By Paul Cully
It was no surprise to see the Waratahs lose to Moana Pasifika on Saturday - Tana Umaga’s high-scoring team are arguably the form team of the competition.
Moana Pasifika have scored 165 points in their past four games, against the Waratahs, Crusaders, Chiefs and Hurricanes. The result leaves the Waratahs in sixth at halfway point, exactly the spot any realist would expect them to be. There was far too much hype around this squad at the start of the season, as much as coach Dan McKellar tried to hose that down.
The unravelling on Saturday started at the set-piece early in the second half, with new hooker Ethan Dobbins struggling to connect with his jumpers and young prop Dan Botha pinged at scrum time. That’s all it takes against a momentum side such as Moana Pasifika, and a reminder of how depth decides where teams finish in Super Rugby Pacific, not necessarily the addition of some higher-profile starters.
The real threat to Lolesio’s Lions spot
It would be a major surprise if Joe Schmidt thinks Noah Lolesio is his best No 10 for the British and Lions but doesn’t pick him because of Lolesio’s move to Japan - coaches just don’t torpedo their own rugby sides like that.
The greater uncertainty at present is whether Schmidt actually thinks Lolesio is his best No 10, which may be why Lolesio signed up for Japan in the first place.
Tom Lynagh warms up for the Reds.Credit: Getty Images
At present, Tom Lynagh and Ben Donaldson are ahead of Lolesio and it is really Lolesio’s own form that is raising questions about the Lions, not the Japan move in itself.
The Reds-Brumbies game in Brisbane on Saturday, therefore, is a great opportunity for Lolesio to silence these doubts with a big performance. It would be a big call for Schmidt to change horses at No 10 just before the Lions series, but Lolesio still needs to come through with some better displays in the second half of Super Rugby Pacific.
Reds lose shadow boxing contest
There is a good chance the Chiefs and the Reds will both be semi-finalists this season but there wasn’t an enormous amount to take away from the Reds’ loss in Hamilton on Friday.
The atrocious conditions made ball-handling a bit of a lottery, and it very much looked like both teams were holding something back in reserve.
Should they meet in the last four, Lynagh will start for the Reds and you would expect Fraser McReight to be closer to 100 per cent than he looked on Friday. Also, it would be a surprise if the Chiefs don’t inject four big All Blacks into their starting XV when the playoffs roll around - Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tupou Vaa’i, Samipeni Finau and Wallace Sititi.
The latter is ahead of schedule in his comeback from a knee injury and it very much looks like the Chiefs are structuring their campaign with a view to have their key All Blacks peaking at the playoffs.
Wallabies form team of the week
- Alex Hodgman (Reds)
- Matt Faessler (Reds)
- Tom Robertson (Force)
- Jeremy Williams (Force)
- Josh Canham (Reds)
- Joe Brial (Reds)
- Carlo Tizzano (Force) - Player of the week
- Langi Gleeson (Waratahs)
- Nic White (Force)
- Ben Donaldson (Force)
- Triston Reilly (Waratahs)
- Hamish Stewart (Force)
- Dre Pakeho (Reds)
- Harry Potter (Force)
- Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii (Waratahs)
The play that highlighted smarter Force
The Force’s lineout was under significant pressure in the first half in their win against the Highlanders, with the visitors’ athletic No 6 Te Kamaka Howden causing issues at the front of the lineout.
But the Force’s ability to adapt showed they are well coached and well guided by their onfield leaders. At the start of the second period, hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa swapped to a clever lineout move with a short ball to Darcy Swain just inside the 5m line and not only did the move give the Force great momentum, it forced Howden to stop challenging so aggressively in subsequent lineouts.
The Force are well deserving of their fourth place on the ladder - they are a well-drilled side and in No 7 Carlo Tizzano they might just have the Australian MVP in Super Rugby Pacific.
Brumbies might have competition for Edmed
Tane Edmed’s omission from the Waratahs’ 23 against Moana Pasifika - on the ground where he stood out for North Harbour in the NPC last season - certainly raises a question mark about his future.
Colleague Iain Payten has already reported that the Brumbies are interested, and they would seem like the most natural option. But don’t be entirely surprised if there is interest from across the ditch. Edmed is one of those players who is probably more highly rated in New Zealand than he is in Australia, given his NPC exploits.
In fact, the Herald understands that both the Hurricanes and the Crusaders had nibbles at him towards the end of last year. Edmed clearly enjoyed the heads-up style of rugby the Kiwis play, so if the interest in New Zealand remains he might have a tough choice to make.
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