1. Donaldson early form No.10 – by some distance
Ben Donaldson’s running game, goalkicking and resilience have stood out in the opening two rounds, with the rest of the playmaking group in Australia remaining somewhat stuck in the blocks.
Operating behind a hungry pack, Donaldson is a major reason why the Western Force are 2-0, and his coach, Simon Cron, must be delighted by how he is managing himself during games.
“Donno” has had some ups and downs in his still-young career, but there were clear signs against the Brumbies on Saturday night that he is learning to move on quickly from errors. A knock-on against the Brums was followed by a perfectly judged cross-field kick for a Dylan Pietsch try.
That is exactly what his team needs from him. Plus, he still appears to be playing on one leg, with that ankle issue clearly troubling him.
The Waratahs celebrate a try in the win over the Highlanders, but they won’t want to get into a shootout with the Drua on Friday.Credit: Getty Images
2. Get ready for more Waratahs pragmatism
There’s no way Dan McKellar will want the Waratahs to get into a shootout against the Drua in Sydney on Friday. The Fijians almost beat the Hurricanes on Saturday in exactly that sort of contest.
That might be bad news for Waratahs fans expecting their side to give the ball some air, although NSW will surely rein in the England-style box kicking that resulted in the fans at Twickenham actually booing their own team during the 16-15 win against Scotland in the Six Nations on Sunday. But getting too loose too early is a recipe for problems against the Drua, so the Waratahs will first turn to their set-piece and big carriers to put on the squeeze.
3. Reds impress, but unwelcome guest returns
At their best the Reds are a great combination of set-piece efficiency, ruthlessness inside the 22m (both legacies of the Brad Thorn era) and quality off-the-cuff rugby. They showed all of those traits against Moana Pasifika on Friday, but their discipline was poor and Hunter Paisami was fortunate not to be sent off after head-to-head contact with Moana Pasifika midfielder Lalomilo Lalomilo.
Already on a yellow card, Paisami crashed into Lalomilo as the No.12 was trying to score in the corner. Although Lalomilo’s low body height could be used as mitigation against a straight red card, the Reds must have breathed a huge sigh of relief that referee Paul Williams cleared the incident.
The Brumbies are missing Rob Valetini.Credit: Getty Images
4. Valetini’s absence cost the Brumbies
There was a lot of east-west attack from the Brumbies against the Force in Canberra, and not enough north-south. And, when they ran a shortened lineout in the first half to set up a punchy carry in the midfield, they didn’t get anything like the momentum they are used to. It doesn’t take a genius to work out why: Rob Valetini’s absence due to a hamstring injury hurt them badly.
Tom Hooper attempted to step into the enforcer role, but after his early exit due to a failed HIA, the Brumbies lost even more heft. Even with the Force down to 13 players, their replacement forwards went through the heart of the Brumbies without too much resistance in the final stages.
The Brumbies may be in something of a holding pattern until Valetini returns.
5. Young No.10s put Finn Russell under pressure
The more Ireland No.10 Sam Prendergast plays, the more obvious it becomes that he’s a good one. Prendergast and No.9 Jamison Gibson-Park were the key men as Ireland overcame a 20-minute red card and a much-improved Welsh performance in their Six Nations clash in Cardiff, after interim coach Matt Sherratt effectively ripped up Warren Gatland’s team and started again.
Prendergast has a great kicking game and now appears to have time on the ball, constantly asking questions with the range and accuracy of his passing game.
England’s Fin Smith, meanwhile, enhanced his reputation with some staunch defence and composed goalkicking. It certainly wasn’t a good weekend for Scotland’s Finn Russell to miss all three conversions against England, effectively costing them the game.
Wallabies form team of the week
1. Marley Pearce (Force), 2. Billy Pollard (Brumbies), 3. Massimo de Lutiis (Reds), 4. Josh Canham (Reds), 5. Darcy Swain (Force), 6. Nick Champion de Crespigny (Force), 7. Fraser McReight (Reds), 8. Harry Wilson (Reds), 9. Tate McDermott (Reds), 10. Ben Donaldson (Force), 11. Dylan Pietsch (Force) – player of the week, 12. Hamish Stewart (Force), 13. Len Ikitau (Brumbies), 14. Andy Muirhead (Brumbies), 15. Jock Campbell (Reds)
British and Irish Lions form team of the week
1. Nicky Smith (Wales), 2. Dan Sheehan (Ireland), 3. Will Stuart (England), 4. Maro Itoje (England), 5. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), 6. Jamie Ritchie (Scotland), 7. Ben Curry (England), 8. Toby Faletau (Wales), 9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland), 10. Sam Prendergast (Ireland), 11. Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), 12. Bundee Aki (Ireland), 13. Huw Jones (Scotland), 14. Tom Rogers (Wales), 15. Jamie Osborne (Ireland)
