Super Rugby R15 review: Waratahs shine in win over Rebels; Force defeat Lions; Brumbies lose again
THE Tahs have some work to do in front of the posts but their seven misses were topped by one wild swing from none other than Nick Cummins.
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THE Australian Super Rugby conference has a whole different look to it ahead of the June Test break after round 15 saw the rise of the Waratahs and Force, and fall of the Brumbies.
Last year’s runners-up fell to their second straight defeat on tour in South Africa, a result that saw them slip to third in the Aussie standing behind the Waratahs and Force.
It’s foreign territory for the Waratahs who enjoyed a comprehensive win over the Rebels on Friday while the Force achieved their season goal of eight victories with a bonus-point win over the Lions.
The Sharks, Crusaders, Hurricanes and Stormers also enjoyed wins at the weekend.
Read on for a full review of the round 15 action!
THREE FROM FOUR PUTS SHARKS IN BOX SEAT
Sharks captain Bismarck du Plessis said his side wanted to win all four games on their Australasian tour but truth be told, the champion Springboks hooker will be overjoyed with three impressive wins.
Friday night’s 29-23 victory over the Blues in Albany was the ideal way for the Sharks to finish a four-week road trip which also included wins over the Rebels and last week’s amazing 14-man triumph in Christchurch.
This win wasn’t too bad either. Time and time again the Blues came at the Sharks’ line and despite an overwhelming 70 per cent of the possession, the hosts could manage just two tries.
They also enjoyed a one-man advantage for 20 minutes with first Sharks prop Jannie du Plessis and then fly half Francois Steyn seeing yellow for repeated breakdown infringements.
The Sharks’ work at the breakdown was again first rate with their powerful backrow affecting several pilfers and forcing the arm of referee Nick Briant who it must be said, had a mixed evening in charge.
Incredibly, this was the Sharks 10th straight win over the Blues and one that has them five points clear at the top of the standings.
They return to Durban this week for their final home game of the regular season against the Stormers and then face the Cheetahs, before a return clash with the Cape Town side, following the international break.
Two wins should be enough to clinch top spot and the crucial home ground advantage in the playoffs and on the strength of their last two wins, they’ll be very hard to beat for the title from here.
GOAL-KICKING ONLY CONCERN FOR TERRIFIC TAHS
Michael Cheika was an angry man in the coaching box on Friday night. Imagine if his side had actually needed the 15 points they left on AAMI Park against the Rebels?
Luckily Cheika could afford a smile, and a joke, at full-time with the popular Waratahs boss quipping his side would need “three days” travel to get to New Plymouth for Saturday’s clash with the Chiefs.
It looks a tough assignment on paper but armed with the confidence from Friday night’s resounding win over the Rebels, one that’s certainly not beyond them.
The Waratahs charged out of the blocks at AAMI Park, their attacking game plan in sparkling fashion across an entertaining 80 minutes.
Their first try saw a wonderful set move put an in-form Rob Horne into the backfield and just as he’d done a week earlier, the winger bumped off the best attempts of the covering defence to power over out wide.
Adam Ashley-Cooper added a second five-pointer in the first half but the errant goal-kicking and gutsy Rebels defence ensured the hosts remained in the match at half-time.
And while the Waratahs scored the first try of the second half, the Rebels closed to within five points in the 62nd minute when winger Telusa Veainu scooped up a loose Israel Folau pass and sprinted 90 metres to score.
It could have unnerved the Waratahs.
But unlike previous years where they’ve have panicked in exactly this kind of situation, Cheika’s side responded with three tries in the final 16 minutes to run out comfortable 41-19 winners.
Michael Hooper turned in yet another five-star performance while Nick Phipps enjoyed his best game in a Waratahs jersey – his slick service allowing Bernard Foley and Kurtley Beale to work their magic in midfield.
The win, and the Brumbies’ second straight loss in Africa, has the Waratahs three points clear at the top of the Aussie conference ahead of this week’s clash with the Chiefs in New Plymouth.
The under-strength two-time defending champions were humbled by the Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday but their only other match in Taranaki this season produced an impressive 32-20 win over the Blues.
Saturday evening’s encounter at Yarrow Stadium looms as one of the games of the season.
FORCE FLYING HIGHER THAN EVER BEFORE
Two important lessons were learnt at nib Stadium on Saturday night: the men from the west can be a finals force … and Honey Badgers can’t kick.
Nick Cummins once again provided the viral video moment, only this time the “Honey Badger” came up with a lowlight in the Western Force’s gritty 29-19 win over the Lions.
The wild-haired winger’s shanked clearance from behind his own goal-line – which never made it into the field of play and resulted in a try to the Lions – threatened to derail the Force’s charge towards two club records: an eighth win for the season and fifth-straight victory at home.
But as sure as Cummins keeps YouTube clicking over, Matt Hodgson never stops leading from the front for the Force and it was the skipper who stepped up to seal another gutsy victory for his side with another opportunistic try.
Hodgson’s second five-pointer of the night – and sixth for the season – earned the Force a four-try bonus point which helped them leapfrog the Brumbies into second place in the Australian conference, and fourth on the overall ladder.
He later joked that his six tries in 2014 had been scored after running a combined total of six metres but they all count, just as grinding, unflashy victories are worth as much as free-flowing, high-scoring epics.
Michael Foley’s men showed admirable patience in sticking to their guns as they worked at breaking down a Lions defence that resembled the “blue wall” with which Force opponents are so often confronted.
They were camped in Lions territory for much of the match and all four of their tries came inside the final six minutes of each half – two at the end of the first 40 minutes, and another two at the death including Hodgson’s sealer.
A trip to Christchurch is next on the agenda and shapes as a daunting challenge. But the Force have a half-decent history against the Crusaders, and after the records they’ve notched so far this season they look ready to fight for a first-ever win at AMI Stadium.
BRUMBIES BUMPED OUT OF TOP SIX
The good news for the Brumbies is that after a forgettable fortnight they’re finally out of Africa.
The bad news is that they leave the Republic with no wins, just a solitary bonus point – and now sit outside out the top six, as well as third in the Australian conference.
How different it all looked just 16 days ago, when they out-Jake-balled the Jake White Sharks to climb to within two points of top spot on the Super Rugby ladder.
There was to be no repeat of the heroics of last year’s Super Rugby semi-finals when Ben Mowen and co returned to Loftus Versfeld early Saturday morning (Australian time) to take on the Bulls.
The home side raced out to a 20-3 lead after just 25 minutes and when Bjorn Basson crossed just after half-time it was 31-6.
Henry Speight’s try under the posts – and the winger’s form in general since his return from a broken jaw – was a bright spot for the Brumbies but they arrived back in Canberra on Sunday with little else to celebrate.
A home clash against the Rebels on Saturday night is one of just three remaining matches for the Brumbies, who have a bye still to come and whose destiny is effectively out of their own hands.
“It’s tough to win every game from this point,” Mowen said.
“We need to adjust a few things on game day and hopefully wins will start to flow.”
KIWIS SIDES THRILL ON ‘SUPER’ SATURDAY
If you ever feel the need to explain to someone why they call it ‘Super’ Rugby, just show them a replay of the Round 15 match at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
The South Island stoush between the Highlanders and Crusaders had everything – including the incredibly rare sight of All Blacks captain Richie McCaw seeing yellow.
There were also eight tries, a bonkers crowd and a brilliant last-ditch tackle to deny what have been a brilliant match-winning, buzzer-beating five-pointer by the smallest of margins. As Fox Sports Rugby commentator Sean Maloney declared, it was an “instant classic”.
If that wasn’t enough, explosive Highlanders centre Malakai Fekitoa and giant Crusaders winger Nemani Nadolo were seemingly locked in a private battle to decide once and for all who was the most exciting Super Rugby newcomer of 2014.
If they indeed were going head-to-head the contest finished in a tie, with each player scoring a try, running for more than 150m and playing huge hands in setting up five-pointers for teammates.
The Crusaders hung on to claim the 32-30 victory but it was one of those matches where everyone involved seemed to be a winner.
The Hurricanes-Chiefs clash that followed straight after looked set to follow in the same vein, with Andre Taylor’s early try another contender for “instant classic”. But it was the Julian Savea-inspired Canes who went on with it, demolishing the defending champions 45-8 to jump right back into the finals race.
So what does it all mean for the New Zealand conference? Well for a start the Blues look finally out of the playoffs picture.
But you can throw a blanket over the remaining sides, with just two points separating the first-ranked Crusaders and the Chiefs in fourth.
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