Super Rugby AU: Five Talking Points from Round 5
The Brumbies swamp Mackenzie Hansen after his last-gasp winning penalty against the Reds
Credit: Mark Nolan/Getty Images
We have hit the halfway point of Super Rugby AU with Round 5 in the books, and this round was a reminder of just how different the competition could be looking.
The Brumbies got themselves out of jail for the second time in three games after a last-gasp Mackenzie Hansen penalty gave them a 22-20 victory over the Queensland Reds, while the Rebels had to go to Super Time to shake off an ever-improving Western Force side 25-20 at Leichardt Oval in Sydney.
It’s not hard to realise that the Brumbies could be way back in the pack if the Waratahs and Reds respectively had hung in and got the wins and where the Western Force could be had they been able to hang on to some of their fast starts.
The current table sees the Brumbies pass the halfway point with a 100% record, leaving them clear at the top of the competition. Meanwhile the Reds and Rebels are jostling for prime position as the grand viseur in this rugby court with the Waratahs holding off the Force in the race to avoid the wooden spoon.
But as we have seen in Super Rugby Aotearoa, a lot can change in a couple of weeks.
Before all that, here are the crucial talking points from a very eventful Round 5.
Reds storm back from slow start but can’t nail down unbeaten Brumbies
The competition is well and truly alive now.
Just as the Brumbies were looking like they might be opening up an almost unassailable gap at the top of Super Rugby AU, the Reds threw their spanner into the works and looked to have the game won.
The Brisbane outfit took some chances with their team selection, with standout players including scrumhalf Tate McDermott and flanker Fraser McReight starting on the pine for the first time in Super Rugby AU.
It did look as if those changes had backfired on him when the Brumbies stormed out to a 14-0 lead courtesy of two Folau Fainga’a tries (more on that later).
But the Reds did not buckle and stormed back into the contest in the second half as quick-fire scores early in the second half to Harry Wilson and Angus Scott-Young, who both deserve props for also racking up 20 and 19 tackles in the game respectively, allied with a missed conversion from a late Conall McInerney try for the Brumbies left them protecting a one-point lead in the dying moments.
Thorn might also have been inwardly giving himself a wry smile when McReight, still fresh after a second-half entry to the game, dug out what appeared to be the game-clinching turnover in the 79th minute.
However, despite stoic defence giving the Brumbies no quarter past the siren, McReight went from hero to villain as his over-enthusiasm at the breakdown gave young Mackenzie Hansen the chance to steal the game, an opportunity he duly took.
This is the second time the Brumbies have found ways to dig themselves out of holes, following Issak Fines’ late heroics against the Waratahs two weeks ago and it points to their strength of character and accuracy when the crunch comes on - both hallmarks of champion sides.
They go into the halfway point of Super Rugby AU with a 100% record and look slightly unstoppable at this point.
However, one need only look over to Super Rugby Aotearoa, where the Crusaders seemed to be in a similar situation, to see that this can change very quickly.
The challenge laid to the Brumbies now is to stay focused and bring this title home, because it is theirs for the taking.
The prodigal son returns
Jordan Petaia made a very successful return from shoulder surgery against the Brumbies
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One of the brightest stars in the Australian rugby sky returned to action in Canberra as Jordan Petaia made his return from shoulder surgery.
It caused a lot of excitement around the country as Petaia was named in jersey 23 as one of the hottest talents in the Australian game came back to the fray.
Making his first appearance since a 27-20 defeat against the Lions at Ellis Park in February, Petaia was initially intended to be used as a strike weapon for the Reds against the Brumbies.
Head coach Brad Thorn had said earlier in the week: “It takes a bit of pressure off and he’ll come on and contribute like all the others, and from that we’ll go into the following week and see where we’re at there.
“I’m just hoping he’s got those (injuries) behind him now and there’s a long run of footy for him. He’s a great kid.
“It’s exciting to see some strike on the bench. From my experience, it’s the last 20 minutes, that was the ‘money time’ when games were decided.”
However, that plan was swiftly discarded and Petaia was thrown into the game early after the injury curse struck Chris Feauai-Sautia.
The returning youngster almost lit up the game within minutes of returning, playing a key part in as well as finishing a slick counter-attacking move that Phil Kearns on commentary labelled some of the best rugby the Reds had played in years.
That particular effort was ultimately taken back for a high tackle on Brumbies winger Tom Wright (a ridiculous call in this observer’s eyes considering the offence had taken place a full handful of phases before) but one could not fail to notice Petaia’s dazzling feet and eye for a hole on full display.
What would have pleased Thorn the most, however, was the work rate Petaia showed on his return, popping up all over the field looking for work and showing some real sharpness in his hands and footwork throughout the night, especially when his deft touch put Harry Wilson over for the crucial early score in the second half.
If the Reds can get that man back up to full fitness and firing on all cylinders again, he could be a serious trump card as the competition reaches the business end in a few weeks’ time.
Look towards Round 10 and these two meeting again in Brisbane. That could be very tasty indeed.
Fainga’a responds in style after rare tryless week
Folau Fainga’a of the Brumbies looks at his options against the Reds
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It is no hyperbole to say the entire rugby world was left in a state of shock when Brumbies hooker Folau Fainga’a failed to register a try against the Western Force last week.
The blank snapped a record-breaking streak that had seen the hooker score in six consecutive games for the Canberra outfit, with the failure to convert against the men from the west robbing him of the chance to equal Chris Latham’s all-time record.
Clearly stung by that missed opportunity, Fainga’a swiftly re-established his reputation by bundling over for two tries in the first half against the Reds in Canberra, both off the back of the Brumbies’ astonishingly potent rolling maul.
The maul is a real trump card in the pack for the Brumbies and has been expertly developed by head coach Dan McKellar as well as forwards coach Laurie Fisher, who has pervious in this area after establishing the maul as a useful weapon in his time at Gloucester.
However, there is no doubt Fainga’a has been the biggest beneficiary in the same way Thomas Waldrom and Sam Simmonds respectively have bagged numerous scores from the maul for the Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership.
And just to add the icing on the cake, replacement hooker Connal McInerney got a late five-pointer for the Brumbies as well.
Clearly they’re not feeding the hookers properly in the nation’s capital, because they are leaping on any sniff of meat that they can find.
Rebels hold nerve in Super Time but must find consistency
One would imagine there was a large sigh of relief around the coaches’ box and fans’ living rooms around Victoria when Isi Naisarani barged over for the game-winning score shortly after the start of Super Rugby AU’s second Super Time period.
The Rebels had been here before, against the Queensland Reds, and had failed to come away with the clincher as that game went the distance to a draw after 90 minutes.
The southerners showed very clearly what they are capable of in flashes, including a brilliantly-worked move off a five-metre lineout that was finished by Jordan Uelese, but failed to hit the heights they did in last week’s dispatching of the Waratahs - albeit with far less generous opposition on this occasion.
That remains the challenge for the Rebels at this stage of the competition - finding ways to turn these flashes of brilliance into complete performances, as well as making sure they can back these performances up week in, week out.
There was plenty to smile about - Matt Toomua continues to be a steadying influence at 10, chipping in with 13 tackles in this game and guidng his team around the park well, and they have serious strike in the backline with the likes of Wallabies Marika Koroibete, Dane Haylett-Petty and Reece Hodge.
A team of their calibre would expect to be dominating possession and territory as well as much of the stats sheet, which they did not do as the Force kept touch with them in all departments (for better and worse) and the Rebels had to ultimately dig deep to find the win.
Ultimately, though, the competition points are going home with them so it is tough to be over-critical, but those within the four walls of Rebels HQ are going to have to be as it is the only way they are going to keep touch with the top two in Super Rugby AU.
Fighting Force fall short in thriller
Byron Ralston of the Western Force celebrates his try during the 25-20 defeat to the Melbourne Rebels
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It hurt the neutrals to see the shattered looks on the faces of the Force players as the Rebels celebrated their win on Friday night.
The Force have demonstrated through the first half of Super Rugby AU that they have absolutely not come to make up numbers and are here to play.
Once again the Force came out of the blocks the quicker and found themselves 10-0 up just before the half-hour mark before the Rebels found their feet and pegged them back, a theme that is becoming frustratingly familiar.
Jono Lance continued his hot streak of form in the competition, topping the metres count for the game with 59 as well as contributing eight tackles, a clean break and ten points from the tee, although his missed penalty in the 76th minute will be something he will look back on and regret.
The emergence of talents like Byron Ralston, who added another superb try this weekend to his growing catalogue of finishes, has also seen them imbued with some hope for the continued growth of the side that was so cruelly dispatched from Super Rugby.
The only thing they have been missing is a win as proof of their contribution to this competition, and they will get it if they can unlock the secret to protecting these early leads they have shown they are capable of establishing.
It looked like fate was finally on their side this week as they took the Rebels to the wire and indeed over it into Super Time but were unable to find the extra five percent needed to get those points in the bag.
The plus side for the men from out west is that they are getting closer and closer every week to that elusive victory, so look for them to come roaring out of the blocks after their bye week in hopes of finally bringing home the chocolates.
