Super Rugby review: Full wrap of round two action as Reds, Waratahs claim first wins of 2015

THE Reds and Waratahs claimed their first wins of the season while the Brumbies went down in a thriller. It’s all in our Super Rugby round two wrap.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 21: Chris Feauai-Sautia of the Reds has this try disallowed by the video referee during the round two Super Rugby match between the Reds and the Force at Suncorp Stadium on February 21, 2015 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

THE courageous Reds saw off the Force, the Waratahs came out on top in a thriller against the Rebels and the Brumbies went down in the final minute against the Chiefs.

It’s all in our Super Rugby round two wrap.

REDS’ STRENGTH OF CHARACTER SHINES THROUGH

Minutes before kick off on Saturday night, Reds coach Richard Graham must have wondered when the nightmare was going to end.

Towelled up by the Brumbies in Canberra and without star code-hopper Karmichael Hunt, the Reds’ week from hell was seemingly sealed when fellow recruit James O’Connor failed a fitness test on the soggy Suncorp Stadium surface pre-game.

The odds were stacked against them, their chances seemingly nil against a side that had just taken care of the defending champions last week.

Someone forgot to share the script with the Reds.

The Queenslanders put on an inspiring display, showing all the signs of a united team that could succeed without their star imports.

While missing their prime creative outlets, the Reds dominated by playing to the conditions and defending for their lives.

They held the Force try-less, pushed them back time and time again (the Reds accrued 1195 kick metres!) and made twice as many tackles as their opponents while conceding half as many penalties.

It may not have been the prettiest game to watch, but the Reds thoroughly deserved their victory.

Lachlan Turner had a night to remember against the Force.

HUNT STAND-IN A HEAD TURNER

Less than 48 hours before Saturday night’s clash with the Force, Lachie Turner was preparing to line up on the wing for the Reds in their first home game of 2015.

Fast forward to full-time and Turner, wearing the number 15 in place of the absent Hunt, had just led the Reds to victory with a 13-point haul — the other five came from the penalty try itself.

Turner’s nine years of Super Rugby experience shone through, bobbing up at key moments to influence the play, pull the Reds out of trouble and guide them to victory.

This was never more evident than his 35th minute try, positioning himself perfectly to accept an offload from Samu Kerevi and complete the final 25 metres of the 75-metre end-to-end play.

The timing was crucial, the execution perfect. Conceding just before half-time is never ideal, but for the Force it proved a fatal blow at the hands of the Reds fullback.

BRUMBIES, CHIEFS CREDENTIALS ON SHOW

Fox Sports commentator Greg Martin labelled it a “Grand Final dress rehearsal,” and on reflection it is hard to argue with him.

The Brumbies’ heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs may not have been littered with highlight reel moments, but the relentless intensity of both sides had pundits purring over the quality of the match.

Despite losing Sonny Bill Williams prior to kick off with injury, the Chiefs opened the scoring through his replacement at inside centre Charlie Ngatai, who produced a barnstorming run through the Brumbies’ defence to cross the line after just 15 minutes.

Brodie Retallick of the Chiefs runs at Jarrad Butler of the Brumbies.)

Just four minutes later the Brumbies responded when Ita Vaea camped at the back of a strong rolling maul and forced the ball down among a sea of bodies.

Five-pointers proved elusive after the 20th minute, with neither side able to break down their opposition’s defence, but it wasn’t through a lack of trying.

Both the Chiefs and Brumbies recorded near identical run metres (442 and 445 respectively) as they produced wave after wave of attack. But just as equally matched were the defences, who held strong until a late penalty from Aaron Cruden consigned the Brumbies to a tough loss.

TAHS REDISCOVER THEIR MOJO

The razzle dazzle returned for the Waratahs as they emerged victorious from a high-scoring thriller against the Rebels on Friday night.

The Tahs showed no signs of the rusty, disjointed play that plagued them against the Force, scoring four quality tries to down their Melbourne rivals.

Kurtley Beale was the star, producing a magical chip and chase in the 22nd minute to put Stephen Hoiles — starting at number eight in place of the injured Wycliff Palu — over for their first try.

Kurtley Beale of the Waratahs scores against the Rebels.

He added another of his own in the 73rd minute to put the Waratahs back in front and seal the game at AAMI Park.

Coach Michael Cheika won’t be completely satisfied, with the Waratahs squandering the lead a number of times in the tit-for-tat battle.

But few onlookers could deny that the defending champions looked to be approaching their best once again after last week’s shocker at home.

The Waratahs now receive a week off with the bye — can they maintain their fluency in training for the next fortnight before they face the Reds in Brisbane?

TWO-TRY TAQELE TRIPS UP

The Tahs’ newest big bopper, two-try hero Taqele Naiyaravoro, earned his first sin bin in rugby over the weekend — but not for the reason you might expect.

With less than 20 minutes to go, Naiyaravoro made good ground to chase a kick that was heading towards the in-goal area, only to dive and bat it over the dead-ball line.

Formerly of the Wests Tigers in the NRL, Naiyaravoro was unaware that under the laws of rugby, players must make an attempt to ground the ball and are not permitted to deliberately knock it out of play.

With just 16 minutes to go and the game in the balance, big Taqele was sin-binned, providing more than a few nervy moments for Michael Cheika and his team.

Perhaps the most amusing aspect of the incident was fellow former leaguie Israel Folau gesturing to Naiyaravoro that he should have grounded the ball — he too was sprung for the same offence last year.

Taqele Naiyaravoro looks skyward.

GUTSY REBELS HAVE PLENTY OF UPSIDE

Despite their 10-point loss to the Waratahs, the Rebels showed plenty of encouraging signs in their second outing of the season.

The Rebels opened the scoring and looked by far the better side in the opening 20 minutes. They went try-for-try with the Waratahs throughout the match and showed plenty of spark with the ball in hand, with young flyhalf Jack Debreczeni particularly impressive.

Waratahs and Wallabies coach Michael Cheika had plenty of praise for his side’s opponents after the match.

Jack Debreczeni (right) impressed for the Rebels.

“The Rebels are a dangerous team and if they can keep the consistency around their physicality of their game for the whole season, they’re going to win a lot of games.

“Every time they get the ball, they’ve got something going.

“They’ve got halfbacks who run at the line, either (Nic) Stirzaker or (Luke) Burgess and that’s almost a bit of an art form lost.”

FORCE FLOP AT SUNCORP

It is never easy taking on a team in crisis. It doesn’t help when two of your players leave the field injured.

But no amount of excuses could gloss over the Force’s dismal display against the Reds on Saturday night.

Hopes were raised that the Westerners had overcome their struggles away from home after their dominant display against the Waratahs last weekend.

But the ugly side of the Force’s away game was resurrected in their 18-6 loss at Suncorp Stadium.

The Force could barely get out of their own half, stifled by the Reds’ dogged defence. They were also dominated in the set piece, with the Queenslanders dominating the scrum and lineout.

Now with just six wins from their last 26 matches away from home, the Force will relish a return to Perth for this weekend’s clash with the Hurricanes.

The Force had a disappointing outing against the Reds.

HURRICANES DOUBLE UP IN SOUTH AFRICA

A lot can be said about an Australian or New Zealand side after their annual journey to South Africa.

For the second year in a row, the Hurricanes began their campaign against South African sides on their turf.

But unlike last year when they suffered consecutive losses to the Sharks and Stormers, the ‘Canes have not only emerged unscathed in 2015, but with two victories and a share of top spot on the overall standings.

Saturday morning’s fixture against the Bulls was hardly awe-inspiring, with just one try apiece scattered among six penalty goals.

But for consecutive weeks, the Hurricanes nullified opposition playmakers in foreign conditions, conceding two tries in total across the two matches.

Should they beat the Force in Perth this weekend, the Hurricanes’ would head home full of confidence and ready to make a serious tilt at a finals berth.

Blues lock Hayden Triggs sees red.

STORMERS GO TOP AFTER TRIGGS RED CARD

This season was supposed to be difficult for the Stormers.

A disappointing 2014, compounded by the loss of injured skipper Jean de Villiers for the season, was supposed to consign the Stormers to the ‘rebuilding’ category.

But after two rounds, the Cape town outfit tops both the South African conference and the competition’s overall standings thanks to consecutive victories over the Bulls and Blues.

They got some help on Sunday morning, playing the majority of the match against 14 men after Blues lock Hayden Triggs was dismissed for a punch to the head in a backplay scuffle 25 minutes in.

But despite their numerical advantage, the Stormers’ 27-16 victory over the Auckland outfit showed they had regained some of the forward impetus and stylish ball play that had eluded them in 2014.

Of minor concern to coach Allister Coetzee will be that in the 55 minutes they played a man up over the Blues, the scoreline only read 16-10, with one try apiece.

Nevertheless a win is a win and the Stormers now approach next weekend’s clash with the Lions as clear favourites.

Originally published as Super Rugby review: Full wrap of round two action as Reds, Waratahs claim first wins of 2015