1
Super Rugby takes: Australia have the best openside, Blues will get Caned
By Ben Smith
The Waratahs became the first Australian team to take a Kiwi scalp in Super Round in Melbourne, handing the Crusaders an 0-2 start, while the Brumbies were a massive disappointment getting hammered by the Chiefs.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Reds and Hurricanes played a golden point thriller, topping a Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua spectacle which also came down to the wire.
Super Round delivered from a rugby point of view. Here’s six takes from round two of Super Rugby Pacific on what we saw from the New Zealand and Australian sides.
Super Round has to go somewhere else
Whilst the crowd improved as the weekend went on, it’s clear Super round needs a new home. The rugby was great over the weekend but the crowds weren’t. Melbourne’s had three years and haven’t turned it into anything. Break ground in a new location altogether, or take it to a rugby city. Enough is enough.
Asafo Aumua is currently the best hooker in New Zealand
Aumua has stepped up with two dominant performances for the Hurricanes over the Force and the Reds. Whether it is ball-in-hand, the set-piece, or defence, no hooker in the country has come close to what Aumua is doing.
The Hurricanes lineout is operating at over 90% while the scrum is possibly the best in the competition. In week one the Force were demolished, the Reds’ pack were folded in the first half, but managed to earn a reprieve in the second. The power up front has been impressive.
Aumua’s power has been on show with ball-in-hand, putting defenders on their backsides. He beat six against the Reds and four against the Force. He scored a try in round one powering over while against the Reds was held up over the line. His work rate has been high on both sides of the ball. He seems fit managing 62 minutes against the Force and 72 against the Reds.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Crusaders and Highlanders have young rakes, the Bell boys Henry and George, starting at the moment. All Black Codie Taylor hasn’t seen action yet. At the Chiefs, Samisoni Taukei’aho has seen time off the bench.
Aumua is the best right now and building a case for an All Blacks recall. The question is whether he can continue this form against the Kiwi sides which starts this week against the Blues.
Crusaders have issues
Where to start with the Crusaders? It’s got to be back to basics for Rob Penney’s side that struggled to hold onto the ball against the Waratahs pack. The Tahs made a mess of the Crusaders breakdown and ripped away possession way too much. They had a read on their lineout too. The turnovers were a real issue for a Crusaders team struggling to find chemistry and it cost them multiple tries.
ADVERTISEMENT
With two young first fives in as many weeks and similarly two different second fives, there has been no cohesion through 10-12-13. David Havili has never played with Taha Kemara and Levi Aumua before and it showed. With new combinations and young players, the Crusaders can’t afford to mess with selections every week if they want to win. They simply aren’t any good.
It doesn’t get any easier with a trip to Fiji to play the Drua, a place where they famously lost last year. Odds are they will win, but it will be tight. They can’t afford to put out a B team and their best players must play.
Carter Gordon looked like DC
The Rebels flyhalf put in a masterclass performance against the Western Force with two tries and a try assist. The caveat being it was the Western Force. But there is no denying that Carter Gordon can play and dominate when on form.
He has all the skills in his arsenal but needs to maintain the confidence to strike when the iron is hot. The blindside play to skin the Force’s wing and put Andrew Kellaway over was excellent, and the intercept try was all about confidence. He backed himself to make the read and went after it to make a play. Around the park he was largely error-free and probed the line a lot, looking to create. The Wallabies need this version of Carter to continue.
At the Waratahs Tane Edmed was good too, putting in a commanding performance against the Crusaders. This is the best young crop of 10s coming through Australia in what feels like an eternity. There have been a ton of robot prospects who simply cannot play. They now have three or four genuine playmakers who have all the tools.
Fraser McReight is the best openside in the competition
There were solid performances from No 7s around Super Rugby Pacific from Peter Lakai and Charlie Gamble, but McReight continues to be a savvy operator who is a poaching machine. McReight was a match-winner in round one producing two turnovers in the final 10 minutes against the Waratahs, who were deep on attack looking for points. Those potential points were erased by McReight’s steals, sealing the win for the Reds. His own try helped build the three score advantage.
In the extra time loss to the Hurricanes, McReight was again highly influential despite not getting his side home. He helped force golden point after Billy Proctor’s line break in the 79th minute. He was one of three Reds in cover defence to hold Salesi Rayasi up less than 10 metres out for a collapsed maul turnover on the break, but it was McReight who smartly wrapped up the ball. From the scrum they kicked the ball out with time up on the clock.
The Reds win that game if Peni Ravai doesn’t make two blunders, first dropping the ball in the process of scoring a try in the 71st minute and then dropping it cold in the 77th minute. They’ve had a lean streak against Kiwi sides but the Reds can’t let that loss derail them.
Blues are going to get Caned this week
Three undefeated teams remain in the Blues, Chiefs and Hurricanes. The Blues and Chiefs are rightly title favourites but the Hurricanes are going under the radar. They have the best scrum in the competition and the pack has been aiming up, bullying two Aussie sides. Although it was tight against Queensland, the Reds are the best Australian team (the Chiefs will find that out this week).
The Blues are heading into a storm in the capital and will get dragged into a dogfight. A big question remains if Jordie Barrett is available, who has been cited for his tackle on Jordan Petaia and faces a long ban. If Riley Higgins starts he has to keep things simple. He had way too many errors in the pre-season loss against the Highlanders. He’s big, strong, and skilful but doesn’t need to push the pass every time.
Du’Plessis Kirifi, Braydon Iose and Peter Lakai versus Dalton Papalii, Akira Ioane and Hoskins Sotutu is going to be a great match-up, but the Canes loosies can rough it with them.
The key for the Canes is to shut the slippery Mark Telea down. Kini Naholo has to be on his best on defence to make that happen.
The Hurricanes will give the Blues a run for their money and can knock them over for the first time since 2022 when Ardie Savea scored a late game-winner during a furious comeback.
As it turns out, pretty accurate predictions by Ben Smith. My exception is the comparison to DC of Carter Gordon. Where are all Ben’s detractors?
With Savea, Cane, and Lachlan Boschier all in Japan, the lone quality 7 left in Nz is Dalton, and he has been hot and cold since his illness a couple seasons ago. Heaven help us if Razor thinks Christie is the answer at 7. He can tackle, and that’s about it.
Maybe the Crusaders can ask Codie Taylor if he’s finished his paid six month holiday and can help out.