The Chiefs' 72-65 win over the Lions in a Super 14 rugby match which produced a record 18 tries has raised questions over whether new rule interpretations err too much in favour of attacking teams.

The second-round match in Johannesburg on Friday was the highest-scoring in Super rugby history, eclipsing the 118 points scored when Natal, now the Sharks, beat the Highlanders 75-43 in Durban in 1997.

Each team on Friday scored nine tries - beating the previous single match record of 17 tries - and the second half produced 85 points, leaving observers divided over whether the match was an aberration or a sign new rulings are strangling defence.

Waikato coach Ian Foster was among those who saw the match as an anomaly.

"It's one of those games in some ways you just have to enjoy it for what it was and hope those sort of games don't happen too often," Foster said.

"It was at altitude, it was hot and I think our fatigue factor in that last quarter helped them score those last three or four tries. It's not a usual game of rugby.

"Last year, we had a 63-34 game against the Blues and it sort of felt similar to that. So I'm not sure it's totally foreign to rugby but clearly I don't think it's going to be a weekly occurrence."

The match was the most glaring reflection of a high-scoring trend in the second round of this year's tournament.

In four out of seven weekend matches, winning teams scored more than 40 points. A total of 52 tries were scored at a rate of seven per match and 461 points at an average of 65 per game. The second round in 2009 produced 35 tries and 288 points at 41 points per match.

Super 14 officials are working with referees to address acknowledged "problem areas" in the game - principally the tackled ball, the scrum and offside play at kick returns - which impede continuity, inhibit attack or yield an advantage to defensive teams.

Marc Hinton, a Fairfax columnist, questioned whether matches such as Friday's were good for rugby. Hinton said rule interpretations which sought to improve the quality of matches may have gone too far.

"After sitting through a 2009 rugby season that got progressively more stodgy, one-dimensional and downright boring, the southern hemisphere superpowers have decided to see if they can give things a little nudge in the right direction," Hinton said.

"But judging by Jo'burg... they may just have unleashed a monster."

In other high-scoring second-round matches South Africa's Bulls reached 50 points for the second-straight week, beating the ACT Brumbies 50-32 to go to the top of the standings.

The Hurricanes, who managed only one try in a 34-20 first-round win over the Blues, scored seven in a 47-22 win over a Western Force team which was severely depleted by injuries.

And the Queensland Reds upset seven-time champions the Crusaders 41-20.

In other matches, the Blues beat the Highlanders 19-15, the Cheetahs beat the Sharks 25-20 and the Stormers defeated New South Wales 27-6.

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