Well, what a happy Monday it is G&GRs, especially for those north of the border. With both the Super Rugby Pacific round 3 and the Six Nations on this weekend, it was a weekend where we paid scant attention to our families and dived deep, like really deep, into match after match of scintillating rugby.
This morning I’ll review the six matches of SRP 2024, and a quick review of the SRP ladder after three rounds. Then we’ll have a quick look at the three matches in the Northern Hemisphere. And to wrap up it with a quick ‘old man shouting at clouds’.
So dig deep, grab yourself a cup of Kwoffeeeee ☕, and jump aboard for a huge morning of Rugby News on G&GR.
As always this is a fan-run site and any contribution is welcome, feel free to reach out to me at bris@greenandgoldrugby.com.au be it with an article an idea, or an opinion piece. There’s also a ‘Submit a Story’ option. So feel free to have a crack as the more the merrier.
Super Rugby Pacific 2024 – Round Two – Super Round Melbourne
Melbourne Rebels 29 defeated Moana Pacific 23
The Rebels have made it 2 in a row, beating Moana Pasifika 29-23 in a Friday night thriller over the ‘dutch’! The Rebs forward pack really stood up, fighting a spirited comeback from Moana Pasifika. The Ginger Ninja again played his backside off, as well as demonstrating how versatile a player he is shifting from fullback to wing, which I am sure #InJoeWeTrust will have noticed.
The Rebs looked like they were cruising to an easy win, shooting out to a comfortable 19-3 lead. The Rebels forward pack lived up to their on-paper potential and dominated play. With their pack well on top early, the Rebels went 12-0 up. But as the game progressed, the Pasifika lads started to get their mojo back, as former All Back Julian Savea led the charge to bring his team back into the game.
The MP boys ended up playing the last 15 minutes of the game with someone in the naughty corner. That was all the chance the Rebels needed with the Ginger Ninja weaving his way to send Ripley over the line for a great try. The Rebels now have 2 from 3, and what started as a terrible season against the Brumbies, has them sitting fourth on the ladder. Who’d have thunk it?
Otago Highlanders 23 defeated NSW Waratahs 21
The Clan dug deep and pulled off a gritty victory over the resurgent NSW Waratahs, kicking the goals that were needed (unlike their opposition) to pull off a 23-21 victory. Tane ‘Sloth’ Edmed fluffed a crucial penalty in injury time to lose the game. Mind you, it wasn’t totally Edmed’s fault, with NSW ruing their opportunities to put this game away, but lacking the ability to do so.
Both sides would have been disappointed with the number of opportunities that they had, but due to fumbles or unforced errors, they were unable to capitalise on them. The mistakes, and turnovers, and killed any chance of momentum for either team, in what was a very stop-start kind of game. NSW held an anorexically thin margin of 16-13 when oranges came out.
The last quarter of the game, however, proved far more entertaining than the first three quarters, with both teams banging down some really entertaining tries. And thank god, up to this point I was about to start reading Pride and Prejudice rather than keep watching this drivel. In the end the Ginger 10 fluffed his lines and the Highlanders breathed a sigh of relief and went home happy to have got out of jail on that one.
Fiji Drua 20 defeated Canterbury Crusaders 10
Well, the flying Fijian Drua have proved that last year wasn’t a fluke, downing the Crusaders yet again in a brilliant game in Lautoka, on Fiji’s western coast. In an ominous warning to all other Super Rugby Pacific teams, the Fijians seem to grow an extra leg when playing at home. No team can pencil in an easy win against Fiji, anywhere, but Especially in Fiji in front of their adoring fans. In an inspiring post-match interview, the proud as punch Fijian captain Meli Derenalagi made it known that his team are “just custodians of the jersey” and that the Drua are the “people’s team”.
The Dark Saders got off to a quick and decisive start, going up 10-0 with a penalty and sweet little converted try from Fijian-born Sevu Reece. Not to be outdone, the Drua came back hard with their own penalty and a try from Ravutaumada, to lock the scores at 10 apiece at oranges.
I don’t know what Australian-born coach Mick ‘the Kick’ Byrne said to the Fijians at half-time, but boy did they come out hard in the second half. Frank Lomani was able to cross for a 5-pointer, to put them a converted try ahead. Then Ravula in the last five minutes iced a penalty to give the home town-hereos a well-deserved victory.
Hopefully Fiji Drua can gain some momentum and get their season back on track. But the Crusaders are going to need something special from where the sun doesn’t shine to redeem their season. Whoever would have thought that in a Super Rugby Championships, the Crusaders would be 0 from 3?
ACT Brumbies 22 defeated Western Force 19
The Twiggy Forest ‘Best Funded Team’ in Australia, will rue their performance against Canberra on a 31-degree day, to blow a 14-point lead to lose by 3 points. But the Force weren’t the only ones who will be disappointed in their performance, with the Puppy Killers lineout imploding taking only 14 out of 21 of their own lineouts. It was this poor performance by the Kenberrans that kept the Force in the game, able to build up a sizeable lead. But the Force then showing they have neither the patience nor the discipline to keep it.
The Force’s Harry Potter showing that when he puts his foot down on his Nimbus 200, he has some serious gas. Ben Donaldson further demonstrated why he shouldn’t be the Wallabies 10, by missing a crucial 3-pointer for the Force in the game’s final stanza. Potter copped a cheddar cheese for a ‘Quidditch’ style airborne challenge. This author thinks he was pretty unfortunate there, and it should have only been a penalty, as it was a legitimate challenge for the ball. But alas, this numerical advantage was capitalised upon by Bobby V, pushing the home team in front.
I don’t think both teams will be enamoured by this performance, and while the Brumbies will be happy to get the win, their backs’ defence, and their lineouts were an utter shambles. The Force are now sitting at the bottom of the ladder wondering what has happened to their season.
Wellington Hurricanes 29 defeated Auckland Blues 21
The Wellington Hurricanes’ young back Josh Moorby managed to dot down two 5-pointers to help his team to another solid victory. This time over their North Island rivals the Auckland Blues 29-21 to start their season off with a three from three, putting them at the top of the SRP ladder.
The Canes back line, in particular, was well fed with really good service from Cam Roigard, who is clearly nominating himself for higher honours in the 9 jersey. This combined with some rock-solid defence, enabled the Wellington boys to hold on to a well-deserved victory.
The Blues gambled with a 6-2 bench, only to have that gamble blow up in their faces when both Zarn Sullivan and AJ Lam failed HIAs early in the game. Backup No. 9 Taufa Funaki, ended up playing the majority of the game as a winger. We also saw loose forward Hoskins Sotutu covering for injured winger and resident speedster Mark Telea.
Both teams had their chances in this game, but in the end, it was the Blues Saffa-styled strategy of a packed forwards bench that came back to bite them.
Queensland Red 25 defeated Waikato Chiefs 19
Why is it that the Reds are the Chiefs bogey team? In what was almost an identical repeat of last year’s game, the growing confidence of the Queenslanders has upturned the apple cart yet again, defending to the death for a 25-19 victory. The young Queensland team, cheered on loudly by the parochial 17,000-strong crowd, defended for over 20 phases on their try line to hold onto the game.
The Chiefs, who are known for their strike power, struggled to penetrate the ‘Wall of Red’, managing to only score one try in each half of the game. Not even D-Mac could get the Chiefs attack firing, copping a few huge hits throughout the game. He wasn’t the only one, with Reds 10 Lynagh Junior copping a couple of late hits, one that warranted a nice little serve of cheddar cheese for Samipeni Finau, but alas BOK saw otherwise.
The Reds scrum turned from average in the first stanza to dominant in the second. This combined with the Reds newest lethal weapon, their rolling maul, and the Reds were able to push the Chiefs hard with their set-piece play. Harry Wilson had 21 tackles and his brother in arms Fraser McReight, managed 19 tackles, two turnovers, and a try to get this author’s MotM performance. The Reds are proving to be the little team that could this year, and it is time for all Aussies to jump on this bandwagon.
#InJoeWeTrust, if you were watching that game, which I have no doubt you were, there’s the Wallabies 7-8-9-10 combination for you. The rock hard spine of your team to build around.
Super Rugby Pacific 2024 – Ladder
Well, well, well! Three holes in the ground usually containing water. Who would’ve thought at the start of this season that the two top Aussie teams would be the Reds and the Melbourne Rebels, and the Crusaders would be sitting second bottom without a W next to their name?
Yes, it’s only the third round, but wow! There are numerous interesting combinations and permutations, coming out of this one. But one thing is for sure, tipping this season is proving harder to pick than a broken nose. And I, for one, am loving it! Gone is the fait accompli! No longer is it an Aussie team playing a Kiwi team means an automatic defeat. This is going to be a great season. Bring it on.
Six Nations
England 23 defeated Ireland 22
In another huge upset over this weekend of rugby, we have seen the Soap Dodgers defeat the Paddies 23-22, in a Jonny Wilkinson style last second drop goal. That kick has blown Ireland’s chance of a Grand Slam, and opened up the Six Nations competition. It has also killed Ireland’s 11-win straight streak, and their momentum in the back-end of the championships.
The Poms have had a crappy Six Nations so far, and coming off a bad loss to the Haggis Eaters, bolstered themselves at Twickers for their shot at the reigning champs. And bolster themselves they did. A clinical start to the game, dominating both territory and possession. Picking up two tries to three against the Paddies. But it wasn’t all going their way, with a ruled-out try, and seven points off the kicker’s tee not attained, they could have really applied the screws to Ireland.
The see-sawing nature of the game saw the lead flip-flop 5 times, as well as the Irish having to play with 14 when O’Mahony was served a nice little piece of cheddar for a professional foul which in my book was quite unprofessional, which added to the excitement and texture of the game.
In the end, it came down to the dying minutes of the game and Marcus Smith earnt his keep by slotting the field goal to ice England’s victory. A game that is definitely worth watching the full package rather than the highlights.
Italy 31 defeated Scotland 29
In another absolute stunning upset, the Azzurri overwhelmed Scotland in a try scoring slam down in front of a crowd going off their collectives nuts at Stadio Olimpico to pull off their first home Six Nations victory in over a decade. A simply amazing performance by the fashionistas, egged on by a very loud home crowd, to douse Scotland’s hopes of a Six Nations revival.
The Haggis Eaters got off to their usual flying start with tries to Pierre Schoeman, Kyle Steyn and Zander Fagerson. But the Italians racking up points of the tee and funky try to Juan Ignacio Brex kept them within 6 points at oranges.
The second half was dominated by the Italians, with young Aussie Louis Lynagh showing his waresSixto bring the Italians back into the game. This was the Azzurri’s first win in Rome since 2013, and their first win in a 6 Nations game in the last 2 years. Well done Italy! Better luck next year Scotland!
Wales v France
Not covered in today’s news. will leave that for tomorrow, as the game hadn’t been completed at the time of publishing.
Old Man shouting at Clouds
After last week’s apparent epic win by the Waratahs over the Crusaders, Brisney wants to come in off the long run up and have a rant over certain elements of the rugby media landscape. I am sick and tired of elements with in the media (Stan and Christy Doran) pumping up or, as the boys from the Rugby Report Card call it, “swinging off the nuts” of certain players. Namely players from the Waratahs.
Coming out and saying the Tane Edmed or Jake Gordon are the starting favourites for this and that position after one good game is taking hyperbole to new levels. Stating that Joe Schmidt has found his new saviour in the 10 role or any other role is just utter ridiculous, and it’s giving so called professional journalists a bad name.
Yes, we know NSW is the home of RA. Yes, we know the game doesn’t exist outside of anywhere but Sydney. Yes, we know you’re pandering to your home audience. But for farks sake it is really hard to take these people’s articles and shows seriously, especially when the Waratahs have had one win this season and are in the bottom half of the ladder. There are clearly a number of players well ahead in the pecking order for those positions.
Come on guys, you can do a lot better than this.
Anyway, enough of this old man shouting at clouds. Over to you G&GRs. Have at it.
