Super Rugby 2015, round 14 review: Brumbies still top dogs in Australian conference

THE Brumbies maintained their perch atop Super Rugby’s Australian conference but Stephen Larkham’s side could lose that mantle in their bye week.

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - MAY 16: Rory Arnold of the Brumbies is tackled during the Super Rugby match between Emirates Lions and Brumbies at Emirates Airline Park on May 16, 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Duif du Toit/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

THE Brumbies maintained their perch atop Super Rugby’s Australian conference with Sunday’s 30-20 win over the Lions but Stephen Larkham’s side could lose that mantle as they put their feet up during the bye in round 15.

The Waratahs — two points behind the Brumbies — have an opportunity to pounce and take Australia’s top spot when they host the Crusaders in Sydney on Saturday night while the “Knuckles Factor” inspired the Reds to an entertaining 46-29 upset of the previously in-form Rebels on Friday.

Read on for all the highs and lows of round 14 in our weekly wrap.

BRUMBIES COMPLETE AFRICAN SAFARI

BRUMBIES coach Stephen Larkham declared himself satisfied after going one from two in South Africa, seeing off the Lions with a bonus-point win at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park.

The Brumbies remain the Aussie pacesetters as they enter their second bye week but Fox Sports rugby commentator Greg Clark stopped short of declaring them title contenders just yet.

“No I think that’s still a little way off because they’re on top of the Australian conference but they do have a bye this week so there’s an opportunity for the Waratahs to knock them off that top rung,” Clark told Fox Sports News.

Rory Arnold of the Brumbies is tackled during the Super Rugby match against the Lions.

“They’ve got the bye this week then it’s the Bulls, the Force and the Crusaders so some tricky matches there and as Stephen Larkham said, they pretty much have to win all of their games if they’re going to make the playoffs.

“They’re in the box seat at the moment because they’re on top of the Australian conference but that bye this week might cost them.”

The Brumbies also have concerns over the fitness of Wallabies playmaker Matt Toomua, who limped off against the Lions with a recurrence of his ankle injury.

BUTTERFINGER WARATAHS

THE defending champion Waratahs bounced back from their shock loss to the Force with a 33-18 win over the Sharks at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.

Adam Ashley-Cooper’s first minute try gave the crowd hope for an entertaining contest but the game was marred by a litany of handling errors and the whistle of referee Rohan Hoffmann.

Social media ran hot with critiques of Hoffmann’s performance, with many believing it cost the Sharks victory.

Sorry this ref is a joke. No idea about anything

— David Campese (@Davidcampese11) May 16, 2015

Once upon a time it was Darrel Hair...now its Hoffman...WTH....

— Pat Symcox (@PatSymcox77) May 16, 2015

To borrow a line from the Beatles, the Waratahs got by with a little help from their friends. The Friends being the ref and his assistants.

— Gavin Rich (@blobby15) May 16, 2015

If Phil Kearns says "the Sharks were really stiffed" tells you how bad Rohan Hoffman was

— Dan Retief (@retiefdan) May 16, 2015

Clark, meanwhile, was underwhelmed with the Waratahs’ performance.

“I was impressed with the fact that they got the win but really that was about as much as you could say because the Sharks are undermanned at the moment,” Clark said.

“They’re missing some big names and the Sharks have now lost six in a row and they haven’t won in Sydney since 2000.

“The concern for me is ... they still haven’t scored a four-try bonus point at home and last year they scored about seven.

“So they’re not scoring the tries that they were scoring last year.”

NSW fly half Bernard Foley had a perfect seven-from-seven night with the boot, but Clark said Michael Cheika’s men must sharpen up their skills ahead of Saturday’s grand final rematch with the Crusaders.

“The Waratahs are just putting the ball down too often.

“20 turnovers including 12 handling errors and you just can’t do that in the run up to the finals ... They’re in the top-six at the moment so hopefully they can stay there but they will have to improve that handling error stat.”

THE REDS’ KNUCKLES FACTOR

Whatever the case, John “Knuckles” Connolly’s return to the Queensland coaching ranks resulted in a dramatic return to form for the beleaguered Reds at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

With rookie fly half Jake McIntyre running the cutter, Queensland turned on the style in a thumping bonus-point win over the Rebels, lifting them above the Force on the bottom of the ladder.

“I don’t know how much credit you can give to Knuckles but he was beaming on the sideline, he was certainly happy to be back at Suncorp Stadium and part of the mix,” Clark said.

“He is taking a back seat at this stage but I was pleased not only for the coaching staff, in particular Richard Graham, but I was just pleased that the Reds were able to rediscover some attacking form.

“The Rebels have been punching above their weight leading into this game and they just looked a little bit flat.”

AROUND THE GROUNDS

HOFFMANN wasn’t the only Super Rugby official in the gun over the weekend.

Kiwi TMO Vinny Munro felt the wrath of Chiefs coach Dave Rennie after he ruled a knock on against flanker Sam Cane as teammate Augustine Pulu crossed for a would-be try late in their 22-18 loss to the competition-leading Hurricanes at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium on Saturday.

Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd chimed in on Monday.

“If you looked at it frame by frame a number of times, you’d probably say on average that the most likely outcome would be a penalty to the Chiefs,” Boyd said.

“But you certainly couldn’t have allowed the try to continue.”

LEAGUE convert Ryan Tongia starred with two tries as the Highlanders inflicted more misery on South African sides with a 45-24 rout of the Cheetahs at Bloemfontein’s Free State Stadium.

Tongia represented Papua New Guinea at league and played for Gold Coast Titans’ Toyota Cup team before converting to rugby.

The Cheetahs’ loss meant that all four South African sides in action tasted defeat.

“It was great to bounce back after surrendering a big lead to lose at the Golden Lions last weekend,” said Highlanders fullback Ben Smith.

“The Cheetahs rattled us in the closing stages with those three tries, but I trusted my teammates to get the job done.”

THE beleaguered Blues posted a 23-18 win over the Bulls at Eden Park on Friday but it came at a cost.

Stand-in skipper Steven Luatua dislocated his shoulder and will miss at least Saturday’s match against the Hurricanes.

The Blues are already without captain Jerome Kaino for the rest of the season with a dislocated finger, and All Blacks teammate Charles Piutau, who has medial ligament knee damage.

Another Kiwi international, lock Patick Tuipulotu, is under an injury cloud with a groin strain.

Originally published as Super Rugby 2015, round 14 review: Brumbies still top dogs in Australian conference