A winless weekend for the Australian teams was disappointing, but Super Round in Christchurch was the best few days in Super Rugby Pacific’s short history, with daylight second.
The magnificent new stadium looked a picture, but the real story was the range of fans in the stands, easily identifiable by the Super Rugby jerseys on display.
For once, Super Rugby Pacific felt whole, not just a series of games between teams lacking genuine connections. The weekend felt like a European rugby event with an Anzac twist.
Ironically, the absence of the in-form Western Force reduced the chances of an Australian victory, but the weekend will surely be revisited next year with the Force on board.
The date is important, not just the venue
The Anzac weekend is the perfect time on the calendar for Super Round because it is deep enough into the season for every game to matter.
If it were moved to the earlier rounds, it would lose some context. And that is the looming problem for Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby as they consider a Bledisloe Test on the same weekend.
Super Round in Christchurch has just given the competition an enormous boost – every club played in front of its biggest crowd of the season, not just the Crusaders – and it would be a borderline act of vandalism to mess with it now.
Perhaps the novelty will wear off a little next year, but the emerging anecdotal evidence suggests supporters enjoyed the experience so much that plans are already being made to return.
Super Rugby Team of the Week
1. Aidan Ross (Reds), 2. Matt Faessler (Reds), 3. Zane Nonggorr (Reds), 4. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (Reds), 5. Matt Philip (Waratahs), 6. Rob Valetini (Brumbies), 7. Fraser McReight (Reds), 8. Pete Samu (Waratahs), 9. Jake Gordon (Waratahs), 10. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips (Reds), 11. Sid Harvey (Waratahs), 12. Hunter Paisami (Reds), 13. Joey Walton (Waratahs), 14. Filipo Daugunu (Reds), 15. Jock Campbell (Reds) – Player of the week
On rugby matters, the Waratahs’ Achilles heel was confirmed
Much of the Waratahs’ play on Friday was admirable, but they should be a little grumpy with replacement hooker Ioane Moananu.
He collected a needless yellow card in the 49th minute shortly after being introduced. Granted, he entered the game in tough circumstances with the Crusaders bashing away at the Waratahs’ line, but NSW were actually defending their try line very well until he crept offside and then chased a lost ruck, giving Nic Berry two reasons to send him to the sin bin.
However, the Waratahs’ bigger problem was the scrum, which really struggled with new starting props Siosifa Amone and Isaac Kailea. Previously, props Dan Botha and Tom Lambert had played significant minutes for the Waratahs, and the reason for that became clear in Christchurch.
While the Crusaders are a strong scrummaging unit, the Waratahs’ performance dropped off noticeably in that area.
They will no doubt turn to Botha and Lambert for the must-win game against the Force in Sydney on Friday because they looked sharp with the ball in hand, and Teddy Wilson was outstanding off the bench.
Reds and Tahs hurt by same technical offence
The Crusaders played big Miles Amatosero like a fiddle on Friday, drawing a yellow card out of the big lock’s decision to contest a Crusaders lineout maul that was actually a tackle contest before turning back into a maul.
Confused? So was the Reds’ Fraser McReight when he was penalised for being offside from an identical situation in the Reds’ loss to the Blues on Saturday.
Both the Waratahs and Reds opted not to engage with their opponents’ lineout drive, instead sending a player (Pete Samu and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, respectively) to the back of the Crusaders’ and Blues “ghost” maul.
At that point, it became a tackle situation, but when Samu and Salakaia-Loto held up the ball carrier, it turned into a maul, with a new offside line. Amatosero then joined the maul illegally, undoing all Samu’s good work, and McReight was guilty of not retreating far enough after Salakaia-Loto did likewise.
The situations revealed rugby’s complex rule book, yet both the Waratahs and the Reds were technically at fault.
Incidentally, it will be unfathomable if the Wallabies don’t find a role for Salakaia-Loto this year. He’s the best carrier one pass off the ruck in Super Rugby Pacific –he talks the language of Test rugby.
Edmed the bright spot for Brumbies
Declan Meredith looked devastated after he kicked his second penalty dead against the Hurricanes, and it was no surprise to see him replaced early by Tane Edmed.
Meredith’s form has declined as the season has unfolded, but the Brumbies as a whole have not been playing well for the past month.
Their 45-12 hammering on Saturday shows they are not currently title contenders, but it could also be a turning point before their game against the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday.
They can certainly take one positive out of the game –Edmed’s return to form. The former Waratahs No.10 has been underwhelming since moving to Canberra, but he looked authoritative as soon as he stepped onto the field in Christchurch.
The time is now right for him to take charge of a Brumbies’ attack that opponents have figured out. Yet, you write them off at your peril.
They brutally exposed the Reds in the physicality stakes in the corresponding fixture last year, and a return to their core strengths will likely be on the menu this week.
Watch every match of Super Rugby Pacific live and exclusive on Stan Sport.
Paul Cully is a rugby columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.