Waratahs vs Brumbies: Kylian Mbappe and the Tahs, Lolesio too hot and cold

With the biggest Sydney crowd for a Super Rugby Pacific match in two years watching on, the NSW Waratahs bounced back from last weekend’s one-sided loss to the Queensland Reds with a 28-23 win over the ACT Brumbies.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Lalakai Foketi and Jake Gordon are all in the Waratahs’ injury ward, but those available stepped up to help the club end a 13-game losing streak against their foe from down south.

While the Brumbies unleashed one last attacking flurry in a desperate bid to steal the match, there’s no doubt the Waratahs were simply the better team on the night.

Here are some takeaways.

Mbappe’s been to two World Cup Finals since Tahs last beat Brums

Kylian Mbappe scored France’s fourth goal in the FIFA World Cup Final in 2018.

Mbappe’s heroics in the 65^th minute saw the French take a commanding 4-1 lead at the gigantic 78,000 capacity Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Croatia hit back through Mario Mandzukic only a few minutes later which gave the underdogs some hope, but it was France’s night.

Les Bleus were back in the big dance four years later in a bid to defend their World Cup crown, but looking to turn their own dreams into reality were Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Mbappe was back among the scorers with a scintillating hat-trick, with the Final going to penalties.

With Argentina winning 4-2, Messi had done it.

The streets of Buenos Aires, Mendoza are everywhere else burst into a frenzy as a nation celebrated history.

That, logically, leads us to Saturday night’s Super Rugby Pacific clash.

Waratahs versus Brumbies.

The Tahs hadn’t beaten their fierce rivals from down south in 13 meetings before this one, with the first of those losses coming about 36 hours after Mbappe’s heroics in 2018. That means the Waratahs hadn’t beaten the Brumbies in one and a half FIFA World Cup cycles.

But not anymore.

Joey Walton scored a Mbappe-esque ‘soccer’ try late in the piece to cap it all off.

So, rejoice, Waratahs fans.

The last time the Waratahs beat the Brumbies was March 2018. That was more than 105 days before Mbappe and France’s first of two trips to back-to-back FIFA World Cup Finals.

It’s a fairly bleak way to highlight this drought but it’s been a fair while for the Tahs.

In the context of their season, it could be the springboard they need to push and challenge for a top-four spot, having gone down to the Queensland Reds in Brisbane last weekend.

Poor discipline cost Brumbies

The Brumbies were their own worst enemy.

A combination of errors in general play and poor discipline which led to yellow cards cost the men from Australia’s capital dearly. They spent 20 minutes with 14 men on the park, with Billy Pollard and Tom Hooper both shown the cheese at various points.

Lolesio couldn’t quite get things going – more on that below – and their forwards were beaten up front for a majority of the contest. While the reserve front-rowers helped breathe new life into the set-piece, but the damage had basically been done.

With the historic win over the Blues in Auckland now a memory, the Brumbies couldn’t back up their heroics during a frustrating night at Allianz Stadium. They’re a lot better than this full-time result suggests, and it’s up to them to make amends as the season progresses.

Rob Leota needs to feature on the Wallabies’ bench

The reality is the Wallabies have a fairly settled backrow trio.

Fraser McReight and Rob Valetini have picked themselves since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and Harry Wilson is incredibly now the incumbent skipper after returning from the Test rugby wilderness against Georgia last July.

Carlo Tizzano, Luke Reimer, Langi Gleeson and Nick Champion de Crespigny have all made their mark in Super Rugby, but it’s unlikely they’ll disrupt Joe Schmidt’s settled loose forwards trio in time for the British and Irish Lions Series.

Enter Rob Leota.

Leota hadn’t worn Wallaby gold since coming off the pine in a win over Portugal at that World Cup under former coach Eddie Jones. The backrower started in 10 of 12 appearances for the Melbourne Rebels last season, but that was it for 2024.

But after making the move north to Sydney, Leota has been nothing but consistent. With three tries in six appearances, Leota is making some noise – and looking beyond that, the blindside flanker has been a workhorse around the park.

Tizzano and Gleeson are contenders to come off the bench for the Wallabies, but there’s every reason to say that spot should go to Leota. With the ability to cover lock as well, selecting this Waratahs’ recruit in the reserves would be an absolute home run.

Rocks and diamonds from the Wallabies’ first-choice No. 10

Noah Lolesio is expected to steer the Wallabies around the park against the Lions.

Ben Donaldson hit a purple patch to start the Super Rugby season, which included that brilliant last-gasp winner against Moana Pasifika in Perth, but with Lolesio the incumbent it would be incredibly surprising if Joe Schmidt made a change ahead of the Lions.

So, if we agree that’s the case, then Saturday’s performance is a concern.

It was a hot and cold, rocks and diamonds-type of performance from Lolesio as the Waratahs took control. Lolesio was outplayed, outmatched and outclassed by Lawson Creighton who continues to start ahead of Wallaby Tane Edmed in the sky blue 10 jersey.

Lolesio started off with a bang.

With an early 50/22 and a couple of early penalty goals, it seemed like the beginning of a solid night both for Lolesio individually and the Brumbies as a collective. But then things took a turn, and it would be naïve to ignore the crowd factor in all of this.

Lolesio kicked the ball out on the full while going for another 50/22 in the 34^th minute and later dropped a high ball cold about two minutes after the break. There wasn’t too much else that was outstanding or catastrophic that’s worth noting.

If you compare Lolesio’s performance to Declan Merdith’s game-changing performance in the Brums’ starting jumper against the Blues in Auckland, there seems to be a lack of X-factor and Test-level composure in Lolesio’s game at the moment.

Teddy Wilson continues to step up in place of injured skipper

Teddy Wilson is one to watch.

After stepping into the shoes of injured captain and Wallaby Jake Gordon last week, Wilson has enjoyed another promising night out in the sky blue No. 9 jersey. The former Junior Wallabies skipper was highlight at half-time on Stan Sport and with good reason.

With Rob Leota breaking up the left sideline, Wilson ran in support and reaped the rewards by galloping away for the score. Brumbies scrum-half Ryan Lonergan offed a valiant tackle attempt in response but the Waratah had too much pace and space.

But, generally speaking, Wilsom looks comfortable alongside a star-studded cast of talent at the Waratahs. We saw that last weekend against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, and Wilson has repaid the faith shown by coach Dan McKellar once again.

With a quick and accurate pass, neat kicking game, and a clean pair of heels, Wilson certainly appears to be the future of the halfback position at the Waratahs.