Wednesday’s Rugby News sees Melbourne Super Round constructive feedback, Fraser McReight vs Michael Hooper, Wallaroos’ June tour booked, Kyle Godwin off to Lyon and Angus Bell avoiding suspension despite red card.
Melbourne Super Round: “there are definitely other places where it would work as well” (Nic White)
Embed from Getty ImagesMelbourne’s Super Round has had mixed reviews. Brumbies halfback Nic White and this writer’s new favourite backhanded wordsmith said: “You could take it to Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, any of the big cities. Hopefully it sticks around and it moves around, I think it’s great, like a festival of rugby, it’s awesome. Hopefully it grows and gets better and better.”
Hosted at Melbourne’s AAMI Park, in the centre of AFL-heartland, the Super Round was a venture owned by New Zealand Rugby, with the backing of Tourism Victoria. However, the decision to take it to a non-traditional rugby city had many fans scratching their heads according to ESPN‘s Brittany Mitchell.
There was little promotion in the lead up, and once at the ground, apart from the action on the field (including the excellent Super W final) there was little buzz at the venue.
With just short halftime spectacles and nothing in-between games, there was little to keep fans engaged as they waited for the players to return to the field. Pre-match, there was little for fans to get excited about, with no activations outside the stadiums, no entertainment inside and no special ‘Super Round’ memorabilia to commemorate the occasion. It was far from a festival environment.
Ben Smith of RugbyPass didn’t pull his punches, writing that the execution was terrible, hosting the event in Australia’s least interested rugby market on the same weekend as two bumper AFL games.
Queensland or New South Wales would have at least had genuine rugby supporter bases to draw on. Even staging the event in Perth would have at least built back some goodwill with the rugby supporters there after the Force debacle misunderstanding five years ago.
Smith goes on to contrast the current iteration of Super Rugby with the NRL, describing the latter as a competition where the weekly fixtures actually matter, compared to Super Rugby Pacific where (nearly) every team basically makes the playoffs. “What exactly is the point of the regular season in Super Rugby Pacific?” The balance of the ESPN article on the advantageous NRL comp differences makes interesting reading.
SMH: Michael Hooper should make way for Fraser McReight
Embed from Getty ImagesWayne Smith of the newly-brilliant Sydney Morning Herald has written an opinion-piece on the sense of a succession plan between Michael Hooper and Fraser McReight.
While Hooper is “coming off career-best form” Smith writes:
“On Saturday against the Hurricanes, McReight was the best player on the field in the Super Round, even with the Reds losing their mojo, and ultimately the match 30-17. It was probably the third or fourth game this season where McReight was man of the match.”
Former Wallabies coach and Australian selector John Connolly has described McReight on the weekend as “McCaw-esque”:
“Australia has been well-served by openside flankers in the past, Greg Davis, Simon Poidevin and Jeff Miller leading into the George Smith-Phil Waugh era and then on to David Pocock. Now McReight is about to become that thread of gold.”
“I am in awe of the courage and toughness of Hooper but he is not as good over the ball as McReight, nor does he provide the link [in attack] that McReight does. McReight fits perfectly into the modern game. He will be regarded as the best opensider in world rugby.”
To date, however, McReight has played just two Tests over the past two seasons with an international career of just 32 minutes duration so far.
Smith continues: Hooper has utterly monopolised the gold No.7 jersey for the past decade but in doing so under Robbie Deans, Ewen McKenzie, Michael Cheika and Rennie, he has shut out all rivals. Liam Gill and Sean McMahon, both outstanding players, eventually gave up and moved overseas while Pocock was forced to switch to No.8. McReight needs game time. He needs it for no other reason than the possibility of Hooper being injured at or before next year’s World Cup.
Wallaroos June Tour
Pravda have announced the Wallaroo June tour schedule, with the Australia women’s national rugby union team travelling to New Zealand as part of the Pacific Four Series in June.
The 6 June opening match against the Black Ferns will serve as a preview for the opening match of this year’s Rugby World Cup.
They will then travel to Waitakere to face sixth-ranked Seppos on June 12 before rounding out the tournament against Canada eh (it’s aboot time!) on June 18 in Whangarei.
The absence of a Fiji game may however leave the Wallaroos under-cooked against the current masters of razzle-dazzle.
Wallaroos Pacific Four schedule
New Zealand v Australia, (TBC) Monday 6 June, 2022. KO 14:45 local time
Sunday 12 June, 2022 KO 12:15 local time USA v Australia, The Trusts Arena, Waitakere, Auckland
Saturday 18 June. KO 13:30 local time Australia v Canada, Semenoff Stadium, Whangarei (NZ)
Kyle Godwin leaving Force for Lyon at end of Super Rugby season
Embed from Getty ImagesRugbyPass reports that Western Force vice-captain Kyle Godwin will depart the club at the end of the Super Rugby Pacific season to join Lyon, the French Top 14 side. Godwin rose through the ranks of the future Force foundation academy to make his Super debut as a 19-year-old in 2012.
He has since gone on to notch 100 Super appearances, 76 of which have been for the Force. Godwin moved to the Brumbies for a two-year stint at the end of 2016 and then spent time in Ireland before rejoining the Force in 2020.
The 29-year-old, who notched his one and only Test for the Wallabies in 2016, said it was a tough decision to leave his hometown club. “I left no stone unturned in my decision-making process and have ruminated over it for a considerable amount of time,” Godwin said.
“It is the right time in my career for a new experience and to take on a new challenge. I have loved every minute at the Force. They have given me the opportunity to live out my childhood dreams and nurtured me throughout my entire career, which I’m eternally grateful for.”
Waratahs prop Angus Bell avoids suspension despite red card
Embed from Getty ImagesWaratahs prop Angus Bell is free to play in the Waratahs upcoming loss to the Crusaders on Saturday, despite being red-carded ( two minutes into the Waratahs v Chiefs game of Super Round) for the lifting tackle on Sam Cane, which saw the All Blacks skipper land on his head.
Pravda reports that replays seemed to indicate Chiefs teammate Angus Ta’avao assisted Cane’s body going over the horizontal and contributed to the dangerous nature.
After reviewing the incident, SANZAAR’s Judiciary has confirmed ‘the significant involvement of other players contributed to the incident’, deeming it did not meet the red card threshold.
“Having conducted a detailed review of all the available evidence, including all camera angles and additional evidence, including from the player and submissions from his legal representative, Aaron Lloyd, the Foul Play Review Committee found the foul play did not breach the red card threshold,” Foul Play Review Committee Chairman Michael Heron QC ruled.
In news sure to upset the upvoting chatbots, the writer will be unavailable for below-the-line comments from Thursday to Tuesday (inclusive). The nature of the absence is too classified to comment upon in any detail, however it does involve static-line jumping out of a captured Junkers Ju 52 near the Schloss Adler. If things get sporting, a bit of MP40 dual-wielding may be required.
