1. Uneven competition not so Super
The Waratahs-Blues fixture should be a blue-ribbon event, a contest pored over by Eddie Jones and Ian Foster for selection clues. It looked far from that on Saturday as the Waratahs rested players with the ultimate aim of finishing between sixth and eighth in a deeply uneven competition.
There are now more competition points between fifth and sixth on the ladder than first and fifth. Far too many games lack true consequence and unless Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby do something to even it up, this competition is not going to cut it.
Despite its many cheerleaders, a lot of NRL games are actually so-so – but look at the ladder: six competition points separate the top 10 teams. Its supporters live in a perpetual state of faith, and anticipation.
2. Fracturing of once-great Super comp isn’t helping South Africa either
The Stormers won the United Rugby Championship last year, but the reality of playing in Europe has bitten South Africa in year two. In a recent RugbyPass interview, SARU president Mark Alexander admitted it was proving a far harder slog financially than anticipated, while the burden of an 11-month season is clearly taking a toll on their players.
Only two of their sides – the Stormers and Bulls – have qualified for the lucrative European Cup next season and only one is likely to make the URC semi-finals this year, after the Sharks drew with Munster over the weekend. That will frustrate the Sharks’ private investors after they stacked the squad with big-name Springboks.
The solution would be to get the South Africans back in Super Rugby, but sadly that horse has probably bolted.
3. Why Australia can’t go it alone, Part I
They had a good crowd of more than 12,000 at HBF Park in Perth for the Western Force-Highlanders game. That’s 5000 more than the Force-Rebels game in Perth earlier in the season, with Western Australia a popular spot for Kiwi expats.
Felix Kalapu tries to break the line in the Force’s win over the Highlanders,Credit: Getty
Such commercial realities mean a return to Super Rugby AU just isn’t realistic, despite the obvious issues with the current competition.
Bigger crowds also translate into performance – it was clear even before Nic Berry started dishing out yellow cards that the Force had the Highlanders’ number in terms of intensity.
4. Why Australia can’t go it alone, Part II
The Rebels punch upwards. It’s true that a poor second half cost them against the Blues, but they recovered their 2023 identity against the Crusaders on Friday.
Their ambition on attack and tenacity on defence rattled the Crusaders, who probably didn’t bank on having to go so deep into the well a week before their clash against the Chiefs in Hamilton.
The Rebels are clearly defining their improvement as a club by how they stack up against the Kiwis. It’s a real Eddie Jones mentality, with more than a touch of Springboks aggression from coach Kevin Foote. It’s little wonder Jones has taken a shine to their players.
5. The area the Waratahs must tidy up
The Waratahs will fancy their chances against the Highlanders on Friday, having beaten them in Dunedin last year.
However, while the Highlanders don’t have the strike weapons in the back three that other New Zealand teams possess, they are sending Jona Nareki over to join the squad. If Nareki plays, he won’t last the full 80 minutes, but the Waratahs still need a major improvement in their kicking game. It was long but aimless against the Blues on Saturday, giving players such as Beauden Barrett, Caleb Clarke and Zarn Sullivan ample time to wind up, making an already hard job next to impossible.
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