Australian Rugby kicked off the new Super Rugby tournament with a clean sweep! Well, kind of. Actually not really. But the season’s begun and there was plenty to love about the first round.
Firstly, those Waratahs. As I said in my post match report, they were pretty awesome. At the same time the Rebels were somewhat less so. Where the Tahs were clinical and efficient, the Rebels squandered possession and wasted opportunities. Still, it was a tremendous occasion for Victorian Rugby and a terrific crowd of more than 25,000 was due reward for the way in which the Rebels have promoted their team. If nothing else they got to see rugby played at its finest, by a team in blue….just not their team.
Then on the Saturday night we had the Brumbies, led by a number of new faces, hanging in there to down the Chiefs. All guns a blazin’ at the start, would eventually turn into firing a few blanks. Still, it was a promising first up showing for a team missing at least four likely starters in Lealiifano and Elsom with Toomua and Hoiles, both returning via the bench.
Come to Sunday afternoon at Suncorp Stadium and the Force were damn unlucky to lose to the Queensland Reds, 20-21. The team from the west came into town underneath the radar and showed an intensity of defence usually reserved for test matches. The Force back row (and locks) together with the inside backs worked hard to nullify the Reds’ attacking threats, and largely succeeded. Due credit to Queensland’s patience and resilience for fighting back and taking out the win.
Let’s take a bit of a snap shot look at the weekend’s rugby, from a strictly Australian perspective.
Team of the Round:
15 Kurtley Beale – WARATAHS
14 Francis Fainifo – BRUMBIES
13 Rob Horne – WARATAHS
12 Robbie Coleman – BRUMBIES
11 Drew Mitchell – WARATAHS
10 James O’Connor – FORCE
9 Luke Burgess – WARATAHS
8 Ben Mowen – WARATAHS
7 Phil Waugh – WARATAHS
6 James Horwill – REDS
5 Kane Douglas – WARATAHS
4 Nathan Sharpe – FORCE
3 Al Baxter – WARATAHS
2 Stephen Moore – BRUMBIES
1 Ben Alexander – BRUMBIES
I think eight Waratahs is a fair representation. Still…there are some unlucky omissions in Tom Carter, David Dennis and Tatafu Polota-Nau. At the same time, Richard Brown and Mitch Inman for the Force made strong cases for selection over their respective counterparts. Still, the Force provided two players to the team, in their skipper Nathan Sharpe and their play maker, James O’Connor. Meanwhile the Reds could only offer James Horwill as a starter.
Loose Head Prop was probably an area of contention. I maintain no one in particular stood up to make the position their own this week. Every team’s Number One probably had some claims to the spot, but there was no one stand out with Benny Alexander the one to earn the jersey this week. Somewhat unsurprisingly there are no Rebels in the team. They are behind the 8-ball from the start, as this is an AUSTRALIAN XV of the week, and with a fair number of their side ineligible for Aussie selections, they’ll struggle to find starters. Still, Lachie Mitchell showed some glimpses on the wing whilst Julian Huxley was solid at the back….
Player of the Round:
Over at the forum we’ve been voting on this pretty much for the last few days and we’ve basically come up with a player from each team. For the Waratahs, there were so many options, but in the end it went to their inspirational leader Phil Waugh. Waugh was a whirlpool of activity for the Tahs, just wreaking havoc wherever he went. For the Rebels it was their fullback Julian Huxley, sure of boot and committed with ball in hand, that lead the way for the Super Rugby Rookies.
At the Brumbies it was their new boy, Robbie Coleman, who electrified the Chiefs defence and caught the eye of the G&GR faithful. In Brisbane, James O’Connor scored all of the points for the Force and picked up most of them from our knowledgeable posters, whilst James Horwill‘s change of position didn’t hinder his game as he was voted far and away the best of the Reds.
Try of the Round:
There’s plenty of options here from the Waratah v Rebels match, and you should all make sure you the G&GR Whiteboard this week for a look at some of their best. Saia Faingaa’s was tricky, and James O’Connor’s dramatic, but in the end how could we go past Robbie Coleman’s try on debut for the Brumbies. One of the last Brumbies signed for the season, 20 year old Coleman showed the elusiveness that has seen him star on the international 7’s circuit to score the first try of the game, after receiving quick ball from a Chiefs turnover.
See at the 25 sec mark in the video below.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRWlQ5yFRdY[/youtube]
Moment of the Round:
The Rebels Super Rugby debut didn’t end as planned, but what a fantastic way to start the round from an Australian perspective. 25,000 plus at AAMI Park in Melbourne was a great achievement for the Rebels. How many they get back this week for the match against the Brumbies will be the test for them. Regardless, it was a fantastic atmosphere and the crowd seemed knowledgeable and appreciable of the display by the Tahs.
