Super Rugby AUS Round 2 has come and gone, and provided some great running rugby, big hits, tactical and skilful play as well as two kicks.
Overall, NSW Waratahs are the biggest dog in the yard right now, with a western Force they are not far behind in their ability to lure their opponents into a fierce dogfight while finishing them off with cuteness on the edges.
The Super Rugby Pacific ACT Brumbies’ backline is greatly weakened and not helped by their beaten pack. Their scrum is their clear shining light.
Queensland Red they continue to struggle with a flat attack and seem unable to gain any sort of foothold in their games.
A squashed backline behind a decent pack doesn’t seem to give them enough attacking weapons or progression to punish the sides.
Still, the competition gives hungry young bucks some desperately needed playing time and gives coaches a much-needed look at their future stock.
Despite the weekend’s flop results, the Super Rugby AUS competition is definitely serving its purpose.
Some teams prove to be better than the sum of their parts
Looking down the team sheet, it quickly becomes evident where the power lies in any game.
This was easy to predict with hardened Super Rugby Pacific players going up against club veterans or academy recruits, but Super Rugby Aus has also produced some major shake-ups.
Two clear examples from weekend clashes are obvious dominance Queensland Reds front runners George Blake, Matt Faessler and Nick Bloomfield should have overcome them NSW Waratahs colleagues.
In Roma, at the Santos Festival of Rugby, that dominance quickly crumbled with U20 Wallabies prop Edwin Langi quickly gaining the upper hand over Blake while hooker Ethan Dobbins and loosehead prop Tom Lambert did the rest.
It was a great battle in the scrum, with the strength of Langi against the power of Blake, and the experience of Lambert going against the form of Bloomfield; it showed that scrum can be nurtured for all the right reasons.
The next best example of disturbances still occurring against the apparent natural order was Western Force backline dominance over their opposition, the ACT Brumbies.
In the last line with Australia Representatives and two Wallabies, the Brumbies they simply had no answers to the Force’s ability to pass the ball and hit forward with their strong carriers.
At Butler, the pack matches were just as unpredictable.
Brumbies front row Lington Ieli, Liam Bowron and Rhys Van Nek had no time, but in the end their class prevailed, and they dominated the scrum.
The Super Rugby Pacific second-row partnership of Toby McPherson and Wallaby Nick Forst was hard-working but played second fiddle to their cobbled Force opposites in Zac Healy and Will Harris.
This mismatch and topsy-turvy result, based on what is seen on paper, also happened at Roma, with the Waratahs’ youthful backline just managing to beat the Reds’ ranks of established players such as Joe Brial and John Bryant.
This competition is great to see how these partnerships, units, matches play out in a real rugby environment, not just on the training paddock.
While some coaches will be delighted, others disappointed, there is no doubt that all programs are learning extremely useful lessons for Super Rugby Pacific 2027.
Outstanding flyhalf performances come from a non-Wallaby group
Max Burey outplayed Wallaby Tom Lynagh and Kurtley Beale dominated Wallaby Tane Edmed.
That’s a harsh statement, but anyone who’s watched these pairings go head-to-head will say the same thing: Beale and Burey’s ability to use their teams going forward was evident.
While Lynagh had a Reds backline that was too flat and had little connection as a unit, Edmed failed to push a well-drilled Brumby unit out of it.
While the problems for the two halves in question were part of a wider problem within their respective teams, Lynagh and Edmed failed to change the attacking picture or build on the small bits of momentum their sides had gained.
Meanwhile, Beale regularly changed the point of attack, used Zac Lomax as a Jordie Barrett-style distributor and put his Force team in the right parts of the pitch.
The only criticism of his performance is that he didn’t put young gun Wallace Charlie in enough space to show what he can do with the ball in hand.
Burey, on the other hand, was supported by the most consistent background of the competition to date; his clear direction, ability to spot space and willingness to change the script depending on the pictures he saw are skills not often seen at Wallaby level.
This is not an invitation to see him selected for the national side; this is more of a remark that he has a skill that is hard to learn, and if he hadn’t been behind Ben Donaldson at the Force, maybe Burey would be wearing a different color next weekend.
Burey needs consistent minutes in the number 10 jersey and, at 27, he is the right age profile to sit behind Bernard Foley in Super Rugby Pacific 2027 as a great one-two punch combination.
James O’Connor came on late in the Force’s game against the Brumbies and added his fine delicate touches to keep the Brumbies in their own half, but will want more of himself with more playing time in Round 3.
While Lynagh appears to have had some serious size and is still coming back from injury, Edmed just looks flat.
Both will benefit from more time in Super Rugby AUS and Australia A, but will be up against Beale, Burey and a few others, one would imagine.
Stars of the future who have taken their first step towards Super Rugby Pacific
In the first two rounds of Super Rugby AUS, you couldn’t go past Waratahs outside center Otto Serfontein and Brumbies back Eli Langi.
While Langi showed his running game at a loss is as good as any, and his line choice in contact can be lethal, Serfontein showed a defensive IQ not seen at No.13 since perhaps a young Len Ikitau burst onto the scene.
While they certainly aren’t the only youngsters who have impressed, there is a need to be realistic about where these guys are in their development.
Langi was very troubled at times about the breakdown, and likewise with Serfontein.
There is nothing wrong with the way this pair sees the game; they know how to play rugby, that’s for sure, but while Langi still needs to mature into a true Super Rugby Pacific forward, Serfontein looks like he needs to pack on a few pounds before stepping up.
Both players are very talented; now they just need to hit the weights.
Elsewhere, Brumbies No.8 Oscar Cleary is a defensive powerhouse; the list of people he’s smoked in the tackle is growing, and the list that has yet to feel his wrath is rapidly shrinking. In attack, he still needs to choose his moments.
Reds full-back Will McCulloch has had an excellent campaign in the Hospital Cup but has struggled to step up so far.
While he doesn’t get great ball from his inside backs, he still struggles with physicality at times, something he will no doubt grow into as he promises to be a player of excitement and attacking spirit.
While the backcountry can be a tough place for a young rifleman, some of the guys take to it like a duck to water. Waratahs No.8 Isaac Fonua and No.7 Marshall Le Maitre were stellar in their performances alongside recruit Joe Mangelsdorf at No.6.
Opposite them, Tom Robinson looks the business and looks set to play a reserve role in Super Rugby Pacific in 2027; his ability to sniff out a turnaround is impressive.
While all of these young guns are hugely exciting and in desperate need of a higher level of games like Super Rugby AUS offers, only one or two of them seem really ready to step into Super Rugby Pacific in 2027.
