1. Lions won’t be as strong as 2013 tour
A great Ireland team has peaked. It was hinted at during the November Tests – well beaten by the All Blacks, got out of jail against Los Pumas, scratchy against the Wallabies – but what looked like a mere plateau a few months ago then looked like a decline against France at the weekend.
France had the Test won inside the first 10 minutes as their defence ate up Ireland’s laboured, one-off, slow-ball, creativity-free attack.
Yet, Ireland are the best team among the Home Nations, which explains why the 2025 British and Irish Lions squad will not be as good as the 2013 one, built around that year’s Six Nations champions Wales. Here are the inside backs from 2013: Conor Murray, Mike Phillips, Ben Youngs, Johnny Sexton, Owen Farrell. The midfielders: Jamie Roberts, Jonathan Davies, Brian O’Driscoll and Manu Tuilagi.
The loose forwards? Sam Warburton, Dan Lydiate, Talupe Faletau, Sean O’Brien and Justin Tipuric, with a first-choice second-row pairing of Alun-Wyn Jones and Paul O’Connell. The question now is whether the Wallabies can rise to the upcoming opportunity.
James Ryan and his Irish teammates look dejected following the team’s defeat by France.Credit: Getty Images
2. Waratahs show purpose
Coach Dan McKellar was right to pump the brakes on the Waratahs after their third straight win. If you were a cynic, you might think that Super Rugby Pacific’s organisers engineered a kind start for the Waratahs to help one of their most important markets. But while it is still too early to get a proper gauge on them, the Waratahs played with a proper sense of purpose on Saturday.
Andrew Kellaway scores a try for the Waratahs.Credit: Getty Images
Strong through the middle with some cutting edge out wide is always going to be a winning formula in rugby, and the obvious growth against the Force was organic and selection-based, with big Ben Grant and No.10 Lawson Creighton an improvement on the blokes they replaced.
Yet, the potential losses of Jake Gordon and Langi Gleeson weigh heavily over the derby against the Reds.
3. Brumbies bench was brilliant
Brumbies hooker Billy Pollard really has arrived as a fully formed Super Rugby player this year. He was outstanding in his 29 minutes off the bench on Friday, and his contribution in the loose and at set-piece was a big factor in the Brumbies’ 21-20 win at Eden Park.
The Brumbies’ scrum smashed the Blues twice down the home straight, while Pollard also got his hands on the ball nine times in the championship minutes.
The Brumbies also pulled a clever move by injecting Cadeyrn Neville just before the game-winning scrum penalty to give them some extra horsepower. It looked harsh on Nick Frost, but it was a smart piece of heads-up thinking from the coaching box.
4. Reds a touch naive in Christchurch
If you just looked at the Reds’ stats and not the scoreline after their loss to the Crusaders, you could be forgiven for thinking that they had delivered an attacking masterclass. They made 469 metres, beat 29 defenders (more than the Crusaders), had eight clean breaks (more than the Crusaders) and produced 12 offloads (more than the Crusaders).
But they were guilty of playing far too much rugby in their own territory and the Crusaders were happy to pick them off defensively and hit them on the counter. The Reds only kicked 19 times (compared to the Crusaders’ 27) and they will surely have a tactical rethink before the Waratahs game.
5. Criticism of Angus Gardner wide of the mark
Emotions were clearly running high in the French camp after their win against Ireland and Antoine Dupont’s serious knee injury.
Coach Fabien Galthie made it clear that he was irate at the cleanout that resulted in Dupont’s injury, as well as the head clash that meant midfielder Pierre-Louis Barassi had to be replaced.
But in his 50th Test match, Australian referee Angus Gardner explained his view on both incidents during the game and, after multiple replays, it is clear Gardner got both right.
Dupont’s injury was unfortunate, but nothing more, and the yellow card Gardner dished out to Ireland winger Calvin Nash for an accidental head clash with Barassi during a tackle was appropriate.
In fact, the only big call from Gardner that did look questionable favoured France, with Peter O’Mahony clearly taken out beyond the ruck by French second-rower Thibaud Flament, which created the space for a crucial France try early in the second half.
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