1. Ben Donaldson sends a dangerous message to Tahs
The extent of Rugby Australia’s future influence over the Waratahs’ high-performance program should be dictated by a simple question: has the current NSW administration done a good enough job for them to maintain control?
The state that produces about half of Australia’s players is last on the ladder, so you don’t need to be Einstein to work out the answer.
The Waratahs are in disarray, and the damaging part of the Ben Donaldson-inspired loss to the Force on Saturday was the message it contained: it’s now a smart career move to leave the Waratahs. This crisis – and it is one – is a doozy, because it has been about a decade in the making.
2. Simon Raiwalui should be No.1 target
If RA director of high performance Peter Horne does get control at the Waratahs, then he should make a beeline for a familiar face: Simon Raiwalui. The pair would have worked together when Fiji were establishing the Drua, and the Waratahs need a similar approach.
Simon Raiwalui coaching Fiji at the Rugby World Cup.Credit: Getty
It’s a big project, not a quick fix – and although the Drua are still worse travellers than Guinness, it’s clear that they have been set up to be sustainably competitive.
Raiwalui would have to be recruited from his World Rugby role, but his current employers would surely be aware of the benefits of a stronger NSW in the leadup to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
3. Own goals aplenty
Suliasi Vunivalu’s red card against the Drua was one of the strangest in the competition’s history: one blatant trip was bad enough, but to do it again defied belief.
Reds winger Suliasi Vunivalu (left) trips Fijian Drua’s Kitione Salawa during Queensland’s loss in Suva.Credit: Getty
The appetite for self-destruction was clearly contagious, because there’s no other way to describe the Brumbies’ decision not to take a gimme three points in the final quarter against the Crusaders.
A successful penalty would have put them 13 points ahead, but they opted to kick to touch and almost played the Crusaders back into the game with a series of errors.
The finale of the game – and Quinten Strange’s decision to knock the ball dead looked like a clear infringement – meant that the Brumbies’ decision wasn’t costly, but they have surely learnt their lesson.
There is so much to like about the Brumbies this season, not least their brilliant counter-attacking and Rob Valetini’s power game, but the big concern remains the scrum. New Wallabies scrum guru Mike Cron will be working overtime on finding solutions at loosehead.
4. Gutsy Rebels deserve finals spot
The Rebels could get into the finals on the back of six successive defeats, with tough fixtures in Canberra and Lautoka coming in the last two rounds.
That will again put the spotlight on the eight-team play-off format, even though there doesn’t appear to be any mood for change on either side of the ditch. Nevertheless, you couldn’t begrudge the Rebels a finals spot.
Apart from an aberration in Christchurch, they’ve been in the fight for many of their losses, including another gutsy performance against the Chiefs on Friday.
Cully’s team of the week
- Harry Hoopert (Force)
- Jordan Uelese (Rebels)
- Santiago Medrano (Force)
- Izack Rodda (Force)
- Josh Canham (Rebels)
- Nick Frost (Brumbies)
- Brad Wilkin (Rebels)
- Rob Valetini (Brumbies)
- Nic White (Force)
- Noah Lolesio (Brumbies)
- Ollie Sapsford (Brumbies)
- Hamish Stewart (Force)
- Len Ikitau (Brumbies)
- Andy Muirhead (Brumbies)
- Tom Wright (Brumbies) – Player of the week
They’ve stayed tight in extraordinary circumstances, even though self-interest is probably playing a role, too. Players are playing for contracts, a smaller pool of which will be available if the Rebels don’t get their licence back.
There are a handful of blokes in that Rebels team, possibly more, who are in career-best form – and they’ve likely secured their futures elsewhere on the back of their performances.
5. What do the Crusaders’ woes mean for the Wallabies?
The collapse of the Crusaders would appear to be great news for the Wallabies, with the Christchurch side having provided a steady stream of All Blacks over a long period. However, history shows a more complex picture.
Their dynasty in the Scott Robertson era did not translate into a dominant All Blacks team, and the All Blacks’ 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup wins came in a period when the Crusaders won zero Super Rugby titles.
It was a similar story in the Robbie Deans era in the 2000s – Crusaders dominance in Super Rugby, and a lack of Rugby World Cup success in 2003 and 2007.
This is the opposite of the Leinster effect in Ireland, and suggests that in New Zealand at least, the All Blacks actually benefit from a wider spread of teams and players understanding what it takes to win at Super Rugby level, rather than having the same smaller group succeeding again and again.
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