Super Rugby AU: Five Talking Points from Round 4
Matt Toomua celebrates during his side’s 29-10 win against the Waratahs
Credit: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
We are nearing the halfway point of Super Rugby AU and patterns are starting to develop.
In many ways, Round 4 summed up the pattern of the competition so far, as the table-topping Brumbies showed their class to down the basement-dwelling Western Force 24-0 at Leichardt Oval in Sydney’s inner west.
Across the city, it was an all-too-familiar tale of woe for the Waratahs as their grim form continued through a 29-10 defeat to the Rebels.
Here are the biggest takeaways from a Round 4 that leaves Super Rugby AU at a crossroads.
Toomua gets one over on Rugby.com.au in statement Rebels win
Much of the lead-up to the clash between the Waratahs and the Rebels at the Sydney Cricket Ground had been dominated by quite a strange exchange on Instagram between Rebels flyhalf Matt Toomua and the official page of Rugby.com.au.
The buzz centred around a hype video on Waratahs star and Wallabies captain Michael Hooper.
The video led off with Toomua saying: “Michael Hooper hasn’t stolen a ball from a ruck in about 18 months”, after which a montage of Michael Hooper being Michael Hooper and winning various turnovers followed, seeming a bit as though the comment about Hooper had been taken personally by a supposedly independent site.
Toomua commented on the video, clearly irked at being played for a fool, saying: “Are those turnovers a #throwbackthursday from when he used to win turnovers #18months”.
Strange enough though it was that this was developing at all, the Rugby.com.au account responded to him directly, saying as a rebuttal: “That comeback is as good as your golf game #TripleBogey”.
Toomua wasn’t taking that lying down, and came back not unfairly accusing the page of a tad of bias, saying: “Aren’t you meant to [be] neutral? #alwaystahscentric”.
What followed was that Toomua took to the field and forcefully gained the upper hand as he kicked two conversions and five penalties to guide the Rebels to a resounding 29-10 win over the beleaguered Waratahs in a game that also saw Hooper sin binned.
However, sleeping dogs were clearly not to be let lie, with a photo of Toomua celebrating posted to the Rugby.com.au account after the game, with the caption: “Weird flex but okay”.
Such a bizarre spat all round, it has to be said, but added an interesting undercurrent to proceedings.
What we can establish was, however, that it did the Waratahs no favours.
Waratahs in dire straits
They may not be winless like the Chiefs across the ditch but let’s get one thing clear - the Waratahs are in an equally deep hole.
The Waratahs fan of this parish stated last week that the shoots of recovery were there in the Waratah’s near miss against the Brumbies, but that a clinical edge and some confidence were much needed to help this side get back on a winning path.
The absence of both was pretty much clear from the outset in Sydney as the Rebels always looked the more likely team, firmly underlined by the fact that they got over the stripe just two minutes into the game as the ball was planted at the base of the ruck following former Tah Andrew Kellaway’s break on the right wing, albeit ruled out for a knock-on.
The Rebels still took the lead as Toomua kicked the first of his seven goals for the night, and although the Waratahs struck back with a somewhat fortuitous Alex Newsome try the writing was firmly on the wall.
Let’s throw a few numbers out there. Possession - Rebels 71%, Waratahs 29%. Territory - Rebels 75%, Waratahs 25%. Metres run - Rebels 527, Waratahs 162. Penalties conceded - Rebels 9, Waratahs 17. Tackles - Waratahs 176, Rebels 59. Missed tackles - Waratahs 36, Rebels 8.
I know stats can’t tell you everything but that’s got to tell you enough.
When Marika Koroibete capped his 50th Super Rugby appearance with a superb solo try, it almost felt like the Waratahs had been put out of their misery.
As they approach a bye week, head coach Rob Penney has serious work to do.
Brumbies show they’re a cut above
While far from a complete performance, the Brumbies made their trip to face the Western Force count as they proved why they are a cut above the rest of the Australian competition.
A 24-0 win was the least the Brumbies deserved for an attacking performance full of verve, imagination and vision from the outset.
Two spectacular long-range scores to Tom Wright and Irae Simone within the first six minutes of the game essentially put paid to the normally fast-starting Force, who battled on valiantly but were ultimately never given a chance to get into the game by their confident opposition.
While the stats will tell us that the Force made life far harder for the Brumbies than the afore-mentioned Waratahs did for the Rebels the previous night, that was ultimately never to be reflected on the scoreboard.
The Brumbies held them scoreless over 80 minutes, the first time we have seen that in Super Rugby AU and a timely reminder that the Brumbies possess quality on both sides of the ball.
A tackle efficiency of 92% over the 80 minutes tells well enough that the Brumbies didn’t shirk their defensive effort when they were up on the scoreboard and indeed that the Force still gave them enough questions to answer to keep them sharp.
They are far from the finished article, but in the context of this competition the Brumbies look confident, slick and in control.
However, they will know in the backs of their minds that their biggest test is yet to come.
The competition splits
Tom Wright’s table-topping Brumbies have been the benchmark so far in Super Rugby AU
Credit: Brendon Thorne/AAPImage
Possibly the greatest significance of Round 4 was that it represented the point at which the runners and riders in this competition finally got split.
The Rebels and Brumbies firmly established themselves towards the top end of the ladder with fine wins, whereas the Waratahs and Force were left staring down the barrel of a wooden spoon battle.
Should the Rebels beat the Force next weekend, the Melbourne outfit will join the Reds and Brumbies in double-digit points totals, creating at least a four-point gap to the Waratahs who sit a further five points ahead of the Force.
Should these results play out, we may find ourselves firmly dealing with a three-horse race already in Super Rugby AU.
That being said, we are yet to reach the halfway point of the competition and much can still change.
Look at Super Rugby Aotearoa - the Blues were unbeaten and then dropped two straight games to come back to the pack, whereas the Hurricanes have come roaring back into contention after de-throning the previously unbeaten Crusaders in Christchurch.
All it needs is for one result to go astray in this competition and it could be well and truly game on again. Watch this space.
The bye-week Reds the biggest winners from Round 4?
Tate McDermott’s Queensland Reds are well-placed in Super Rugby AU
Credit: Darren England/AAPImage
While they didn’t take to the field themselves in Round 4, the Queensland Reds would have watched on from Brisbane with a wry smile on their face.
They will have taken away from this weekend that there is no team they should be fearing.
As bitter rivals Waratahs imploded to hand the game to the Rebels, who by necessity didn’t seem to get out of third gear, and the Brumbies strolled to a win that would only have raised questions if it was not achieved, the Reds will have happily stopped looking at the teams below them on the ladder and instead focused on what is ahead.
The two unbeaten sides go head-to-head in Round 5 and both have reasons to feel confident.
The Reds certainly will return off their bye week fresh and ready to take on the Brumbies at GIO Stadium next weekend knowing that there is no side that is beyond their reach.
With their back row already proving a force of nature in this year’s competition and James O’Connor and Tate McDermott controlling the team beautifully from 10 and 9 respectively, the Reds will have watched the weaknesses of their compatriots keenly.
It is hard to see how they will not be fancying themselves for a crack at the top spot in Super Rugby AU when they travel down to Canberra this coming weekend.
What we can say for sure at this stage, though, is that the nation’s capital will see one hell of a show on Saturday night.
