Defending champions the Highlanders edged the Hurricanes by a point in Super Rugby on Saturday in a rematch of last year's final, and the Lions served up the surprise of the second round by winning away against the Chiefs.
The Sharks held off a strong challenge by Argentina newcomers the Jaguares, winning 19-15 after the Jaguares took a 15-13 halftime lead while playing with two men in the sin-bin.
The Pretoria-based Bulls and Cape Town-based Stormers also secured victories in South Africa. In Australia, Western Force sent Queensland Reds to a second defeat.
In New Zealand, the Highlanders left it late as replacement flyhalf Hayden Parker kicked a penalty with five minutes remaining to snatch a 17-16 win over the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes trailed 14-6 immediately after halftime but the Wellington team went ahead through a try to captain TJ Perenara, and a conversion and penalty to Beauden Barrett. The Highlanders had two tries disallowed around the 69th minute - one for grounding short of the line, the other for a forward pass - before Parker provided the winning points. The Highlanders led 11-6 at halftime after a try by center Malakai Fekitoa.
The Hurricanes, the form team last year before losing to the Highlanders in the final, are winless after two games.
''It was a match that could have gone either way,'' Highlanders captain Ben Smith said. ''Both teams put a lot of pressure on each other and that's probably why there was a bit of dropped ball. We didn't get too frustrated and just kept playing right to the end.''
Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies kicked 16 points and orchestrated a thrilling attacking performance as the Johannesburg-based team, once Super Rugby's perennial struggler, won 36-32 at New Zealand's Chiefs to stay unbeaten.
The Lions overcame an arduous travel schedule, having beaten Japan's Sunwolves in Tokyo last weekend, to post their first ever win in Hamilton, in a match in which the lead changed five times.
Jantjies was instrumental in two of the Lions' four tries and kicked two conversions and four penalties.
The Chiefs also scored four tries, rallying from 24-11 down just after halftime to lead 25-24. Tries to captain Warren Whitely and winger Ruan Combrink restored the Lions' advantage at 36-25 and they held on despite a late Chiefs' try.
''We will enjoy the win because it is a good win, but the competition is still long,'' Lions coach Johan Ackermann said.
The Jaguares nearly opened their first season among the southern hemisphere's best with two wins in a row in South Africa.
The Jaguares scored the first try through wing Emiliano Boffelli in Durban, then conceded one to Sharks flanker Marcell Coetzee. Trailing 13-10 and with both their flankers yellow-carded, the Jaguares launched a late counterattack in the first half that resulted in fullback Santiago Cordero chasing down Boffelli's kick through to score.
The Sharks tightened up, and flyhalf Joe Pietersen's two penalties were the only points of the second half.
The Bulls scored the first six tries in their 45-25 win over the Melbourne Rebels, with a hat trick to wing Bjorn Basson. But despite their complete dominance through the first 45 minutes to lead 45-3, the Bulls let in four tries to miss out on a bonus point.
The Stormers muscled past the Cheetahs 20-10 in their South African derby in Bloemfontein.
The Stormers, Sharks, and Lions all share top spot in the South Africa group - which includes the Jaguares and Sunwolves - with two wins from two. In the Australasian standings, Australia's ACT is top and the only unbeaten team.
