Super Rugby

The Tahs lost their first two Super Rugby games, by 18 to the Crusaders and 20 to the Blues, each time paying the price for botching potential scoring opportunities with poor ball control.

In the two instances NSW held onto the ball for more than eight phases against the Blues, they scored tries.

"As coaches, the last thing we're going to tell the boys is to stop the offloads," Whitaker said.

"We're not a team that can go out there and just play one pass, tuck it under their wing and carry into contact because we're not big enough to do that.

The South African side scored five tries to the Highlanders two.

The hosts opened the scoring with a penalty in the sixth minute of the match when first five Mitchell Hunt kicked a penalty.

However, it was all one way traffic from there.

Flanker James Venter was the first try scorer in the match (31st minute) before Springboks winger Makazole Mapimpi scored two tries in the space of four minutes before the half was up.

By half-time the Sharks led 27-3.

Lingering knee and groin injuries for Crusaders first five-eighth Richie Mo'unga means coach Scott Robertson has rearranged his backline for the round two match.

Regular Crusaders fullback David Havili will start at first five-eighth for the first time at Super Rugby level to fill the gap left by Mo'unga who left the field during the Crusaders opening round win over the Waratahs.

Will Jordan moves to fullback and Sevu Reece lines up on the right wing.

Despite the loss of 17-game All Black Mo'unga, the Crusaders will not be short on experience.

The All Blacks wing impressed with two tries in the 37-29 loss to the Chiefs on Friday, but is now expected to be out of action for several weeks.

The news will be a bitter pill to swallow for the 22-year-old, who looked to have rediscovered some of the dazzling form that eluded him through a challenging 2019 season.

News of the injury comes just days after reports of raucous parties at Ioane's Auckland home, where he and brother Akira Ioane - also a member of the Blues squad - were allegedly at the centre of noise complaints. 

The Dunedin based super rugby franchise is dropping the jersey from its wardrobe.

Introduced in 2011 the flouro-green jersey was worn for the last time by the Highlanders in a pre-season match against the New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney last month.

It wasn't well received by Highlanders fans when it was introduced and was derided by opposition fans but did become synonomous with the side.

The Highlanders new alternate jersey is much more conservative bluish green.

The Crusaders opened the scoring with a penalty kick to hometown hero David Havili in the 10th minute and never relinquished the lead for the rest of the match.

Wingers Will Jordan and Leicester Faingaanuku and midfielder Braydon Ennor all scored tries in the first half, while Waratahs first five Will Harrison kept his side in the match early with two penalties.

By halftime the Crusaders had a 24-6 lead and looked to be cruising as first five Richie Mo'unga kept the visitors guessing with his pin point cross field kicks and deft passing.

The Hurricanes made too many unforced errors in what was a forgettable performance from the New Zealand side, who tried to play a physical game that was not matched by skill.

They lost centre Billy Proctor and flank Vaea Fifita to yellow cards, while Riccitelli was also fortunate to escape sanction for his late hit on Kolisi.

The Stormers will be sweating over the fitness of Siya Kolisi who was forced off in the first half.

Waratahs coach Rob Penney hinted at a new centre signing some weeks ago and it was reported then that Lasila was reported to be on his way, the club only confirmed his addition on Thursday.

The Japanese Sevens international and former Tonga U23 player played under Penney at Japanese division two club Toyota and it was that relationship that brought him to NSW.

“Siosifa has a fantastic skill-set, he can play right across the backline and most importantly he’s a good team man who understands what we’re trying to build here at the [NSW] Waratahs,” Penney said.

Cane has co-captained alongside Charlie Ngatai, Aaron Cruden and Brodie Retallick for the past four seasons, but will take the reins on his own this year. 

"Sam has co-captained the Chiefs since 2016," explained Gatland. "He is an experienced campaigner who is well respected by the players and management. 

"We believe it was important to identify one person this season to lead the team and that individual would be supported by the team's leadership group."

When two high-risk tackle technique warnings have been issued, a player will automatically receive a one-match suspension.

World Rugby have introduced a set of law amendments which will be trialled at various tournaments this year in a bid to improve player safety and reduce the risk of injuries.

The trials were approved for the four-year law amendment review cycle that began after the 2019 World Cup following an analysis by the Law Review Group last March and several unions expressed interest in operating one or more of the trials.