Waratahs had 10 Wallabies in starting XV and nearly lost. But victory was all that mattered

1. Scrappy Tahs exactly where you’d expect them to be

It was all about the result for the Waratahs on Friday. Nothing else mattered, which is why there have been few questions about why a team with 10 Wallabies in the starting XV came perilously close to a home loss against a Highlanders side with one current All Black.

There was good in the Waratahs performance, there was bad and there was some ugly, but anyone expecting anything different was likely underestimating where the Waratahs are starting from. There is so much change at the club in terms of personnel, and still-developing connections between the players were evident in attack, while the leaking of five tries leaves a lot to work on in defence.

Yet, avoiding defeat was far more important than chasing unattainable perfection. The win was effectively an eight-point swing in terms of competition points against a side that could well be competing with the Waratahs for one of the lower play-off berths.

2. Suaalii hype is fun, but it is losing touch with reality

If you were preparing to face the Waratahs after Friday, there would be three main threat areas: Taniela Tupou’s power scrummaging, Langi Gleeson’s first-phase hit-ups (he made an incredible 19 carries on Friday), and the over-the-ball presence of Mahe Vailanu and Charlie Gamble.

Why? They all offer the Waratahs the chance to generate a penalty and get the side into the penalty-kick-to-touch-lineout cycle the Brumbies have mastered, and Dan McKellar is clearly working hard to bring to NSW. Three of the Waratahs’ five tries came from the lineout source on Friday, which was the biggest sign of McKellar’s arrival.

Suaalii is clearly a huge talent, but those players will always find a way to influence a game – there’s no point in fixating on them, especially in the fullback position. Besides, in reality, Suaalii probably isn’t the most gifted, tall, 21-year-old Pasifika back-three athlete in the comp at present. That title belongs to Moana Pasifika’s Kyren Taumoefolau, who scored two tries against the Force and pulled off a stunning overhead AFL-style catch that was the best piece of individual skill of the weekend.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii goes close to scoring against the Highlanders on Friday night in his Super Rugby debut for the Waratahs.Credit: Getty Images

3. Brumbies win shows they’re the Australian benchmark

The Brumbies looked cooked midway through the second half in Suva, especially when Luke Reimer left for an HIA after falling into heavy contact (an incident that was refereed completely differently to the yellow card in the Waratahs-Highlanders game). But Reimer came back on to inspire the Brumbies to a famous win, and the methodical way they squeezed the Drua without a bunch of their Wallabies was deeply impressive. Tom Hooper had a big game in the second row and their close quarter stuff down the home straight was brilliant.

The Brumbies have such belief in what works for them that you rarely see them chase games, and hookers Billy Pollard and Lachlan Lonergan are really starting to develop into a great one-two combination.

Ben Donaldson crosses late for the Force.Credit: Getty Images

4. Donaldson and Champion de Crespigny show starch

Wallabies No.10 Ben Donaldson looked like he was done and dusted early in the second half after rolling his ankle. He was limping badly for the next 10 minutes, but the way he played through the discomfort before that extraordinary final play burst for the Force was exactly what you’re looking for in a British and Irish Lions year.

Some of the Force’s restart work was terrible, but they look like a team imbued with a high degree of mongrel and on the early evidence, new flanker Nick Champion de Crespigny sounds like an aristocrat but plays like a Peaky Blinder. He carried the ball four times in the remarkable set of phases leading up to the Donaldson try, and he could give the Force something they’ve been missing since Brynard Stander’s days.

5. The new law trial that doesn’t seem right

World Rugby introduced a series of law trials on January 1, but one is in danger of turning the halfback into a protected species. The official law trial is: “A player who is, or was part of the ruck, may not play an opponent who is near it (within 1m), and who is attempting to play the ball away.”

Sounds fine, but where is the reward for the defender who is contesting the ruck, fights through it and grabs hold of the halfback?

For mine, the sight of a big second-rower or loose forward grabbing the pesky No.9 is a good part of the game – the ruck isn’t a rugby league play-the-ball. Ardie Savea was penalised for it in the Western Force-Moana Pasifika game, but why even have a ruck if you don’t allow powerful athletes such as Savea to come through the gate any more?

Form Wallabies XV after Super Rugby round 1: 1. Angus Bell (Waratahs), 2. Billy Pollard (Brumbies), 3. Taniela Tupou (Waratahs), 4. Tom Hooper (Brumbies), 5. Darcy Swain (Western Force), 6. Nick Champion de Crespigny (Western Force), 7. Luke Reimer (Brumbies) player of the round, 8. Langi Glesson (Waratahs), 9. Ryan Lonergan (Brumbies), 10. Ben Donaldson (Western Force), 11. Max Jorgensen (Waratahs), 12. Hamish Stewart (Western Force), 13. Hudson Creighton (Brumbies), 14. Ollie Sapsford (Brumbies), 15. Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii (Waratahs)

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