The Waratahs-Brumbies game on Saturday was a firecracker: intense, seesawing and with moments of real quality. It made you want to see the teams go at it again, especially with the Dan McKellar v Stephen Larkham subplot in the background.
It was also a great example of why RA might be loath to elevate either coach into the Wallabies gig. Phil Waugh has talked a lot about “continuity” in the search to replace Joe Schmidt, and while that might apply to Les Kiss – given his established relationship with Schmidt – it could equally apply to the Super Rugby landscape. The prospect of McKellar and Larkham going toe to toe in Super Rugby in the coming years with the “winner” landing the Australia job post-Kiss must surely be going through RA’s minds.
And Reds may face more disruption
If Kiss gets the Wallabies job it wouldn’t be a surprise to see RA tap his set-piece coach, Zane Hilton, to replace the departing Mike Cron. After the Reds scrummaged the Highlanders into submission on Saturday, Reds captain Harry Wilson joked that he didn’t think Hilton actually slept – a nod to the obsessive focus he brings to the set-piece.
The Reds clearly arrived in Dunedin with a Hilton plan to target tall Highlanders tight-head prop Saula Ma’u, and it almost single-handedly won them the game.
The Waratahs celebrate a rare victory against the Brumbies.Credit: Getty Images
Brumbies undone by rugby’s TMO process
The process that led to the Brumbies having a try scrubbed out against the Waratahs after they went through 1000 phases had its genesis in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final. In that game, TMO Tom Foley and referee Wayne Barnes knowingly ignored the “two-phase” guideline to disallow an All Blacks try against the Springboks because of a knock-on that happened four phases before Aaron Smith scored.
Faced with this awkward situation, World Rugby came up with a very World Rugby solution. Instead of publicly admitting Foley and Barnes ignored the protocol, they changed it to get rid of the “two-phase” part as a beefed-up package of TMO powers that was unveiled iln November. That led to Saturday night’s confusion, especially as the TMO did not make a “live” call to point out Noah Lolesio’s knock-on to referee Ben O’Keeffe, instead waiting until the passage of play was over. Was Lolesio’s knock-on “clear and obvious”? Not for mine. Should TMOs go back more than two phases for suspected knock-ons? Definitely not.
But this is a mess of World Rugby’s own making, effectively to cover the backsides of match officials.
Super Rugby team of the week
- Alex Hodgman (Reds)
- Nic Dolly (Force)
- Allan Alaalatoa (Brumbies)
- Josh Canham (Reds)
- Jeremy Williams (Force)
- Rob Leota (Waratahs)
- Carlo Tizzano (Force)
- Harry Wilson (Reds) – player of the week
- Teddy Wilson (Waratahs)
- Ben Donaldson (Force)
- Max Jorgensen (Waratahs)
- Hunter Paisami (Reds)
- Filipo Daugunu (Reds)
- Triston Reilly (Waratahs)
- Tom Wright (Brumbies)
Is JOC going to win a late-career title?
The Crusaders look like title contenders. They swept the struggling Blues off Eden Park on Saturday with an exciting, up-tempo brand of rugby, and they look to have just the right mix of forward grunt and attacking flair. They’ve also found a great role for James O’Connor, as a sort of second-half senior statesman in the playmaker role.
O’Connor looks fit and in form, and executed a perfect cross-field kick for a Macca Springer try to rub salt in the Blues’ wounds. Do not discount the possibility of O’Connor playing for a Super Rugby title at the end of the season.
Wilson heading for a rest
Reds No.8 Harry Wilson was excellent against the Highlanders, especially as a really destructive presence at Highlanders rucks in the absence of Fraser McReight. But the big man is all but guaranteed to miss either the home game against the Western Force next week or the trip to Hamilton to face the Chiefs the week after. Wilson and Kiss did some nice ducking and weaving when the question of Wilson being rested was raised on Saturday, but they all but admitted that it was imminent after his heavy workload so far.
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