Happy Monday, G&GRs, and thanks for visiting my world of Mad Monday. The G&GR team and I appreciate you all coming here. We aren’t professional journalists (yes, I know it shows), but we love the game, and we do appreciate you calling by and hanging out. I would live here if I could, but alas, I don’t think Mrs BL and the tin lids would appreciate that.
Again heaps of rugby on this weekend. I’ll concentrate on the Super Rugby Pacific today and leave some news for the rest of the lads. So pull up a pew, switch on that infernal machine that we mostly earn a living sitting in front of, and pour yourself a large ‘kwooffffeeeee’ ☕ and let’s cover the ruggers!
Super Rugby Pacific Round 6
Waikato Chiefs 50 defeated Moana Pasifika 35
Chiefs Blitz Moana Pasifika, Then Forget How to Play Rugby for 40 Minutes – Well, that was a tale of two halves if there ever was one. The Chiefs came out firing, throwing the kitchen sink at Moana Pasifika in the first 40 minutes before seemingly heading off for an early beer in the second half. Despite some nervy moments late in the game, they held on for a 50-35 win, but geez, they did their best to make it interesting!
The Chiefs were in demolition mode from the first whistle. It started with hooker Bradley Slater getting over after some silky hands from DMac and Shaun Stevenson—who, in case you forgot, just got back from Japan and seems to have brought a few tricks home with him. Speaking of Stevenson, he was back in business minutes later, slicing through defenders like a hot knife through butter for his first try of the season. At 17-0, the Chiefs were just warming up, and Moana Pasifika looked about as comfortable as a bloke wearing thongs in a snowstorm.
Xavier Roe and Leroy Carter added their names to the score sheet, while acting Moana Pasifika captain Tom ‘I am as islander as Duhan van der McMerwe is Scottish’ Savage, was left stewing in the sin bin after copping a 🧀. Things were looking pretty grim, but to their credit, the Pasifika boys showed a bit of fight when Pepesana Patafilo bustled through the line to set up William Havili for a much-needed 5-pointer. But then came the hammer blow—DMac and Manaaki Selby-Rickit crossed just before halftime, and the Chiefs went into the sheds at oranges with an absurd 43-7 lead. Game over, right? Well, nobody told Moana Pasifika.
The visitors unloaded the bench at the break, and suddenly, things got interesting. Sama Malolo and Tuna Tuitama both crashed over as the Chiefs seemingly forgot they were still playing a rugby match. One try became two, then three, then four. Havili grabbed his second after picking off a juicy intercept, and just like that, Chiefs fans were crapping big black dalmatians as the margin shrank to eight points with five minutes left on the clock.
Could they pull off the comeback of the season? Nope! Just when things got spicy, Samisoni Taukei’aho decided he’d had enough of this rubbish and steamrolled over in the rolling maul with two minutes left, sealing the win—though without the bonus point, which might come back later to bite them on the ass.
So the Chiefs head into the bye week sitting pretty on top of the ladder, eight points clear of the Dark Ones. MP, on the other hand, has to head to Christchurch next week, still propping up the bottom of the table. Good luck with that, lads.
Queensland Reds 29 defeated Otago Highlanders 23
Reds Scrum the Highlanders Into Oblivion in Dunedin – Well, well, well (three holes in the ground usually containing water)—who saw that coming? The Queensland Reds have pulled off a comeback win over the Highlanders that’s been 12 years in the making. Yep, you read that right. The last time the Reds won in Dunedin, Quade Cooper was stepping blokes in the G&G, and TikTok wasn’t even a thing. Final score 29-23. And the best part? It was built on a scrum so dominant it might as well have had its own postcode.
This wasn’t just any win, either. The Reds did it without their captain Tate ‘Joe Dirt’ McDermott (rested), both their gun flankers Liam Wright and Fraser ‘Fraz’ McReight, and Wallaby hooker Matt Faessler (leg issues). Basically, half the pack was in the casualty ward, but no worries—Les Kiss’s mob just shrugged, packed down, and bullied the Highlanders into submission anyway, in what we here at G&GR call ‘Nutta Porn’.
Things started beautifully, with the Reds jumping to a 12-0 lead before they promptly forgot how to tackle and conceded 20 straight points. Classic Reds. Outside centre Filipo Daugunu decided he’d had enough of that nonsense, so he scored a double and put up a defensive clinic, setting the tone for the Reds’ fightback.
But the real story was the scrum. With the game on the line, the Reds figured out that their best tactic was to just scrum the Highlanders into the earth’s core. With four penalties in 11 minutes, the Highlanders’ Ethan de Groot got sick of reversing like a French Battalion and decided to give away a breakdown penalty instead. The ref, probably feeling sorry for him, only handed out a piece of 🧀.
With the numerical advantage, the Reds turned the screws. Tries to Lachie Anderson and Daugunu—set up by Tim Ryan turning on the afterburners and Harry Wilson hoofing one ahead—sealed the deal. Meanwhile, the Highlanders, who had been carving it up in the first half, decided the second half was for kicking penalties and reminiscing about their glory days. Even Caleb Tangitau, who looked electric early, was denied a couple of cracking tries by sheer bad luck.
Credit where it’s due—the Reds’ bench was immense. Alex Hodgman came on and continued the scrum carnage, while Lukhan Salakaia-Loto returned like he never left. The result? A monster second-half effort that sent the Reds to a 4-1 record. And just to put it in perspective—this was only the Reds’ third win in New Zealand against Kiwi teams in their last 27 games. That’s how big this was.
So, what did we learn? The Reds’ scrum is back, their depth is looking decent, and they’ve finally got a bit of nous to go with their flair. They managed the second half brilliantly and played a smart tactical game. Next stop? Who knows. But for now, let’s just enjoy the fact that a bunch of Queenslanders went to Dunedin and sent the Highlanders packing.
“Other sides come at you but we are getting better at coming back on track in games,” Kiss said. “We stretched into our depth but we know we have players who step up.” In his first game as Reds captain, Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson was inspirational. He plucked a crucial late turnover with a heads-up play and routinely dented the line while adding a deft kick ahead that led to the Reds’ decisive final try.
“It’s very special. We’ve talked all week about 2013 and being a side that could re-write the history books there,” Wilson said. “We were pretty disappointed at halftime, thought we didn’t play our brand of footy. And the scrum changed the game.”
My beloved Reddies got the job done here, and I was very worried that by resting players and rotating the squad, they were blowing their chance of plucking the Clan whilst they had the chance. But they got the job down with a smart game plan, and good leadership. I sure hope that Dirty Harry carries on as ‘Wobs’ Captain and Les Kis gets the ‘Wobs’ coaching role.
Canterbury Crusaders 42 defeated Auckland Blues 19
Crusaders Hand Blues a Proper Dust-Up at Eden Park – Well, that escalated quickly. The Blues’ title defence is looking shakier than a Highlanders scrum (what, too soon?) after the Crusaders rolled into Eden Park and handed them a 42-19 pasting. Outside of the first few minutes, this was less of a contest and more of a Crusaders training run, with Rob Penney’s mob making a proper statement to the rest of the comp.
Both sides had a bit of pre-game musical chairs, with Codie Taylor and Kurt Eklund ruled out after the team sheets dropped midweek. That meant young James Mullan got the nod at hooker for the Blues, and he made an early impact—busting the line in the third minute before flicking it to captain Dalton Papali’i, who waltzed over for the opening try.
But if the Blues thought that was going to rattle the Crusaders, they were dead wrong. That try was basically a wake-up call, and the men from Christchurch got straight to work. Halfback Kyle Preston was first to dot down from close range, and from there, it was all one-way traffic. Plenty of eyebrows were raised when five-try hero Macca Springer started on the pine, but that turned out to be a masterstroke. His replacement, Chay Fihaki, absolutely torched the Blues’ defence, powering through to put the visitors ahead.
Big Tamaiti Williams then decided he wanted in on the fun, rumbling over for another Crusaders meat pie to make it 17-7 after 25 minutes. Taha Kemara added a three-pointer before halftime just to rub it in, and when Fihaki bagged his second after the break, you could hear the collective groan from the Auckland faithful.
The Blues’ night went from bad to worse when Laghlan McWhannell got himself 🧀 for a cynical effort. The Crusaders, smelling blood, did what they do best—rolling maul, bodies everywhere, and Tom Christie grounding it for another five-pointer. The home fans finally got something to cheer about when big Marcel Renata crashed over under the sticks, but let’s be honest, it was nothing more than a consolation prize. The Crusaders weren’t done yet, and Springer—fresh off the bench—joined the party before Will Jordan crossed in the dying moments to cap off the demolition job.
Final score: Crusaders 42, Blues 19. Statement made. Title defence in tatters. The rest of the comp has been put on notice. The Crusaders have gotten over last years blip and are back to being the Crusaders!
NSW Waratahs 28 defeated ACT Brumbies 23
Tahs Snap Brumbies Hoodoo in Absolute Nail-Biter – Well, … get the champagne out, Tahs fans! After 13 long, painful losses, the Waratahs have finally stuck it to the Brumbies, scraping home 28-23 in a drama-filled Saturday night special at Allianz. NSW came out firing, racking up 21 points in the first half and looking like world-beaters. But this is the Brumbies we’re talking about—Australia’s most stubborn side—so of course, they found a way to make it heart-stoppingly close, even while playing with 14 men for a quarter of the game.
With 12 minutes left, young gun Max Jorgensen settled some Sydney nerves with a classic chip-and-chase, finishing with centre Joey Walton winning the race to the ball. Allianz erupted, but before anyone could get too comfortable, Andy Muirhead decided to crash the party, plucking a Jack Debreczeni cross-kick out of the sky like it was a Sunday arvo backyard touch game. Suddenly, it was a three-point game, and you could hear the collective groans from Tahs fans who’d seen this movie before. But for once, NSW didn’t choke. They held firm and finally chalked up their first win over the Brumbies since 2018—and their first at Allianz since (checks notes) 2015. Not only did they break the streak, but they leapfrogged the Brumbies to sit fourth on the ladder. Not a bad night’s work.
How It Happened – Early doors, it was all Brumbies. Noah Lolesio slotted two penalties, and at one point, the visitors had 97% of the territory. Yes, you read that right 97 percent. But then, rugby did its weird and wonderful thing. A break in play (cheers to Mahe Vailanu for getting injured at the right time) seemed to flip the switch. The Tahs—who had done zilch up to that point—suddenly turned into turnover merchants, running in two long-range tries against the run of play.
First, Teddy Wilson crossed after a quick shift down the left. There were some serious side-eye glances from Brumbies players, convinced Andrew Kellaway might have flirted with the sideline earlier in the build-up, but the refs weren’t interested. Then, Triston Reilly decided to channel his inner Matt Burke, hoofing the ball forward from halfway, getting the luckiest bounce of his life, and dotting down. Suddenly, the Tahs were flying. They added a third when Rob Leota bulldozed poor Andy Muirhead, at a time when the Brumbies were down to 14 men after Billy Pollard was 🧀 for a high shot.
The Brumbies Fightback (Because of Course They Did) – If there’s one thing you can bank on, it’s that the Brumbies will grind you down. And sure enough, they came out swinging in the second half. Tom Wright thought he’d scored after a 20-phase Brumbies special, but the TMO decided to have his say, ruling Lolesio knocked on in the lead-up.
No matter—Allan Alaalatoa decided to just run through some bodies and score anyway. The Brumbies had their tails up, but then Tom Hooper saw yellow for a dangerous lift, putting them back under the pump. Even with 14 men, the visitors kept coming. Luke Reimer finished off a classic Brumbies rolling maul, and suddenly, we were set up for a blockbuster finish.
But the Waratahs—yes, the Waratahs—held on. And if you think the Sydney faithful aren’t going to spend the next week basking in this one, you clearly haven’t met a Tahs fan. I’ll keep this part straight, but don’t think there isn’t more to write about this game. Please go straight to ‘Shouting at clouds’! Lots and lots to shout about.
Western Force 47 defeated Fiji Drua 15
The Force Give the Drua a Proper Smacking in Perth – Well, how’s that for a turnaround? After three weeks of looking about as threatening as a packet of wet Weet-Bix, the Western Force have finally found their mojo, absolutely pantsing the Fijian Drua 52-15 at HBF Park. That’s right—EIGHT tries, a Nic Dolly hat-trick, and a Carlo Tizzano double. Beautiful stuff.
Things looked grim for the Force after a rough few rounds, but they came out firing from the get-go, putting the Drua under the pump early and never letting up. They were in such a hurry to get things going that Dolly crashed over from a rolling maul within two minutes. It was one-way traffic from there.
Dolly, who’s technically played for England (we won’t hold it against him… for now), was on a mission—snagging his second try off a shanked Drua line-out and completing the trifecta through another rolling maul by the 35th minute. Classic hooker behaviour. By the time Ben Donaldson slotted the extras, the scoreboard was already blowing out to 33-0.
The Drua finally decided to join the party just before halftime, with fullback Ilaisa Droasese getting on the end of a cross-field kick. Fair play to them, but at 33-5, the damage was already well and truly done. To their credit, the Fijians came out swinging in the second half, with Taniela Rakuro crossing almost immediately. But just as quickly as they started to build momentum, they handed it right back—Tizzano, showing the work rate of an over-caffeinated border collie, pounced on some quick ruck ball to bag his second.
The Force got a little sloppy in the middle stages, copping six straight penalties (probably trying to make things interesting), and the Drua capitalised when a rogue Donaldson pass gifted flanker Etonia Waqa a try. At 40-15, there was a sniff of a fightback, but Simon Cron was having none of it, rolling out the reserves to kill off any comeback hopes.
Then came the cherry on top: Harry Potter (yep, still funny) lit up the field with a solo 55-metre effort before backing it up with a slick line-break and grubber finish in the 67th minute. With five to go, Donaldson made up for his earlier blunder by nabbing the eighth try to seal the deal.
So, what does it all mean? Well, the Force jumps back into the top six and joins the rest of the Aussie franchises in the logjam behind the Kiwis. More importantly, they’ve reminded everyone that they can actually play footy when they put it together. Let’s hope they keep the party going.
Super Rugby Pacific 2025 – Ladder
The ladder now makes for really interesting reading. The Chiefs and Dark Saders are doing what they do. But rapidly behind them are the Angry Koalas, and the very lucky BOK was adjudicating Tahs. With the Ponies and the Force bringing up the rear (no Hoss that wasn’t an offer) in the top 6.
Next week will be really interesting with the first of the split rounds (yes that is right lads and ladettes only four games this coming week). The Tahs are off to be tested by a Kiwi team, who according to the ladder, should dispatch easily, but we’ll see. Ponies and the Clan will be an interesting match, hoping the Brumbies can fire back up (as long as BOK hasn’t got the whistle). The Dark ones versus MP, and my beloved Reddies up against the Force, looking for a bit of payback.
Old Man Shouting at Clouds
Ok and before everyone starts whinging about bias, let me remind you:
A. I don’t support either the Brumbies or the Waratahs; and
B. I was born in NSW (something that Hoss takes utmost pleasure in reminding me regularly); and
C. I didn’t have a dog in this fight.
I know I am not the only one to think this or say this, as the lads on the G&GR’s teams podcast gave it a fair chop on Thursday. But BOK is having a terrible season with the whistle. Normally I’m a fan of the ‘BOK Choy’, but last night, he and his officiating team didn’t do anything to shower themselves in glory, in fact, the complete opposite. That was the worst adjudicating of a rugby game that I have seen in years. It was truly awful.
Whilst a lot of people will say it favoured the Tahs (and I would probably agree with them), it certainly went both ways. There were a number of tackles with shoulder contact to the head that just weren’t called. There were feet on the touchline that weren’t called. There were TMO interventions everywhere (just when we thought we had gotten rid of that curse). Overall, it was just bad officiating. It was not up to Super Rugby standards. God, it wasn’t up to the Under 15 D Grade standard.
The directive from Super Rugby this year for officiating is to speed the game up. Less stoppages. Quicker scrums and lineout. But in this game, it was TMO heaven, and discussions were everywhere. This shit will kill the brilliant product that Super Rugby Pacific is this year. I certainly hope that the Referee Panel will sit down with BOK and his team, and do a solid run-through because this crap can’t happen again. The progress this year has been great, and this will be the quickest way to kill that off! Pronto.
I would certainly like to hear KARL’s opinion on it. Anyway, enough of this old man gobbing off. Over to you G&GRs. Have at it.
