Super Rugby 2015: David Pocock powers back to best, Force and Rebels triumph, Waratahs and Reds disappoint

DAVID Pocock and the Brumbies were brilliant, the Reds and Waratahs woeful, the Rebels and Force giant killers — Super Rugby State of the Union round one.

Super Rugby Rd 1 - Brumbies v Reds

THE Brumbies were brilliant, Waratahs woeful, Reds a rabble and the Rebels and Force combined as giant killers.

State of the Union wraps up all the action from round one of Super Rugby.

POCOCK POWER

Was there a better sight in round one than David Pocock returning to rugby?

The answer to that probably depends on which team you support, but Pocock is one of sport’s real good guys and has copped such a bad break with injury the past few years.

So it was superb to see him not only lead the Brumbies out for their clash with Queensland, but lead the way on the field as the ACT outfit routed the Reds in record fashion.

David Pocock on the charge for the Brumbies.

Pocock’s brilliance at the breakdown has never been in question but there were surely some queries about how long it might take him to return to the peak of his powers after spending virtually the past two seasons on the sidelines.

We needn’t have worried. The 25-year-old was straight back to his best in Canberra, turning in a man of the match performance as the Brumbies belted the Reds 47-3.

He wasn’t the only Brumby making a much-anticipated comeback either. Wallabies hooker Stephen Moore likewise returned from a knee reconstruction, blowing off the cobwebs with a 30-minute cameo off the bench.

ROCKING REBELS

There’s breaking a drought, and then there’s breaking a drought by knocking over the Crusaders on home soil.

The Melbourne Rebels finally won a Super Rugby match outside Australia on Friday night, stunning the Crusaders 20-10 in a result that will take some beating for upset of the season.

The inclusions of experienced new recruits like Mike Harris paid immediate dividends, but it was Melbourne’s young brigade who really stepped up.

Sean McMahon epitomised the Rebels’ determination to assert their authority against the seven-time champions, the rising star of Australian rugby’s bone-rattling hit on Johnny McNicholl perfectly encapsulating just how much Melbourne meant business.

He had plenty of partners in crime, with the Rebels pack aiming up against the All Blacks-laden Crusaders. Giant lock Lopeti Timani, the “little” brother of France-based Wallaby Lopeti, was particularly impressive.

It wasn’t quite all good news for the Rebels, with villain-to-hero halfback Nic Stirzaker banned for a week.

Stirzaker, who scored the match-sealing try, will miss Friday’s clash against the Waratahs after pleading guilty to stamping on Crusaders superstar Richie McCaw, an incident for which was yellow-carded after just three minutes. Captain Scott Higginbotham also faces time on the sideline after being cited — again for stamping on McCaw.

ROAD WARRIORS

Who said there’s no place like home? After the weekend, only the Brumbies.

In a remarkable round one of Super Rugby, Stephen Larkham’s team was the only host to record a victory as six sides triumphed on the road.

The Sharks and Bulls — tipped to dominate the South African conference — both lost at home to local rivals, while the Hurricanes won in Johannesburg, the Chiefs won in Auckland, Force won in Sydney and Rebels won in Christchurch.

It wasn’t just that six of the weekend’s seven matches were claimed by the away team, but the venues at which they were won.

The Waratahs didn’t drop a game at Allianz Stadium in 2014, likewise the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld but both fortresses were breached by unfancied outfits. The biggest surprise was of course in Christchurch, where the Crusaders hadn’t lost to an Australian team for 24 matches.

Chiefs centre Sonny Bill Williams looks to offload against the Blues.

TALE OF TWO CODE-HOPPERS

Two code-hoppers, two very different storylines — that was the tale of the tape as big-name recruits Karmichael Hunt and Sonny Bill Williams were rolled out by their new clubs.

Karmichael Hunt had a Super Rugby debut to forget, but it was hardly his fault that he failed to shine in the No. 10 jersey behind a badly beaten Reds pack.

Meanwhile across the ditch, SBW picked up where he left off in the competition — the 2012 grand final — with a typically blockbusting performance for the Chiefs. The All Blacks ace played a key role in both his side’s tries as the two-time champions overran the Blues 23-18 in North Harbour.

Karmichael Hunt had a tough debut for the Reds.

The expected availability of Wallaby James O’Connor means Hunt is likely to switch to fullback for the Reds as he continues his rugby education when Queensland hosts Western Force on Saturday night.

The Chiefs will be hoping for more of the same from Williams as he locks horns with Christian Lealiifano in a mouth-watering clash against the Brumbies.

RED-FACED REDS A RABBLE

Were the Brumbies brilliant or the Reds a rabble? A little bit from Column A, a little bit from Column B.

A six-tries-to-none shellacking on the back of a dominant forward performance was probably more than Stephen Larkham could have dreamed for — and indeed the Brumbies coach wasn’t getting carried away in the post-match assessment.

“I don’t think the Reds were up to the standard of Super Rugby,” Larkham said.

“They’ve obviously got a few injuries that they have had to deal with in the last couple of weeks. They have a number of players to come back, but they would be fairly disappointed with the performance they put in.”

That’s cold comfort for Queensland fans, who can probably count on at least a couple of players coming back this weekend but will be rightly demanding much more from whoever does don the red jersey this weekend.

They can certainly expect a marked improvement in discipline, after watching the Reds give away 12 penalties in the first half and seeing former skipper James Horwill red carded after receiving two yellows for repeat infringements.

They’ll probably have star recruits James O’Connor and Adam Thomson to call upon this weekend but they’ll need to improve dramatically to be any chance of bouncing back at home against the Force.

The Waratahs were off the pace in their loss to the Force.

WOEFUL WARATAHS OFF THE PACE

The Waratahs will no doubt point to the February heat as a factor behind their woeful showing against the Force.

But no amount of atmospherical interference could have stifled them quite like the Force’s defence did on Sunday.

Michael Foley’s men didn’t allow the home side to maintain any momentum in attack, forcing turnover after turnover from the sloppy Waratahs.

The Force were hardly faultless — their 18 missed tackles to the Waratahs nine won’t go unmentioned in Monday’s video session.

But it was their intent and determination to get in the defending champions’ faces that will have left Foley and his staff delighted.

The same cannot be said for Waratahs mentor Cheika — his side was made to look second rate for most of the match as the Force crossed for four tries and if not for Marcel Brache’s butter fingers, would have had a fifth.

The Waratahs’ best period of the game was arguably when they were chasing it in vain in the dying minutes, constructing a number of stylish moves to suggest it won’t be a case of returning to the drawing board this week.

But without a drastic improvement in discipline, particularly with ball in hand, the Waratahs will face a similar struggle to impose their fast-paced, running style on their next opponent, the Rebels.

FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH

Finally, after nine fruitless opening weekends in Super Rugby, the Western Force has kicked its season off on a positive note.

Sunday’s suffocation of the defending champions was the Western Australian outfit’s first ever opening weekend victory, and what a dominant display it was.

The Force showed the resilience and organisation they are renowned for, mixed with some stylish attacking play that suggested they may have added an extra dimension to their collective game plan in the off-season.

Even more impressive was their dominance without injured skipper Matt Hodgson, so often their go-to man when in need of an inspirational moment.

While Foley’s men won’t be counting their chickens after just one match, knocking the Waratahs off their perch in their season opener might just be the spark they need for a concerted challenge for a finals position in 2015.

WHO STOLE BERNIE’S RADAR?

While it was an afternoon to remember for coach Foley, it was one that his namesake at the Waratahs would rather forget.

Bernard Foley may have kicked the Waratahs to a Super Rugby title in 2014, but the star flyhalf had a shocker off the tee on Sunday. Of two conversion and two penalty attempts, only one hit the target.

Questions may be asked whether his mind was elsewhere — speculation has mounted that Foley has inked a deal with Japanese side for 2016.

But the more likely story is that his wayward kicking was simply one of many poor aspects of the Waratahs’ game that worked in unison to destroy any winning hopes they held on Sunday.

But if Foley can take solace from anywhere, it may come from a look at the stats sheet — the Force themselves only kicked two of their six set shots at goal.

Originally published as Super Rugby 2015: David Pocock powers back to best, Force and Rebels triumph, Waratahs and Reds disappoint