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Brumbies, Force win local derbies; Nick Cummins stars, Israel Folau fumes
Dominic Burke, Sam Bruce
FOX SPORTS
April 14, 2014 11:23AM
IT was a weekend of Super Rugby where Australia took centre stage, and the Brumbies and Force announced their title credentials.
Round nine was headlined by Aussie derbies in Brisbane and Perth, and neither game disappointed.
The Brumbies’ victory sees them maintain their lead at the top of the Aussie conference while the Force jump above the Waratahs following their rousing win at home.
Elsewhere, there were wins for the Highlanders, Chiefs, Crusaders and Sharks.
Read on for our R9 review!
BRUMBIES SHOOT CLEAR AS REDS SLUMP AGAIN
It was a tale of two halves when the Reds hosted the Brumbies at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night – and a game that delivered two very different outcomes for the Australian conference rivals.
The Brumbies had the ascendancy in the opening 40 minutes, amassing an incredible 79 per cent of possession and converted that dominance into points. They had 20 at the break, and added a penalty just after the resumption, which in the end was enough to secure a sixth win of the season.
Halfback Nic White was at the top of his game, flyhalf Matt Toomua showed some nice touches in his duel with Quade Cooper, forwards Stephen Moore (when he wasn’t lashing out) and Scott Fardy continued their strong seasons while winger Joe Tomane scored his first try of 2014 and produced a quality all-round display.
A loss by their perceived main rivals to the Aussie crown – the Waratahs – was the icing on the cake for the Brumbies as they head into their first bye of the season.
On the other side of the coin were the Reds, who slumped to a fifth loss for 2014 and go into their week off with their season in tatters.
As commendable as the Reds were in launching a second-half comeback, they only had themselves to blame for the result – that, and some more misfortune with the whistle-blowers.
Again there were some good signs for the Reds – the monster scrum that had shoved the Brumbies backwards and led to Ed Quirk’s first Super Rugby try, some sharp Rod Davies runs in attack, and prop James Slipper’s work all around the park.
But Richard Graham and his coaching staff have been left with plenty to work on over the next fortnight ahead of a trip to Wellington to take on the Hurricanes when their season really will be on the line.
WHY DIDN’T YOU TAKE THE SCRUM, HIGGERS?
Melbourne Rebels’ search for a win outside Australia continues after they fell six points short of an upset victory over the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday.
Playing across the ditch for a second straight week, the Rebels were chasing the game from the outset and were down 19-0 after just 26 minutes. But two penalties before half-time and a well-taken try after the resumption brought the visitors right back into the match.
The Rebels began to build some momentum from there, and looked to be getting on top of their hosts before skipper Scott Higginbotham was sin-binned for repeat offences.
The Chiefs added just three points in Higginbotham’s absence and when the skipper returned it was the Rebels who looked to be finishing the stronger, and they were rewarded for that dominance when Pauliasi Manu was yellow-carded.
Knowing they’d have the advantage at the set-piece, the Rebels packed a 5m scrum down from the ensuing penalty and as they turned on the shove the Chiefs capitulated. Referee Matt O’Brien promptly awarded another penalty but rather than opt for another scrum, Higginbotham inexplicably decided to take a quick tap.
With a clear advantage at the scrum it seemed obvious to everyone but Higginbotham that the Rebels’ best chance of scoring would be from a pushover or even a penalty-try.
Having already drawn one penalty from a Chiefs collapse, referee O’Brien would have had little choice but to reward the Rebels’ dominance and if he’d allowed one more reset, then surely a third infringement would have resulted in a penalty-try.
As it turned out, the Rebels coughed up possession only a few phases after the quick tap and with that the game was gone.
They return to The Stockade this week where a showdown with the in-form Western Force awaits.
MEAT FRENZY AS HONEY BADGER FEASTS ON WARATAHS
If “The Honey Badger” looked hungry on Saturday night it was with good reason – he hadn’t tasted any “meat” since round two in Sydney.
But a five-match meat drought was quickly forgotten on Saturday night as Super Rugby’s No.1 cult figure scored his first Western Force hat-trick in a stunning 12-point victory over the Waratahs.
But it wasn’t just Nick Cummins’s performance that had tongues wagging in the west, with Israel Folau’s pre-match interview setting the tone for what would be a forgettable night for the visitors.
Speaking to Fox Sports ahead of kick-off, Folau said the ARU had failed to inform him they would be overruling the Waratahs’ decision and withdrawing him.
A clearly furious Folau understood the governing body was acting in his best interests but was bewildered with their failure to contact him before making the announcement.
Would the star fullback have made any difference? He certainly would have given the Waratahs an extra edge in attack but it’s unlikely he could have split a resolute Force defence with regularity.
Time after time the Force repelled the Waratahs, waiting for the perfect moment to strike at the breakdown. It was the same tactics the Brumbies and Sharks had used against Michael Cheika’s men, and it looks to be the blueprint for shutting down his star-studded backline.
If teams are prepared to be patient and not overcommit at the breakdown against the Waratahs, a strong defensive line will eventually present an opportunity to force a turnover after multiple phases.
The Force have now won five matches on trot and must be counted as serious playoff contenders. They’ll head east this week to face the Rebels at AAMI Park, a venue where they’re yet to taste success. Does our first ever game there not count? Friday 17 June 2011 Force 27 beat Rebels 24 - Ripia stole the show!!
But it’s been a season of firsts for the Force – just ask Nick Cummins.
LINK LIKES WHAT HE SEES FROM WALLABY HOPEFULS
Ewen McKenzie was a busy man at the weekend, taking in the Reds-Brumbies clash in Brisbane on Friday night and then dashing across the country the following day to Perth to watch the Force host the Waratahs.
Thankfully there was plenty for the Wallaby coach to enjoy both in the Sunshine State and way out west, namely the form of Australia’s Super Rugby players.
Brumbies halves Nic White and Matt Toomua probably edged Will Genia and Quade Cooper in Brisbane, while in Perth inside centre Kyle Godwin held his own as he squared off with Kurtley Beale.
The Australian sides – and players – are performing to a standard that pleases McKenzie, potentially giving him a welcome headache next month when he names his squad to face France in the three-Test series in June.
“There’s a lot of guys in Australian rugby in good form at the moment,” McKenzie told Fox Sports’ Rugby Central after the Force win on Saturday night.
“That’s going to make for a difficult job come May. That’s what you want, you want all the teams doing well, you want them all competing. From my point of view we want to see players playing at their best and we’re seeing plenty of that.”
One player who caught the eye at the weekend was flanker Matt Hodgson, who was at his workhorse best in making a game-high 18 tackles to lead Western Force to a famous fifth-straight victory.
McKenzie said the Force skipper had been impressive – and wasn’t worried by the fact he’ll be 33 by the time the third Test against Les Bleus comes around.
“I think he’s been playing really well,” McKenzie said.
“For me, being a Wallaby is about performing. I’m not going to sit there and worry about how old they are. Sure you’ve got to keep regenerating but in the end you’ve got to look for guys who are in-form, guys who know how to play and guys who can go out there and compete and there’s plenty of guys at the Force who are showing that at the moment.”
FORMER TAHS FLYER SETS SADERS ALIGHT
He was once labelled the next Jonah Lomu, used to be on the Waratahs’ books - and has finally crossed for his first Super Rugby try. Make that hat-trick of tries.
Welcome to the big league, Nemani Nadolo.
Five years after first signing a Super Rugby contract with the Tahs, Nadolo finally announced himself to the competition with a blockbusting three-try effort for the Crusaders in their high-scoring win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
The 1.96-metre, 125-kilogram flyer raised in Brisbane has always had the frame to make an impact at the top level and he put it all together in a highlights-laden display down the ‘Saders left wing.
Nadolo’s first try, off the back of a brilliant Kieran Read offload, was a classic winger’s finish, while he showed plenty of toe to sprint in for his second after being sent clear by a Colin Slade cut-out pass. He sealed his hat-trick after the full-time siren with a five-pointer all of his own making – scooping up the loose ball and showing scary power to race 60m to score.
Is he the X-factor the Crusaders have been crying out for? Interestingly Nadolo, a cousin of Lote Tuqiri and Tevita Kuridrani has played at Test level for Fiji, describes himself in his Twitter bio as a “Brisbane kid playing rugby across the ditch”. How the Reds would love to be able to slot the 26-year-old on to the end of their injury-hit backline.
Meanwhile that six-tries-to-four victory was the Crusaders’ second win in a row, and keeps them in the hunt in the tight Kiwi conference ahead of a crunch clash against the No.1-ranked Chiefs in Waikato on Saturday.
Elsewhere in New Zealand the Highlanders continued their resurgence as gun young centre Malakai Fekitoa stamped himself as an All Black of the future with a barnstorming display in their 27-20 win over the Bulls.
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