Super Rugby 2015, round 16 review: depleted Waratahs stay top of Australian conference

THE Waratahs are shooting themselves in the foot as they continue a roller coaster title defence, while the chasing Brumbies suffered a major injury blow.

2015 Super Rugby: Lions v Waratahs

TUT TUT, TAHS

ILL discipline may cost the Waratahs their Super Rugby title.

Already without suspended duo Will Skelton and Tolu Latu, the defending champions have now lost Wallabies winger Rob Horne for three weeks for a tip tackle in Sunday’s damaging 27-22 loss to the Lions in Johannesburg.

Horne will miss the last two weeks of the regular season and the first weekend of the playoffs.

His careless actions also cost the Tahs at Ellis Park.

Horne was sin-binned during the match, while key forward Jacques Potgieter was also handed a yellow card for tackling late and without his arms.

A bonus point meant the Waratahs maintained pole position in the Australian conference — but only because of their superior head-to-head against the Brumbies, who also have 42 points.

The punishments come as SANZAR cracks down on dangerous lifting tackles but Waratahs defence coach Nathan Grey believes the problems are due to poor execution, rather than technique.

Whatever the case, Michael Cheika’s men need to get back onside with the officials at the pointy end of the season if they have any designs on winning back to back championships.

AND THEN THERE WERE NINE

SUPER Rugby’s complicated playoff system has plenty of detractors and rightfully so.

The KISS mantra of ‘keep it simple, stupid’ should definitely apply to creating finals formats, particularly in Australia as rugby battles for oxygen in a crowded sporting landscape.

But, while it may confuse and turn off the casual sports fan, the system is making for an interesting final fortnight of the regular season, with nine teams still in the playoff mix.

Realistically, the Crusaders and Bulls (on 36 points each) need a minor miracle to make it, while interestingly the seventh-placed Lions remain right in contention despite nursing a negative points differential.

The Melbourne Rebels have had an admirable season but their finals hopes ended at the hands of the Sharks in a 25-21 loss on Saturday.

Like the Tahs, silly stuff let the Rebels down, as prop Laurie Weeks was sent off for unloading a flurry of punches.

At 29-years-old, and with two Wallabies caps to his name, Weeks should know better.

RUN HOME FOR SUPER RUGBY’S FINALS CONTENDERS

1.HURRICANES (57 points, +126) — Highlanders (h), Chiefs (a)

2.STORMERS (43pts, +72) — Lions (h), Sharks (a)

3.NSW WARATAHS (42pts, +45) — Cheetahs (a), Reds (h)

4.HIGHLANDERS (48pts, +116) — Hurricanes (a), Blues (a)

5.CHIEFS (44pts, +60) Queensland Reds (a), Hurricanes (h)

6.BRUMBIES (42pts, +108) — Western Force (a), Crusaders (h)

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7.LIONS (40pts, -22) — Stormers (a), bye

8.CRUSADERS (36pts, +107) Blues (a), Brumbies (a)

9.BULLS (36pts, +23) — Rebels (a), Cheetahs (h)

SUPER COOPER

THE talk is that Quade Cooper will finally make an announcement on his playing future this week.

The expectation is that the Queensland Reds star will take up a lucrative contract with Toulon although Fox Sports expert and Wallabies great Tim Horan told Rugby HQ that he was hearing Cooper was having cold feet.

The chatter is that Cooper would like to stay in Queensland and play sevens for Australia at the Rio Olympics next year.

It is an exciting prospect: the open spaces in sevens would be ideal for Cooper’s unique skillset, which he reminded us of in the Reds’ demolition of the Force in his comeback from a long-term injury on Saturday.

But staying would reportedly require either (or both) the Australian Rugby Union and the Queensland Rugby Union digging into their pockets to wriggle Cooper out of whatever agreement he has struck with Toulon.

Even with the prospect of Olympic gold glinting in the cash strapped ARU’s eyes, that is not an appropriate usage of their coffers.

And Queensland would have little to gain in the short-term if Cooper spent next year playing sevens, rather than helping with a Reds rebuild.

As for the Force, the less said the better.

GET WELL, CARTER

THE hard luck story of the weekend was the serious knee injury to Brumbies and Wallabies lock Sam Carter.

As Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham pointed out, Carter was starting to get back to his best form after taking time off to deal with the death of a close friend.

Carter has been given a 12 week timeline for his recovery, making it touch and go for the September-October World Cup.

As an incumbent, he is likely to be included in Cheika’s 31-man squad but it does open the door for the likes of Skelton, James Horwill and Force skyscraper Adam Coleman to lay claims for a starting slot in the Wallabies lineout.

Without Carter, the sixth-placed Brumbies hung tough to see off the Bulls on Friday to keep their finals hopes well and truly afloat.

Larkham is confident the Brumbies have the depth to cover for Carter but coaches kind of have to say that, don’t they?

It certainly doesn’t help.

HIGH AND MIGHTY

THE Highlanders have transformed themselves from lovable overachievers to genuine title contenders.

The best the Dunedin-based franchise have done is hosting the 1999 grand final against the Crusaders, which they lost 24-19.

But coach Jamie Joseph — the rugged former Otago loose forward — is talking up their chances of creating history after wiping the Chiefs 36-9 in foggy Invercargill on Saturday.

“We can go all the way,” Joseph told the Southland Times.

“There is two games to go, but if you look at the competition, this team has beaten all of the teams really.”

The Highlanders take on the Hurricanes — another side yet to taste grand final glory — in a mouth-watering Kiwi derby on Friday night.

Originally published as Super Rugby 2015, round 16 review: depleted Waratahs stay top of Australian conference