New Zealand's Canterbury Crusaders kicked off the 2008 Super 14 season in grand style with an emphatic 34-3 win over Australia's ACT Brumbies.

The Crusaders ran in four unanswered tries on a wet and cold night in Christchurch to earn a valuable bonus point and lay down an early marker for the season ahead.

Fly-half Dan Carter, playing his first serious match since the All Blacks were knocked out of the World Cup quarter-finals, rebounded from last season's dip in form to put in a brilliant all-round display.

He scored a try and kicked four conversions and two penalties for a personal haul of 19 points to deny the Australians any chance of a late comeback.

"The conditions made it a little bit tricky but I thought we adapted well. Four tries, we're pretty happy with it," Canterbury captain Richie McCaw said in a televised interview.

"On defence we were pretty sound and even though the ball was pretty slippery, we used it well."

The Brumbies, starting their first season without their long serving halves combination of George Gregan and Stephen Larkham, struggled to cope with the conditions but said that was no excuse.

"They were very dominant around that ruck area and a lot of missed tackles didn't help us," Brumbies skipper George Smith said.

"You've got to keep possession and keep the opposition team in retreat. We didn't do that throughout the whole match."

Canterbury led 10-3 at halftime after giant number eight Mose Tuiali'i (pictured) scored the first of his two tries.

Tuiali'i crashed over again early in the second half to extend his team's lead to 17-3 before former rugby league convert Brad Thorn put the result beyond doubt, crashing over from the back of a maul to score in the 70th minute.

Carter then secured the bonus point for his team when he combined with Leon MacDonald to score in the last play of the match.

SHARKS 17-10 WESTER FORCE

Stefan Terblanche scored the try that sealed the Sharks' 17-10 win over the Western Force in their match in Durban.

Fullback Terblanche, who was not in the 22 named for the match, was called into the team when French flyhalf Frederic Michalak withdrew with a calf injury.

Francois Steyn, who had been selected at fullback, moved to flyhalf to fill in for Michalak, who was due to make his debut for the South African side.

Neither side could penetrate their opponents' defence early on but Force fullback Cameron Shepherd broke the deadlock in the 20th minute with a penalty.

The Sharks went in front six minutes later when flanker Jacques Botes scored after a lineout on the visitors' 22-metre line developed into a rolling maul.

Terblanche straightened the line and smashed through several tackles to score in the 53rd minute. Scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar's conversion put the home side 14-3 ahead.

The Australian side struck back with 15 minutes left when replacement hooker Luke Holmes sprinted 40 metres to score after Sharks number eight Ryan Kankowski failed to catch a high ball.

Steyn put the Sharks 17-10 ahead with four minutes left on the clock when he booted a penalty from 55 metres.

The Force ended the match deep in their opposition's 22-metre area but could find no way through a resolute defence.

REDS 22-16 HIGHLANDERS

Australia's Queensland Reds were awarded two disputed tries then survived a late fight-back from New Zealand's Otago Highlanders to win their opening Super 14 match 22-16 in Brisbane.

Queensland, who finished at the bottom of last season's standings, outscored Otago three tries to one but there were doubts about two of their touchdowns scored off rucks.

South African referee Marius Jonker gave the Reds the benefit of the doubt on both occasions as they opened up a commanding 19-9 lead in the second half.

The Highlanders hit back with a late try by replacement forward Adam Thomson to set up a tense finish but Queensland sealed victory with a long-range penalty from Clinton Schifcofske after the final siren.

"At the end of the day I'm just very pleased they won. The boys showed a lot of fortitude," Queensland coach Phil Mooney said in a televised interview.

"Our defence was fantastic, they only scored one try and that was from a lineout that went wrong."

Queensland led 12-3 at the break after skipper John Roe and Schifcofske both scored tries and extended their advantage midway through the second half when Roe scored again while Otago prop Jamie Mackintosh was in the sin-bin.

Otago, who had five debutants in their side after losing all of their internationals last season, kept themselves in the hunt with a brace of penalties and Thomson's late try to earn a consolation bonus point for losing by fewer than seven.

"We've been written off in most quarters so we've got a lot to prove," Highlanders captain Jason Macdonald said.

"They just capitalised on all the mistakes we made. There were too many.

"We put a few fresh legs on and our pre-season conditioning brought us through in the last 20 minutes, but it wasn't to be tonight."

Reuters