Super Rugby R6 review: Reds fume over referee; Force upset Chiefs; Brumbies, Waratahs also win

IS there anything worse than a vuvuzela? The Reds certainly think they’ve found something - referee Stuart Berry. Read our Super Rugby review!

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - MARCH 22: Referee Stuart Berry during the Super Rugby match between Lions and Reds at Ellis Park on March 22, 2014 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images/Getty Images)

IT was another fine weekend of Super Rugby action, although Queensland Reds fans might not agree after their side went down to the Lions on the back of a hugely one-sided penalty count.

The Reds finished on the wrong side of a 17-4 count, leaving many to question whether South African Stuart Berry should be officiating at the top level.

There was far more positive news for three of the other four Aussie sides however with the Waratahs, Brumbies and Western Force all recording victories.

The result of the weekend was easily the Force’s victory over the Chiefs, which was the Perth-based franchise’s third consecutive win.

REDS BLOWN AWAY BY BERRY AND HIS WHISTLE

If we learned one thing at the weekend it’s that South African sport has a rival for the unrelenting screech of the vuvuzela: Stuart Berry’s whistle.

At least that’s the way it seemed at Ellis Park early Sunday morning (AEST), when referee Berry put whistle to mouth more often than Quade Cooper lit up the scoreboard – and the Queensland flyhalf dropped 20 points for his side.

Cooper’s Reds were on the wrong end of Berry’s whistle-frenzy, copping 19 penalties to the Lions’ four in their 23-20 loss to the South African surprise packets.

Having led 20-3 just before half-time the Reds can’t lay all of the blame at Berry’s feet, but when even Australia’s Treasurer – not to mention ex-Wallabies, a former South African coach, local journalists et al – comes out swinging, you know something is amiss.

“#SANZAR surely Stuart Berry has put in the very worst refereeing performance in memory with #reds. For the sake of rugby he must go!” tweeted Joe Hockey, a staunch NSW fan to boot.

Reds coach Richard Graham was understandably bewildered after the match, saying: “I have never seen a penalty count like it”.News_Rich_Media: Reds captain James Horwill has criticised the standard of refereeing after his side were rundown by the Lions in Johannesburg, going down 23-20.

For all the ref rage – and the reports that suggest Berry’s Super Rugby stint will be halted in the near future – the result still stands and Graham’s side now sits at two wins and three losses to be fourth in the Australian conference. Worse still, they’ll be missing gun flanker Liam Gill for the next three weeks after he picked up a hamstring injury.

Cooper’s first-half performance – a pair each of tries, conversions and penalty goals – was the highlight for the Queenslanders and they’ll be hoping for more of the same from their star No.10 when they return to Brisbane to host the Stormers on Saturday night.

IZZY CAN’T STOP SCORING BUT PLAUDITS GO TO BEALE

Kurtley Beale is back. Fitter than ever and with no off-field issues hitting the headlines, the Waratahs’ major off-season recruit has made a wonderful start to the season.

Beale’s performance in the Waratahs’ 32-8 victory over the Rebels was good enough to earn man-of-the-match honours and the first person to congratulate him after the game was surely Israel Folau.

The superstar fullback was twice the beneficiary of Beale linebreaks to take his try-scoring tally to eight and put him right on track to break the all-time Super Rugby season record of 15, held by Rico Gear and Joe Roff.

But the Waratahs didn’t have it all their own way on Friday night as the Rebels recreated the Brumbies gameplan from a week earlier to stifle their hosts’ attack for 40 minutes.

It wouldn’t last though and when Beale threw an inside ball to a flying Peter Betham just two minutes into the second half the Waratahs were well on their way to another bonus-point victory.

Captain Dave Dennis paid tribute to his side’s patience, saying that he was confident opportunities would fall the Waratahs’ way if they continued to do the hard work up front.

“I honestly thought at half-time if we kept at it. Kept that physicality up we would open them up. There was a feeling out there that physicality was wearing them down a bit,” NSW captain Dave Dennis said.

“We have always known if we keep doing our job, we have the guys out wide to do some damage.”News_Rich_Media: NSW Waratahs steered their season in the right direction with a dominant 32-8 win over the Melbourne Rebels on Friday night.

The Rebels, meanwhile, are lacking an attacking weapon. They missed fullback Jason Woodward with his replacement Angus Roberts enduring a forgettable evening that featured a professional foul, for which he received a yellow card.

They face another long night on Friday with the in-form Brumbies headed to AAMI Park.

FORCE DON’T HAVE TO GO FISHING FOR COMPLIMENTS

Nick Cummins, aka the Honey Badger, revealed in his latest post-match interview extravaganza that he will spend the Western Force’s by weekend “wetting a line”.

Whether he does catch and salmon or tailor doesn’t really matter – although we’d love to hear the follow-up chat – as he and his Force teammates have earned a deserved weekend off after stunning the Chiefs to notch their third win on the trot.

Each victory has been better than the last, and knocking over the back-to-back champs rates as the pick of the bunch – especially as they were missing probably their best player of the season to date, the competition’s form No.8 Ben McCalman.

Skipper and two-try hero Matt Hodgson was immense, as was McCalman’s replacement at No.8 Angus Cottrell.News_Rich_Media: The Western Force have pulled off the greatest win in their short history, holding on to beat reigning champions the Chiefs 18 - 15.

The whole Force line-up was immense in defence as they stood tall to resist wave after wave of Chiefs attacks, in the process becoming the first side to stop the men from Waikato from scoring a try in Australia since 2001.

The only thing that was missing was a bit of Honey Badger “meat” – the touchline cruelly denied the wild-haired winger a try in the corner.

No matter, Cummins and his Force teammates still proved they are a Force to be reckoned with.

CHIEFS, SHARKS LOSSES SHAKE UP COMPETITION

The Chiefs and Sharks both lost. On the same weekend.

Neither side was ever likely to go through the season unbeaten, but it was interesting to see the two frontrunners of the competition to date proven to be mortal, so close to each other.

The margins of defeat – a combined total of a converted try – said as much about each side as did the fact that they are actually beatable. That is, even if they’re not at their peak, it’s going to take a massive effort to knock them over.

Still, the Western Force and Bulls – who interestingly both opened the season with back-to-back defeats – reminded everyone that no team is invincible.

At the same time the Brumbies leapfrogged the Chiefs into second on the Super Rugby ladder with a crucial 10-point win over the Stormers – their fourth win in succession.

Before the match captain Ben Mowen said that over the next two weeks a gap would open up between the contenders and pretenders, and that “we want to be in that top pack”.

Missing eight regular starters – including four who played in the previous week’s win over the Waratahs – the Brumbies did what was asked of them by their skipper, grinding out a gritty victory to stay with the pace-setters at this early stage of the season.

SUPER RUGBY DELIVERS IN ROUND SIX

Big hits and brilliant tries. That’s why we love Super Rugby. And there were plenty to choose from in round six as defence and attack took turns at ruling the roost.

The hits? Well you can begin with Malakai Feketoa’s perfectly-timed shot on an airborne Conrad Smith for a start.News_Rich_Media: Conrad Smith got up close and personal with the turf on Friday night after suffering a bone crunching tackle at the hands of Malakai Fekitoa.

Feketoa, whose playing style bears a striking resemblance to another New Zealand powerhouse Hosea Gear, hit Smith with a rib-rattling special at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Friday night.

For those watching at the ground and on TV, there was a split second to brace for contact – Smith wasn’t so fortunate.

The Hurricanes skipper was forced to take a floated pass from Beauden Barrett above his head and with his opponents’ ribs exposed, the Highlanders outside centre seized the opportunity to secure an early nomination for hit of the year.

And the tries? If you aren’t watching the Cheetahs then it’s time to start, or at least ready the Foxtel IQ since their Australasian tour is now over, because they can play some incredible rugby.

Unfortunately their defence leaves a lot to be desired. They leaked another 40 points in the weekend’s loss to the Blues but also managed 30 of their own, five of which resulted from a scintillating set move.News_Rich_Media: The Cheetah's Cornal Hendricks scores a killer try in the South Africans loss to the Blues

Cornal Hendricks provided a brilliant finish but it was the running lines and change of angle from the Cheetahs’ centres and a perfect pass from Willie le Roux that parted the Blues’ defence.

If only the Cheetahs could tackle.