Blues Win, Lions Lead the Currie Cup, NPC Blasts Into Orbit

It was a quieter week of rugby highlighted by the opening round of New Zealand's NPC, round three of the Currie Cup, and the Blues defeating the Waratahs to claim the women's club championship. In the Currie Cup the Lions sit atop the table while the Griqois and Cheetahs are close behind; Otago and several teams earned bonus-point wins in week one of the NPC, with Otago leading the standings. The All Blacks begin their South Africa tour with warm-up club matches against the Stormers and Sharks, and key internationals this weekend include Japan vs Australia, Argentina vs South Africa, and Fiji vs South Africa (women).