The Tight Five with Jim Tucker: The hits and misses, wacky and woeful from this week’s Super Rugby round
Rugby writer Jim Tucker packs down to bring you his weekly column highlighting the fancy and the forgotten, the hits and misses plus the wacky and the woeful of Super Rugby.
Rugby
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rugby. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Rugby writer Jim Tucker packs down to bring you his weekly column highlighting the fancy and the forgotten, the hits and misses plus the wacky and the woeful of Super Rugby.
1. ANY CHANCE OF STEPHEN MOORE EARNING THE PLAUDITS HE DESERVES?
The Wallabies went on a terrific run to last year’s Rugby World Cup final when coach Michael Cheika, standout David Pocock and Team Wallaby received most of the kudos.
To me, skipper Stephen Moore was every bit as powerful as the driving force behind the rapid rise of the Wallabies.
He counts for standards and there he was again when setting them in the brilliant start made to the season by the ACT Brumbies.
Aussie sides just don’t belt Kiwi rivals 52-10, not ever, yet they thrashed the highly-fancied Hurricanes first-up in Canberra.
Hooker Moore was in everything and we should salute him. Playing 150 Super Rugby games in the collision zone of the front-row is worth 250 out on the wing.
His front-of-the-lineout play that ended up with Pocock diving over, the rumbling 30m drive on the back of a rampant rolling maul, bullocking over for a try of his own and a neat run or two produced plenty for Moore’s highlights reel.
Take a bow Squeak.
2. SUPER-SIZED COMPETITION
We only have an 18-team competition because the South Africans would not budge on having a sixth team no matter what.
At least, they could have given us a decent new team.
The Southern Kings are awful ... no stars, a basket case financially before the South African Rugby Union stepped in and 35-point losers in their first game at home to the Sharks in Port Elizabeth.
Don’t stay up to 2am to watch this side on Fox Sports. Grab some extra sleep.
On the flip side, you have to love the energy and variety that South America’s Jaguares and Japan’s Sunwolves bring to the competition.
The Jaguares have pace, forward power and huge desire. They are headed to the play-offs judging by the comeback from 24-3 down to topple the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
They are the Pumas in disguise so they should.
3. SUNWOLVES ... EVERYBODY’S SECOND TEAM
Everyone loves an underdog or should that be an under-wolf?
The Sunwolves are going to battle to pick up even one or two wins in their debut season because they look a little underpowered.
They won’t be underpowered for fan support because replica jerseys sold out at their ground in Tokyo last Saturday.
Home ground advantage at “The Den” is going to be huge.
What about the Japanese redhead in the backrow? That’s Ed Quirk, the former Queensland Reds flanker who is looking to relaunch his career after a slow recovery from a knee reconstruction ruined 2015.
It’s a winning career move for him. He showed plenty of industry in his first game and should become a cult hero in Japan.
If he regrows his long red mane he’ll be able to substitute for the team’s Sunwolves mascot at functions too.
4. GORO-FEVER
There have been some wacky media conferences at the Reds over the years with Digby Ioane, Leroy Houston, Barry Lea and co.
But, there have been none like those involving fullback import Ayumu Goromaru, the Japanese media posse and the obligatory translator.
The Japanese media are obsessed about Goro’s goalkicking and analyse every hit and miss.
The expectation is he kicks 100 per cent.
This from the back stalls of the media conference after the Reds’ 30-10 loss to the Waratahs in Sydney last weekend.
Voice: How was Goro kick?
Coach Richard Graham: One was good, one was bad, mate.
Next question.
5. GRASSROOTS FORGOTTEN
The Australian Rugby Union needs to do far more for club-land.
Funding to clubs has dried up and the Australian Club Championship match only went ahead last Saturday in Brisbane because of the strong wills at both clubs.
Players from Sydney’s Eastwood club chipped in to pay their own airfares so they could play and beat Brisbane’s Premier Rugby champions Souths by 34-17 at Chipsy Wood Oval.
This annual clash has a wonderful tradition and everything should be done to make sure it stays on the calendar.
Souths were excellent hosts, a healthy crowd turned out and Eastwood’s post on their club website said it all: “Days like this make our game what it is.”
Talking of great hosts, former Souths and Queensland forward Bob Rex sadly passed away recently after a long illness.
He was a member of Souths’ first premiership side in 1957.
Just as significantly, he got the Redcliffe Rugby Union up and running and was the ever-smiling face behind the Redcliffe Sevens when it was the festive day to every club season in Brisbane in the 1970s and ‘80s.
Don’t let the Australian Club Championship die like the Redcliffe Sevens which was another great institution.
‘Cry all the time’: $5m man’s road from rags to riches
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii knew at a young age how much a dollar was really worth, as his parents worked night and day to make ends meet. Before he was even a teenager he knew he needed to step up.
Suaalii’s new position revealed ahead of Super Rugby opener
After missing NSW’s final trial match against the Brumbies a fortnight ago, Super Rugby’s highest-profile recruit has been given a positional switch for his Waratahs debut.