Super Rugby: Petaia vs. Goodhue to light up Suncorp

Round three of Super Rugby serves up three tantalising trans-Tasman derbies, while the Lions and Bulls will resume local hostilities in South Africa.

The Blues, who are staring down a third straight defeat, we'll be looking for a change of fortune against the Jaguares in Argentina.

Read on as we bring you some of the big talking points to watch out for in Round 3.

AUSTRALIAN CONFERENCE

Petaia's ability gets real test against Goodhue

One is an established All Blacka centre who seemingly moves closer to locking down the No. 13 jersey with every game, the other an uncapped Wallabies squad member with unlimited potential.

On Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium, Jack Goodhue and Jordan Petaia will collide in what may be the first of many battles over the next few years. These are two powerful backline ball-runners.

Both men returned to the paddock last week, with Goodhue having sat out the Crusaders' opening win over the Blues; the 23-year-old helped to cut the Hurricanes' defence to pieces as part of stunning first-half from the two-time defending champions.

Petaia, meanwhile, made New Zealand rugby fans sit up and take notice as he galloped in behind the Highlanders' backs all night; the 18-year-old burned defenders on the outside and bust straight through others in an eye-catching display of his many talents.

Reds coach Brad Thorn tried to keep a lid on Petaia's performance post-game, but he did come out during the week and praised not just his young charge's ability but more importantly the young man behind the talent.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika must have seen the same personality traits as he named Petaia to make his debut against Italy last year, only for the 18-year-old, who is only 18 months out of school, to tweak a hamstring on match eve and miss the opportunity to debut.

A showdown with Goodhue will prove far more of a test than any Italian opponent could have, though, such is the development in the Kiwi's game since he headed south from Northland. Goodhue has been a critical component of the Crusaders' back-to-back titles having formed a fine midfield partnership with Ryan Crotty.

At 187cm and 100kg, Goodhue is the perfect build for the modern outside centre. But he is far more than just a tackle-buster, Goodhue also understands the nuances of the position and knows when to use his fend, offload and footwork to beat a defender he can't run over.

Just how this positional plays out could provide a glimpse at what we can expect later in the year, firstly in the Rugby Championship and then the World Cup in Japan.

But Saturday night's game at Suncorp Stadium will offer much more than Petaia vs. Goodhue, particularly given the Reds' impressive Round 2 showing in Dunedin.

While they were denied victory by a late Highlanders try, the Reds did more than enough to suggest they'll be trending upwards in 2019. A victory over the Crusaders would be the perfect way to confirm that right away, but it will come only if they master one key area of concern from Dunedin.

The Reds were unable to exit from their own 22, particularly after scoring points themselves, efficiently; Thorn's team instead were drawn into kicking the ball aimlessly down to the Highlanders' back three, who quickly turned defence into attack.

Do that against a Crusaders outside back trio that features Braydon Ennor, George Bridge and Will Jordan, and the Reds will find themselves chasing the game throughout.

NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE

Highlanders' depth tested amid All Blacks' rests

The resting of All Blacks in a Rugby World Cup year is hardly a new concept and, in recent times, such a program has been instigated in non-World Cup years, too.

But it remains a big talking point, nonetheless, and one that seems to be amplified this season by the growth of the global player market and those New Zealand players who have packed up their boots and mouthguard in searcher of greener pastures.

Fairfax Media's Paul Cully is just one of a number of journalists, pundits, coaches and players to touch on the issue, and the residual effect it has already had on the Chiefs and Hurricanes this season.

"It's no coincidence that the two teams who have looked most rudderless at times have been the Hurricanes and Chiefs," Cully wrote for stuff.co.nz. "That will happen if the Brad Shields and Charlie Ngatais of this world are taken out of the equation... For all the talk of All Blacks being rested, the teams that are truly damned are those who produce players deemed not quite good enough for the All Blacks.

"These fringe All Blacks, who are commonly the best, or close to it, at their franchises each week are the ones particularly vulnerable to overseas suitors. But when they go, they take their mana with them: Matt Proctor will be the next to leave the Hurricanes."

Part of what has made New Zealand franchises so strong throughout Super Rugby's history are the exact players to whom Cully refers above; the players who have been critical links for each of the five franchises over long periods of time, whose path to Test rugby has been blocked by men with just that little bit of extra talent or X-factor.

But in the modern player market, in which individuals have an opportunity to reap rich financial rewards overseas while at the peak of their powers, the gap to that next level of player has started to show.

While the Hurricanes will be much better for the return of Beauden Barrett, Ardie Savea and Ngani Laumape this week, and the winless Chiefs shouldn't have too much trouble at home to the Sunwolves, the depth of the Highlanders' squad will be tested against the Rebels in Melbourne.

There is no Ben Smith, Aaron Smith or Luke Whitelock this week, while Liam Squire is injured. At fly-half, Josh Ioane has done a fine job to date but now finds himself at fullback, with Bryn Gatland taking over at No. 10.

What the omission of the three key All Blacks, and Squire's absence through injury, has done is to put greater pressure on the next level of player to step up and lead, just as Cully alluded to in his column. It will be interesting to see how Ioane and Gatland fare in that role, alongside No. 9 Kane Hammington.

In reference to Cully's main point, it's worth remembering Lima Sopoaga would likely have been available throughout this season if he'd remained in New Zealand instead of heading north to Wasps.

This is far from the Highlanders' strongest outfit, either, with Tevita Li, Liam Coltman and Matt Faddes also left out, while coach Aaron Mauger has handed potential debuts to three players on his bench.

It will be a huge challenge for a side chasing a third straight win.

SOUTH AFRICAN CONFERENCE

Warren Whiteley more than a player for the Lions

Two massive games in South Africa this weekend, and two equally massive questions to be asked ahead of kick-off: Can the Lions cover the injury-enforced absence of skipper Warren Whiteley against the Bulls, or is the visitors' loss of Lood de Jager potentially more important? And, how will the Sharks, so impressive against lesser inter-conference rivals go now they face was will surely be a more physical challenge from traditional South African rivals the Stormers?

We'll start with the Jukskei Derby at Emirates Airline Park, where the traditional Gauteng powerhouses clash without their captains having recorded opposing results against the Jaguares and the Stormers in the opening two rounds. The Lions opened with a hugely professional performance to claim their first result in Buenos Aires at the fourth time of asking, winning 25-16, while the Bulls were superb in all facts in dismissing the Stormers 40-3. The Bulls then travelled to Argentina, where their defence and decision-making, in particular, failed to match the standards they had set in Round 1. The Lions, meanwhile, conjured defeat against the still very limited Stormers from what had earlier seemed likely to be a comfortable victory.

Of most concern for the Lions will be the manner in which they lost their mojo without Whiteley, who left the field shortly before halftime with a chest injury that will see him miss at least six weeks of Super Rugby. They conceded 15 penalties in the fixture, the majority in the second half and time added-on to continually gift their more limited rivals possession and momentum. Of course there was controversy that the Lions were not awarded a penalty late in the second half, from which they should have cleared their lines and likely played out the final couple of minutes of regulation away from their 22, but flanker Kwagga Smith said ill-discipline in the second half, and an inability to see the game out, had cost them more than this single missed call from referee Egon Seconds and his assistant.

"The Stormers did well in the end, but we lacked discipline and gave away a lot of penalties in the second half," Smith said. "That cost us."

Smith said also in reference to Whiteley's absence this week that the Lions "have a lot of leaders in the team... you don't have to have the badge as captain to lead... and the character of the team is to go stronger and to play for Warren", but truth is the team has struggled in the past without their talismanic leader.

For sure they won five of the nine conference matches he missed through injury last year, including their impressive performance against the Waratahs in Sydney, but two more of the victories were unconvincing verdicts against the Sunwolves (at home) and the Stormers (at Newlands) while they also lost 38-25 at home to the Blues after Whiteley had left the field early with the posterior cruciate ligament injury that rubbed him out for a chunk of the seasons. That record, combined with the discipline issues they had last week, is certainly food for thought.

The Bulls are also without their captain, with de Jager missing this game and at least next week with a shoulder injury. They also struggled without him last year, losing four of the six matches he missed, including four of the five he missed with a chest injury at the end of the campaign, but they were a lesser team that was struggling regardless of their best players.

Perhaps a bigger concern for the Bulls this week is the inexperience of de Jager's replacement - former Junior Springboks lock Eli Snyman makes his first Super Rugby start - and of their bench, which lacks any sort of name player guaranteed to have key influence as "a finisher".

They'll also be mindful that their defensive effort last week in Argentina was nowhere near as that which had shut down the Stormers the week before, and that they their decision-making last week, in choosing to play rugby rather than percentages in poor conditions, lacked any kind of coherent thought. Perhaps they, too, had got carried away with the form against the Stormers.

Defence and decision-making will be key in Johannesburg this week, and perhaps the Lions are better placed to cope without their talisman.

Down in Durban, the Super Rugby-leading Sharks host the Stormers having produced bonus-point performances against the Sunwolves and the Blues. In both games, they showed tremendous ability with ball in hand, with Lukhanyo Am, in particular, Makazole Mpimpi and Aphelele Fassi inpressing. Robert du Preez, at fly-half, has also produced the goods in organising the improved Sharks attack to go with his imperious goal-kicking; he really does look to have all the tools to be succeed at Test level for the Springboks, and he'll be a surely be big loss to the Sharks when he leaves from Manchester after the Super Rugby season.

Akker van der Merwe will be a similar loss when he also joins Sale Sharks, having really looked to be an improved player this season. But he and the Sharks forwards, in particular, will face a different challenge this week.

In defeating the Lions last week, the Stormers weren't much better with ball in hand than they had been in their abject defeat to the Bulls the week before. But they certainly brought increased physicality and they hit hard enough in defence to stop their opponents who had seemed set early to canter to victory. And they also have the better pack of forwards, on paper, and the expectation that Eben Etzebeth will see more minutes than he did on his return last week can only be good news for the visitors. He showed in his cameo off the bench that he was every bit as good as he had been, and he played a key role in getting the Stormers past the Lions.

One might feel the Sharks have only to maintain discipline to minimise the Stormers' opportunities, for S.P. Marais' boot has certainly been the Cape-based team's notable source of points. But they will likely impress again only if they match the Stormers' physicality; there's little reason to feel they won't, especially at home, but they have not felt that sort of pain this season and they will have to get accustomed to it. It's difficult to see anything other than a Sharks win in Durban this week, but we felt the same about the Lions in Jozi last weekend.