Super Rugby R10 review: Michael Hooper stars in Waratahs win; Rebels end Force’s winning run
ISRAEL Folau stole the headlines but it was Michael Hooper who was the real star of a hard-working Waratahs win. Read our R10 Super Rugby review!
ISRAEL Folau took just 29 seconds to mark his Super Rugby return in stunning fashion but the fullback’s ninth try of the season was one of the few highlights from a narrow Waratahs win.
Michael Cheika’s side moved into second spot in the Aussie conference with their seven-point victory over the Bulls after the Force’s winning run had come to an end 24 hours earlier.
The men from the west fell to the Rebels on Friday night while the Hurricanes, Crusaders, Sharks and Stormers were the other victors in a defence-dominated weekend of Super Rugby action.
Read on for a full review of round 10!
WARATAHS KICK ON WITH GRITTY WIN OVER BULLS
Israel Folau back? Check.
Israel Folau back and scoring tries? Check.
Israel Folau back and scoring tries and the Waratahs winning? Check.
Okay Waratahs fans time to be real – if you had been offered the chance to have all three of those scenarios come true on Saturday night against the Bulls, you would have jumped at it. Right?
Sure, the 19-12 victory wasn’t the flashiest of matches but a win’s a win.
And importantly that’s what the Tahs got at Allianz Stadium, thanks to Folau’s fast start – he scored after just 28 seconds – as well as a powerful performance from the NSW pack, led by the exceptional Michael Hooper and Jacques Potgieter, and a kicking game that showed that there is more to this NSW team than just running rugby.
Potgieter was a man possessed against his old team, smashing into them in attack and defence at every opportunity, and was matched in the physicality stakes by the impressive Will Skelton, while Hooper was - as ever - a menace at the breakdown and in attack.
The Bulls never gave in and could have snatched a draw right up until the final seconds, when it was that man Hooper who again stood up for his side, forcing a penalty with yet another breakdown steal to seal an important triumph.
It was hardly a game for the record books, let alone one befitting a royal audience, although as was pointed out on social media multiple times the future King of England might actually have been right at home watching a kick-heavy match featuring just the one try.
Despite the lack of highlights, the manner of the victory could prove just as vital as any of the four-try bonus point triumphs the Waratahs notched in the early stages of the season as it once again reiterated they can, indeed, win ugly when the circumstances don’t suit their natural attacking instincts.
And even more importantly the result pushed the Waratahs up into outright fourth on the Super Rugby ladder, only one point behind Australian conference leaders the Brumbies.
FORCE’S DEFENSIVE HEROICS FINALLY TAKE THEIR TOLL
Western Force’s record of five straight wins will remain the franchise’s new mark after Michael Foley’s side failed to repeat their defensive heroics of late in a six-point loss to Melbourne Rebels.
The Force conceded just the one try at AAMI Park but couldn’t overcome a lack of possession and territory as a tough six-week period of tireless defensive work finally took its toll.
They also missed the attacking threat and game management of injured halfback Alby Mathewson, with replacement Ian Prior offering little in the way of breakdown sniping.
The Rebels completely dominated proceedings but were forced to rely on the boot of Jason Woodward for the majority of their points until skipper Scott Higginbotham crashed over from a five-metre scrum midway through the second half.
It proved to be the defining moment of an otherwise dull encounter, although Nick Cummins did secure a bonus point for the visitors with a try after the final siren.
While there’s no need for the Force to panic, Friday night’s loss did expose something many had suspected in that a smothering defence won’t always get you the result in Super Rugby.
The hallmark of their victories over the Chiefs and Waratahs, the Force’s defence is among the best in the competition but a reliance to convert that into points on the counter will only get them so far.
A return to nib Stadium to face a tiring Bulls outfit gives them a great opportunity to show a little more in attack, something that would greatly benefit if Mathewson, Luke Morahan or Jayden Hayward return from injury.
The Rebels meanwhile again showed how tough they are to beat at home. They have the bye this week before visits from the Sharks and Hurricanes will show just how much improvement the franchise has made under Tony McGahan.
FIRING BACKLINE HAS CANES IN CONTENTION
Super Rugby beware, the Hurricanes are coming. Mark Hammett’s side made it three straight victories on Friday night as they all but ended the Blues’ playoff hopes with a 19-point win at the Cake Tin.
Written off after some indifferent early season form, the Canes are right back in the finals mix with their star-studded backline continuing its recent rejuvenation.
Led by energetic halves TJ Perenara and Beauden Barrett, the Canes have rediscovered their attacking flare and are finally getting the ball to strike weapons Julian Savea, Andre Taylor and Alapati Leuia.
Interestingly, the Canes’ best football seems to have coincided with Hammett’s announcement that he will be moving on at season’s end. There is no longer the weekly debate as to whether he should be sacked, allowing the club to get on with the business of playing rugby.
That was certainly the case on Friday night anyway, as they overcame a sloppy first-half finish to run out comfortable winners.
Leuia grabbed the Canes’ only five-pointer of the first half but a blistering 15-minute period after the break killed off a meek Blues resistance.
The stunning three-try run also sent a warning to the rest of the competition and showed they’re capable of scoring from deep inside their own half, on the counter attack and after a succession of phases.
The Blues, meanwhile, have some major problems and although Benji Marshall received 45 minutes of game time, it’s obvious to everyone he’s not the answer to the franchise’s long-running problem at No.10.
Coach John Kirwan is likely to drop him from the squad altogether for Friday’s clash with the Waratahs.
CRUSADERS CLAW PAST CHIEFS TO CHARGE ON
Can the Chiefs and Crusaders play each other all the time?
Seriously, whoever’s in charge of SANZAR’s fixture list for 2015 should do everyone a favour and try and sneak in a third (and fourth, fifth and sixth) meeting between the two New Zealand heavyweights because they are just about guaranteed to be belters.
If Chiefs flyhalf Gareth Anscombe’s 52-metre penalty goal attempt after the siren had been successful, instead of falling just short, this match might have even been granted instant classic status but even so it was still a high-quality, brutal affair that could have big ramifications for the remainder of the Super Rugby season.
Yes, here come the Crusaders. We did try to warn you that their resurgence was the real deal and so it proved on Saturday night as the men from Christchurch upset the Chiefs 18-17 in their own backyard.
Already missing Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, the Crusaders had to make do without a third superstar when skipper and reigning world player of the year Kieran Read left the field after a head knock.
Never mind. They still had a stack of All Blacks on the field and it was one of them, flyhalf Colin Slade, who stepped up with his six penalties guiding the Crusaders home - albeit by the barest of margins.
The win puts Todd Blackadder’s side into the top six for the first time this season, and within three points of the NZ conference-topping Chiefs.
Read and co will get to rest up this weekend with the Crusaders having a bye before they kick-off a four-game run into the June Test break with Saturday week’s home clash against the Brumbies.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, have to put the disappointment of defeat behind them quickly and set their sights on the same opponent. They face a 2013 grand final rematch against a fresh Brumbies outfit – Stephen Larkham’s side had the weekend off - in Canberra in a special Friday afternoon Anzac Day encounter.
SHARKS SCRAPPY BUT STILL LEAD THE WAY
The completion of round 10 means we are officially more than halfway through the 2014 season, with 61 (of a total 120) games in the bank.
And it’s the Sharks who continue to lead from the front, as they have since knocking over the Bulls in the opening round way back in mid-February.
Their latest victory – a 19-8 win over the struggling Cheetahs at Kings Park – was far from their most convincing result of the season, only sealed through a late try to flanker Jean Deysel.
With first-choice No.10 Patrick Lambie out for the year the Sharks turned to debutant Tim Swiel to steer the side around - their third No.10 in three weeks.
Coach Jake White said Swiel’s inexperience contributed to a performance that he agreed “wasn’t pretty”.
“To be fair and not putting pressure on him, it was always going to be difficult to get some rhythm and some continuity going when you got a number 10 making his first start,” White said.
But it was enough to see the Sharks extend their lead at the top of the Super Rugby ladder. With White’s old team the Brumbies on a bye and the Chiefs falling to the Crusaders, the Sharks opened up a six-point gap on those two sides, who sit in equal second place.
They have one more game at home – against the improving Highlanders this weekend – before hitting the road where their title credentials will really be put to the test.
The Cheetahs, meanwhile, fell to last place as the Stormers climbed off the bottom of the ladder with an 18-3 victory over the Lions.