Super Rugby Pacific 2024: Predicted finish for every Australian team
A guide to the Australian teams in the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season:
ACT Brumbies
2023 finish: 3rd
Projected 2024 finish: 3rd
Major gains: Halfback Harrrison Goddard (LA Gilitinis), centre Austin Anderson (Waikato).
Major losses: Halfback Nic White (Force), Pete Samu (Bordeaux), fullback Jesse Mogg (retired), centre Chris Feauai-Sautia (released).
Talking point: This season could be the making of halfback Ryan Lonergan, who gets to call all the shots following the departure of veteran Nic White to Perth, while also slated to take over as captain.
Melbourne Rebels
2023 finish: 10th
Projected 2024 finish: 11th
Major gains: Prop Taniela Tupou (Reds), lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (Northampton), halfback Jack Maunder (Exeter), Jake Strachan (Force), centre/winger Filipo Daugunu (Reds), centre Matt Proctor (Northampton), winger Darby Lancaster (sevens), fullback Jake Strachan (Force).
Major losses: Utility back Reece Hodge (Bayonne), lock Trevor Hosea (Tokyo Sungoliath), lock Matt Philip (Yokohama Canon Eagles), winger Monty Ioane (Lyon), centre Stacey Ili (Hawke's Bay), flanker Richard Hardwick (Ealing).
Talking point: With a beefed-up forward pack including Test prop Tupou and fresh speed out wide, can the Rebels perform with the financially-stricken club's future hanging in the balance?
Queensland Reds
2023 finish: 8th
Projected 2024 finish: 6th
Major gains: Prop Alex Hodgman (Blues), Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (Ulster), Joe Brial (Canterbury).
Major losses: Prop Taniela Tupou (Rebels), centre/winger Filipo Daugunu (Rebels), prop Dane Zander (Los Angeles), Lock Luke Jones (retired).
Talking point: Replacing coach Brad Thorn, Les Kiss has brought in two ex-All Blacks to cover the loss of prop Taniela Tupou while young playmaker Tom Lynagh should flourish with a season under his belt.
NSW Waratahs
2023 finish: 6th
Projected 2024 finish: 10th
Major gains: Prop Tom Ross (Brumbies), prop Hayden Thompson-Stringer (La Rochelle), lock Miles Amatosero (Clermont), flanker Mesu Kunavula (Brive), back-rower Fergus Lee-Warner (Bath).
Major losses: Flanker Michael Hooper (sevens), five-eighth Ben Donaldson (Force), prop Nephi Leatigaga (Dax), back-rower Will Harris (Force), halfback Harrison Goddard (Brumbies), winger Nemani Nadolo (retired).
Talking point: The Waratahs have made the quarter-finals the past two seasons but coach Darren Coleman has reportedly being given a four-round deadline to show they are capable of a top-four berth.
Western Force
2023 finish: 10th
Projected 2024 finish: 7th
Major gains: Halfback Nic White (Brumbies), five-eighth Ben Donaldson (Waratahs), back-rower Will Harris (Waratahs), winger Harry Potter (Leicester), prop Atu Moli (Chiefs), lock Tom Franklin (Taranaki).
Major losses: Prop Tom Robertson (sabbatical), hooker Folau Fainga'a (Clermont), lock Jeremy Thrush (retired), back-rower Isi Naisarani (released), halfback Gareth Simpson (Saracens), five-eighth Bryce Hegarty (Red Hurricanes Osaka), fullback Jake Strachan (Rebels).
Talking point: Will the addition of Wallabies playmakers Ben Donaldson and Nic White be the extra ingredient that will see the cashed-up Force challenge the competition big guns?
Latest Comments
Some interesting stats that just proved what my first impression of NZ’s drive to speed up Rugby Union would amount to - fine margins here and there to cut a few seconds off the game and nothing else. To do more there would have to be wholesale changes to the game like doing away with scrums, lineouts and bringing back the ELV’s to have free kicks instead of penalties. Very little chance of it happening but, in the end, Ruby Union would be a 15-man version of Rugby League. There are reasons why Rugby Union is globally more popular that Rugby League and what NZ are also not considering is the unintended consequences of what they want to achieve. This will end up turning Rugby Union into a low value product that will not be acceptable to the paying public. If people really wanted a sped-up version of rugby, then why is Rugby Union globally way more popular than Rugby League? Rugby lovers all over the world are also not stupid and have seen through what NZ are trying to achieve here, selfishly to bring back their glory days of dominance over every other nation and compete with Rugby League that is dominant in Australasia. NH countries just don’t have the cattle, or the fantastic weather needed to play like NZ SR franchises do so good luck to whoever has to try and convince the NH to accept going back to the days of NZ dominance and agreeing to wreck the game in the process. I have serious doubts on the validity of the TV stats presented by GP. All they did was expand the broadcasting base by putting it on free to air, not even any indication of arresting the continued drop in viewership. Match day attendance goes hand in hand with broadcast ratings so if there was an increase in the one you should expect to see it with the other. However, the drop in match day attendance is very evident to the casual highlights package viewer. The only club who looks to be getting solid attendance is the Drua. I am calling it now that NZ’s quest to speed up the game will fail and so will the vote on the 20-minute red card.
Go to commentsIt’s a good, timely wake up call for NZ Rugby (seem to be a few of them lately!) - sort out the bureaucratic nonsense at board level. We can’t expect to stay the number one option without keeping fans/players engaged. We’ve obviously been bleeding players to league for years but can’t let the floodgates open (although I think this headline is hyperbolic as it’s a result of a recent Warriors pathways system where they are tracking things more closely) Understand the need to focus boys on rugby if they’re at a proud rugby school too, don’t think it’s harsh at all re Barakat in Hamilton. Reward the committed players with squad positions. An elite 1st XV system in NZ has done more for league than they even realise, think it’s good to protect our game further.
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