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Aussie Club Grades Week Ten
By Robert Seltzer
Well, it was not a great weekend for the Australian teams this weekend in Super Rugby, both home and abroad. Here are how the teams rated this weekend.
Waratahs – E
In the past couple of seasons, a loss to the Lions would not have been that bad, but to lose without scoring a point at home, against a team that hasn’t quite reached the same heights since Johan Ackermann has left was appalling.
It hasn’t been a great couple of weeks for the Tahs after Israel Folau’s comments and that seemed to affect the team. It was the first time they have been held scoreless in Super Rugby and the Lions recorded their first victory in Sydney. One to forget for the Waratahs.
Reds – E
That is 118 points conceded in the last 3 games for the Queenslanders. Their purple patch a few weeks ago seems a long time in the past. The Chiefs win in Brisbane was the 35th consecutive win for New Zealand teams against their Australian counterparts and this one was never in doubt.
The game was over by half-time with the Chiefs leading 24-0 and although Same Kerevi did score a couple of consolation tries, the Chiefs were in third gear. The inevitable bonus point try came five minutes into injury time which could prove vital for the Chiefs season but did nothing for the Reds.
Rebels – E
This was an important game for the Rebels following their loss to the Jaguares at home last week. The Bulls have been improving but are beatable and if the Rebels want to be taken seriously this is the type of game they have to win.
They will have to work hard for their season not to peter out when it started so brightly. They were outscored four tries to one and need to address this slump in form quickly.
Brumbies – E
Completing the full complement of E’s for the Aussie teams are the Brumbies. The Jaguares backed up their win in Melbourne with a win in the Captial.
The Brumbies never took the lead and after an 18 phase move set up the first score the Jaguares gained confidence and always looked like they had enough to win. They did score the same amount of tries but with the defending champions up next, putting an end to the dismal run against Kiwi teams does not look likely.
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Latest Comments
Ireland have every right to back themselves for a win. But the key variable has little to do with recent record etc.
The reality is that Ireland are a settled team with tons of continuity, an established style, and a good depth chart, whereas NZ are fundamentally rebuilding. The questions are all about what Razor is doing and how far along he is in that program.
NZ are very close to really clicking. Against England all of the chatter is about how England could have closed out a win, but failed to do so. This has obscured the observation that NZ were by far the more creative and effective in attack, beyond the 3-1 try differential and disallowed tries. They gave away a lot of unnecessary penalties, and made many simple errors (including knock-ons and loose kicks). Those things are very fixable, and when they do so we are once again going to be staring at a formidable NZ team.
Last week we heard the England fans talking confidently about their chances against NZ, but England did not end up looking like the better team on the field or the scoreboard. The England defense was impressive enough, but still could not stop the tries.
Ireland certainly has a better chance, of course, but NZ is improving fast, and I would not be surprised at a convincing All Black win this week. It may turn on whether NZ can cut out the simple mistakes.
Go to commentsFair to say that NZ have come to respect Ireland, as have all teams. But it's a bit click-baitey to say that the game is the premier show-down for NZ.
SA has beaten NZ four times in a row, including in the RWC final.
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