Five Aussie takes: Wallaby watch on wings, rocks and diamonds of Tahs attack

It was another good round for the Australian sides, with two good wins for the Western Force and Queensland Reds while the Waratahs and ACT Brumbies derby served up a cracking game.

Being six rounds into the competition means wins and bonus points are going to become more and more crucial with sides now starting to jostle for top spots.

Although the results have been good in this first part of the season, more and more trans-Tasman matchups are coming down the pike and that will be the real test of Australian sides’ quality.

But for now, the Aussies are looking strong with the four sides all in the top six just behind the Chiefs and Crusaders.

Queensland Reds show depth and increasing maturity

Going to Dunedin and winning has been something that has escaped the Reds for more than a decade, but now that losing streak has been broken.

Breaking the hoodoo is one thing but doing it with an under-strength side makes the win all the sweeter for the Queenslanders.

Regular co-captain Tate McDermott, as well as juggernaut lock Ryan Smith, were rested for the clash, while a large swathe of Wallabies like Fraser McReight, Liam Wright, Matt Faessler, Josh Nasser, Josh Flook, and Jock Campbell were all absent through injury.

One Wallaby who was present and instrumental in the win was Tom Lynagh, he along with Wallabies Seru Uru, Filipo Daugunu, and Harry Wilson led the way.

Although it was truly a game of two halves, with coach Les Kiss having to give his side a rev-up at halftime, they took their opportunities while the Highlanders were under a yellow card, something which the Landers could not do themselves.

Winning in New Zealand is crucial if you want to be a genuine title contender, and Saturday’s effort was a good start.

Now, Kiss and his men must avoid falling into the trap of losing to the Western Force at home, a trap which the Brumbies fell into after resting their stars for the away trip to Fiji in round-1, then subsequently losing to the Force at home in round-2.

Waratahs counterattack game is strong whilst phase attack still lags

Max Jorgensen is finally transferring the ‘freakish’ things people see him do at training, onto the pitch.

The deft soccer touch he had on his own chip-and-chase to put Joey Walton away for his try, in the 72nd minute, was awesome to watch.

Jorgensen’s wing partner, Triston Rielly brings good physicality and mass to a relatively undersized backline, but he too showed his skills with his own chip-and-chase try in the 23rd minute.

While there were lots of highlight reel stuff happening on both wings, the stuff in the middle of the park still looks too muddled and lacking detail.

Incomplete pods, playing too deep, and poor selection of spaces to attack lead to stuttering and often poor attacks which went backwards.

They must start to have some fluidity in their shape because superstars only take you so far.

Brumbies playing championship rugby too early in the season

Taking the two early shots at goal, which were both within the first 10 minutes, clearly bit them in the backside after losing by five points in the end.

They have one of the best mauls in the competition and to not at least attempt to mount an attack and sustain pressure when given two such great opportunities was bizarre.

This is especially confusing, considering that before the round they were the side that was leading the ‘scoring off lineouts’ stat by a decent margin.

The Brumbies definitely looked like the better-drilled side, but some moments of poor discipline gave the Waratahs easy entries into their territory and alleviated pressure which the Tahs struggled to deal with at times.

Coach Stephen Larkham got beaten by his old mentor in Waratahs’ coach Dan McKellar, but it’s clear to see who has got their squads across all their detail.

The Brums host the Highlanders in round 7, a game they will want to ice to put them back in the positive points differential ledger and back amongst the frontrunners of the competition.

Western Force’s strong defence overshadowed by poor discipline

The Western Force only conceded 15 points in their thumping of the Fijian Drua at the very warm HBF Park.

Defence is something coach Simon Cron has repeatedly highlighted as a work-on for the team, and there was a notable lift in effort around scramble-defence from the Force.

They tackled at 89 per cent, which in of itself is a good stat, but combine that with the scoreline and the consideration that the Dura broke 21 tackles, those missed tackles had to have been made up by someone in a Force jersey.

They also were the stronger side on the dominant tackles, as well as post-contact metres which showed the physicality of the side, but a worrying trend is their discipline, and this stat single-handedly keeps them from being in the conversation for finalists.

Before the round, they were the third most penalised side in the comp, and in a winning effort, they conceded more than double the penalties of the Drua.

This trend must be put in reverse ASAP if the Force want to be competing at the business end of the competition.

Wallaby watch on the wings

Jorgensen almost seems like a lock-in on one wing for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions in July.

His acceleration along with his increased physicality, particularly in defence is notable and a good sign he is working on his game.

The Force’s Harry Potter showed his speed and ability to bust tackles scoring a 50-metre-plus solo try against the Drua.

The biggest concern in recent weeks has been his inability to stay in the field of play, with him being dragged into touch on a number of occasions.

Spatial awareness is a crucial attribute for a winger on the Test stage where space and time is so limited.

Reilly has definitely entered the Wallaby conversation with his abrasive style and jet shoes, while Corey Toole is also showing his improved defensive fortitude.

While Kellaway is still at fullback for the injured Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, he is in good form too, as is the Reds’ utility back Daugunu.

While Jorgensen, Kellaway, and Daugunu appear to be locked and loaded for the series, there is a question mark around what these candidates are missing, and who could complement their skillsets.