Aussie warning: Don’t write us off
The Aussies are back, baby.
Thoughts that this six-week block of trans-Tasman fixtures to round out Super Rugby Pacific’s regular season would be merely a Kiwi jostle for positioning in the top four have been hoofed to touch.
With one of the biggest upsets in Super footy in recent times, the Waratahs’ victory over the Crusaders in Sydney on Saturday night has thrown a cat amongst the pigeons going into the final month before the playoffs.
It wasn’t just the Tahs’ 24-21 win at Leichhardt Oval that led to this narrative, though.
Following on from the previous weekend’s Brumbies defeat of the Highlanders, the Reds and Force both went close to getting the job done on Friday night against the Chiefs and Blues, respectively, while the Rebels showed touches of class in their win over Moana Pasifika.
This, after last year the Australians managed just two wins over New Zealand opposition in 25 games of the trans-Tasman competition.
A fortnight after the Blues breathed new life into the competition with their droughtbreaking victory over the Crusaders in Christchurch, this latest round has further injected some zest, which can only do wonders for generally waning interest levels and on the back of the flop that was the Super Round in Melbourne.
Even fans on this side of the ditch will be welcoming the sight of the Aussies proving highly competitive, if not a little nervous about what could then transpire once Dave Rennie gets his hands on his Wallabies contingent.
The ridiculously inflated top eight quarterfinals system in the 12-team competition was always going to ensure some sort of intrigue deep into the regular season, but now there could even be some genuine fascination around the home playoff berths and then indeed the quarterfinals themselves.
Super scenes in Suva
Sunny skies, coconut trees, a colourful sea of 15,000 exuberant fans jam-packed in and dancing in the stands.
What romantic scenes they were in Suva on Saturday evening, as this Super Rugby Pacific finally revealed its true self, with the Fijian Drua hosting their first real home match.
And the hosts certainly gave their adoring fans plenty to cheer about against the Highlanders, albeit just not quite able to provide the ultimate reward, in a 27-24 defeat.
While their fascinating clash against fellow newbies Moana Pasifika will be played in Sydney in a fortnight, the Drua will have one more game in Fiji to come – a final-round match-up against the Chiefs in Lautoka, in what will be
Blues 22
HT: Highlanders 27 (Sam Gilbert, Marino Mikaele-Tu’u, Rhys Marshall tries; Mitch Hunt 3 con, 2 pen) Drua 24 (Frank Lomani, Vinaya Habosi, Kalaveti Ravouvou tries; Teti Tela 3 con, pen). HT: 17-24.
Waratahs 24 (Dylan Pietsch, Mark Nawaqanitawase tries, penalty try; Tane Edmed 2 con, pen) Crusaders 21 (Sione Havili Talitui, Fletcher Newell tries, penalty try; Fergus Burke con, Simon Hickey con). HT: 17-0. Rebels 26 (James Hanson 2, Reece Hodge, Andrew Kellaway tries; Reece Hodge 3 con) Moana Pasifika 22 (Alamanda Motuga, Abraham Pole, Timoci Tavatavanawai tries; Christian Leali’ifano 2 con, pen). HT: 14-10.
an unusually timed Friday 3pm clash.
Red-card watch
The count continues – it’s now six rounds in a row that we’ve seen send-offs (albeit Waratahs prop Angus Bell’s red card in the last round was over-turned), as players still come to grips with World Rugby’s hard-line stance on high contact.
After the flurry of five red cards in round seven, New Zealand Rugby referees manager Bryce Lawrence labelled it a ‘‘one-off’’.
Round 11 saw another three, with the Chiefs’ Samipeni Finau, Crusaders debutant Hamish Dalzell and Rebels second fiveeighth Ray Nu’u all given their marching orders.
It’s still looking a bit of a lottery in terms of how the referees adjudicate any mitigating factors, such as a ballcarrier’s dip in body height. But in the instance of Nu’u, his sickening hit on Christian Leali’ifano in the final stages of his side’s win over Moana Pasifika, was particularly galling.
That was because the 24-yearold Otago NPC rep was in his first game back after being suspended for a high shot against the Force two rounds prior. He had initially been given a three-week suspension for that but under World Rugby’s new initiative, he applied to undertake the Head Contact Process Coaching Intervention which is available to first-time offenders and wipes the final week of their sanction.
Looks like it’s back to school, champ.