1. New foul play system fails its first big test
There is no way the Reds should have been allowed to replace second-rower Angus Blyth after 20 minutes following his sickening hit on Brumbies winger Corey Toole on Friday.
This should have been a straight red card for the whole game, not a yellow that can only be upgraded to a 20-minute red by the TMO. Look at Blyth’s eyes in the incident — they were locked on Toole, with zero intention of charging down his kick.
The incident exposed a loophole in the system, in which referees can get away with not making the big calls by simply showing a yellow card and offloading responsibility to the TMO.
The video ref should at least have the option of making the red card apply for the whole game, but that is not the way the system has been worded — if a yellow card is shown by the referee, SANZAAR states “the possible sanctions are: yellow card sanction in which the player is entitled to return at the conclusion of the 10-minute period; or red card sanction in which the player would be removed from the match but would be permitted to be replaced after 20 minutes from the time of the incident.”
Toole couldn’t stand, which begs the question: what would a player actually need to do to be shown a proper red card?
Reds coach Brad Thorn is under siege.Credit: Getty
2. The three options for the Reds with Brad Thorn
Queensland could punt him now, which would be excessive, they could do nothing and let the season unfold, which would be a copout, or they could come out and state now that Thorn will in fact be moving on at the end of the season.
Their campaign desperately needs a circuit-breaker because they are going to miss the finals if they don’t take control of the situation. Tamati Tua’s try for the Brumbies on Friday was a huge red flag — the defence was disorganised, with blokes shooting out of the line as individuals, and the Brumbies didn’t even need to find that much width to outflank them. The Reds are better than that — Jordan Petaia is in career-best form — but they need to throw their fans a bone. It’s hard to get excited about them when the man on the moon can see a malaise has set in.
3. Eddie Jones gets what he wants
It would be a safe bet to wager that the performances in this round would have counted for more in Jones’ mind than the half-dozen preceding them. The Wallabies coach named a squad to get a reaction from some blokes, and he got that, one way or another.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones learned plenty about Noah Lolesio during the Reds-Brumbies clash.Credit: Getty
Noah Lolesio played with a controlled sense of anger for the Brumbies — he was really accurate in tough conditions — and now Jones knows what really pushes his buttons. Tate McDermott was similar for the Reds, although Nic White is still peerless in Australia for the shape he can put on attacking plays. Unfortunately, Harry Wilson didn’t have the night he would have been looking for. That’s a missed chance because Pete Samu is not in great form for the Brumbies.
4. Super Rugby’s predictable problem
After seven rounds of a 15-round competition, the top five teams are already locked in. No one from outside the Hurricanes, Chiefs, Brumbies, Crusaders and Blues is going to crack into that club, and so the intrigue — and that’s a strong word — over the next two months is seeing who fails to make the finals.
It’s hardly the formula for a vibrant competition. Of course, all competitions have a separation of the haves and have-nots to some degree, but it is pronounced in Super Rugby and will hold the competition back in the long run.
The Herald understands broadcast ratings for the bigger games in NZ at least are actually good — the best in several years — but the mismatches are struggling to attract eyeballs. That is also playing out in the crowd numbers we’re seeing on both sides of the Tasman. Super Rugby Pacific is a young competition and these things are, to a degree, cyclical. But, it’s an issue that shouldn’t be ignored.
5. The big worry for the Rebels
The Melbourne side copped the Blues coming off a loss, and with the rugby obituaries being written for Beauden Barrett after a few sub-par games you just knew the reaction was coming. As a result, the Blues did something to the Rebels that has been rare this season; they really stretched them. Barrett employed a clever crossfield kicking strategy and it took something out of the Rebels’ tank, even before they lost both hookers to virtually end the game as a contest. And that’s the concern for the Rebels as they push for a finals spot: Alex Mafi has been one of their better performers, as has lock Trevor Hosea, who was replaced with a knee injury after 36 minutes. In the past two weeks, the attritional nature of Super Rugby has hurt the Rebels. The injuries are coming thick and fast and the bye has come at just the right time.
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