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What Caused the Round 1 Scoring Surge?

If Round 2 proves to be anything like Round 1, then the Vodacom URC is set to provide some right royal entertainment.

The opening weekend of the league season produced an average of 62 points per match, with no fewer than 67 tries scored across the eight fixtures.

Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld saw the highest tally with no fewer than 84 points in the Vodacom Bulls’ 63-21 victory over the Scarlets. That delivered 12 tries, as did the titanic tussle between Zebre and Ulster out in Parma where the visitors just held on to win 40-36 as the two sides shared out 76 points in a game that set the free-scoring tone for the weekend.

It was a trend that continued through to the final game of Round 1, as 68 points and ten tries were racked up at Scotstoun where Glasgow defeated Leinster 43-25. That matched the 68 from the close-fought South African derby between the Emirates Lions and the DHL Stormers in Johannesburg.

So, what does Glasgow head coach Franco Smith make of the points bonanza as he prepares for a Round 2 trip to Connacht? “It’s good to see some tries scored. That’s what the public comes out to see every week, so I’m excited about that,” said the former Italy boss. “A lot of teams now play on artificial pitches. Both Ulster and Connacht have got them now. I do think that complements attack a lot.

“There’s also the mindset at the beginning of the season. You obviously spend a lot of time during pre-season working on decision-making.”

Looking ahead, the experienced South African added: “The weather circumstances play a huge role in this competition. “We play over Christmas and you get a change of the weather through December, January and February. Then you get another change of temperature and season in around May and June.

“That definitely influences how the game is played. All the players are very excited if they find a dry day and a good surface. I definitely feel that attack allows you to play in a final, but defence wins finals, so there’s an important balance and that naturally grows as the weather, the temperature, the season and the importance of each game changes.”

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