Super Rugby Wallaby Watch – Rnd 4

Round 4 of the Super Rugby gave us the Rebels getting the better of the Brumbies in Melbourne and the Waratahs taking the win against the Red’s at the SCG. Here is our team of the week.

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1. Scott Sio (Brumbies)

Was a part of a strong Brumbies front row. After a small slip up in the scrum early, Sio regathered himself and put in a decent showing. .

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2. Folau Fainga’a (Brumbies)

Another week, another try from the Brumbies hooker. Was extremely handy at lineout time winning 13/14 lineouts and handy around the park with 7 runs.

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3. Allan Alaalatoa (Brumbies)

Rounding out an all Brumbies front row, AAA scrummed quite well and even though he popped in a scrum in the 47^th minute, the Brumbies scrum ended up winning a tighthead. 4/4 tackles also.

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4.Rory Arnold (Brumbies)

The Brumbies rolling maul is their deadliest weapon and hitting the tall timber high in the air is key to that. Was solid in defence with 11/12 tackles and ran with intent in midfield (22m).

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5.Rob Simmons (Waratahs)

First good game from Simmons this season. Had a good crack in defence with 15/17 tackles and a few of those were good hits.

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6. Rob Valetini (Brumbies)

Very strong performance from the young Brumbies #6. 16/17 strong tackles. Ran the ball hard in his 9 carries, making 22m and bumping off 2 defenders.

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7. Michael Hooper (Waratahs)

He just doesn’t give up does he. Made an enormous 23/24 tackles and was involved in everything.

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8. Isi Naisarani (Rebels) 

Making 25 run metres, he sucks defenders in when his big body comes crashing through the midfield. Gave the Rebels backs a bit more space with his running. Also made 9/11 tackles.

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9. Will Genia (Rebels)

Completely turned the Rebels game around after halftime. Seemed to lose his temper at his forward pack which sparked them and made him play better. Made 31 run metres beating 7 defenders.Scored an important try. Extremely good performance.

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10.  Quade Cooper  (Rebels)

Worked extremely well with Genia to get the ball wide to the Rebels wingers to finish off tries. Was good with the boot hitting 4/5.

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11. Curtis Rona (Waratahs)

Gets the nod this week due to a pretty solid game all around including a great finish to his try. Good in defence with 7/8 tackles.

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12. Karmichael Hunt (Waratahs)

Playing against his old team, he played some great rugby and showed he has enough rugby smarts to play at 12. A couple of nice kicks to go along with a strong defensive effort (11/12).

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13. Samu Kerevi (Reds)

Another week where Kerevi gets selected due to being the spark in the Red’s attack. Scored a nice opportunistic try with a quick pick and go. Made 14 runs for 49m with 2 clean breaks and a great try assist.

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14. Chris Feauai-Sautia (Reds)

Very strong runner of the ball this week. Beating 7 defenders which included bumping off a few. Did well to finish a try from 35m out. Ran for 80m.

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15. Isaac Lucas (Reds)

A very exciting prospect. Helped Kerevi in sparking the Red’s attack and will benefit from some good time in the #15 jersey. Ran for 60m and beating 5 defenders in the process.

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On the fringe of selection:

Ned Hanigan – A great week from Hanigan. Barnstorming run for his try and he ran straight over Paia’aua. Made 15/16 tackles and got a pilfer in defence. Did give away 2 penalties and also wasn’t in the right position at the ruck which allowed Kerevi to run straight through for his try.

Harry Johnson Holmes – Had a great week around the park and making a massive 19/20 tackles. Unfortunately, he was outclassed at scrum time and gave away a penalty. Was probably a bit lucky that he didn’t give away multiple penalties.

Adam Coleman – Very strong in contact throughout the game. Made 10/12 tackles and took majority of the Rebels lineouts. Suffered from getting a card and a HIA check.

Disappointments:

Israel Folau – I personally think that 14 is Folau’s best position. He didn’t have a bad week but was hoping for a big more spark from the star player.

Les Leulua’iahli’i-Makin – Coming off for the bench for the Brumbies he was completely outclassed in the scrum giving away 2 penalties.

So after 4 rounds in the Super Rugby competition it’s time to have a look at who I would pick for my Wallabies team after the first few games. Comment who your 15 would be and check out my team on the next page