Aussies advance, say Blues
Australian rugby teams have picked themselves up off the dirt and put New Zealand’s Super Rugby Pacific teams “on notice”, reckon the Blues, who make the trip across the Tasman this weekend with their eyes wide open.
Both Blues forwards coach Paul Tito and their All Blacks halfback Finlay Christie spoke about perceptions of a vastly improved Australian threat this year, and the relevance it has as they cross the ditch for a Saturday night matchup against the Waratahs in Sydney.
Statistics support this view. The NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds have both claimed significant Kiwi scalps through the opening three rounds – the Tahs upsetting the Crusaders in week two and Reds stunning title favourites the Chiefs last weekend in Brisbane.
Throw in the Reds’ loss in extra time to the Hurricanes in week two and the Tahs’ last-gasp home defeat to the Highlanders last Saturday, with Tane Edmed fluffing a match-winning penalty on time, and a clear picture emerges of Aussie teams rattling Kiwi cages in 2024.
In total the five Aussie teams have racked up seven victories this season, and the eye test tells you that not just the Brumbies (lone rangers of late in terms of true competitiveness across the ditch), but also the Tahs, Reds and even Rebels are trending in the right direction.
“What I’m noticing is they’re playing much better rugby, and it’s good for the competition,” said Tito yesterday. “They’re having a real crack at the Kiwi teams, whereas in the past they’ve been a bit hesitant and weren’t really backing themselves.
“It’s good to see. It’s putting the Kiwi teams on notice – we are going to have to be at our best to go there and get wins.”
As Tito observed, that makes for a better competition, on the back of a key adjustment after the nadir of France last year.
“They’ve started pretty low after the World Cup, and they’re coming together,” said the forwards guru. “They’re dangerous. It was a given the last couple of years what was going to happen.
“Now we’ve seen two Aussie teams have good wins [over Kiwi sides], and the Force going to Canberra and nearly winning. There is a bit going on, which is good for the competition.”
Remember, it was only three seasons ago in the Trans-Tasman competition that Aussie teams lost 23 of the 25 games against Kiwi opposition.
“They’re looking a lot more physical, and a bit more drilled,” said Christie. “The Tahs specifically have got a good pack, and they’re going to come at our breakdown pretty hard. We know they’re not going to roll over and we’re expecting a big tussle.”
And that, admitted the red-haired No 9, was probably a good thing for a Blues outfit coming off a shaky 29-21 defeat to the Hurricanes last Saturday night in the capital.
“It will be good to see how we respond coming off a loss early in the season – see how we regroup, and travel again,” added Christie. “They’ve played well the last few games … they’re going to play and we’ve got to be ready.”