogg
"I think the level of accountability. I said it in round one against the Reds, we're not a team of excuses, having that accountability leads to better performances because you have those tough conversations, you look each other in the eye and you take steps forward and learn from losses, which we have plenty of. We're willing to have those conversations with each other, particularly with the leadership group we have and that's what we are driving." - Michael Wells
