'That can make for a dangerous beast' - How the Waratahs and Australian rugby have vastly improved

During his time with the Highlanders, Tony Brown believed the Australian Super Rugby franchises were too predictable.

His theory proved to be accurate as the New Zealand sides enjoyed an incredible 40-match winning run over their Australian counterparts in a streak that lasted two years.

However, the Sunwolves head coach said he has seen a vast improvement in the way the game was being played in Australia, with the Waratahs leading the charge in their nation's development of gameplay tactics.

Speaking on the Fox Rugby Podcast in the lead-up to their clash against the in-form Daryl Gibson-coached side in Newcastle, Brown said it was becoming more difficult to scout Australian outfits due to their implementation of kick-based tactics.

“It’s interesting because when I was with the Highlanders the Australian teams tended to hold the ball for a long time and they always believed that that was the way to win games of rugby,” the  44-year-old said.

“I felt as though we always had an advantage there because we just knew what they were going to do, and then you could plan around that and put them under real pressure.

“But, from what’s happened in the last couple of years and definitely the development of the Waratahs’ rugby, their kicking game has become a real weapon for them, and when you’ve got guys like Israel Folau, the aerial game is now a massive part of the Waratahs game as well.

“They’ve developed their game hugely in the last couple of years and are actually playing a lot more like the Highlanders did a few years ago."

“As far as our chances go, if we get our game right, we try and move the Waratahs boys around a bit and hopefully entice them into playing a bit of Sunwolves rugby like we did in Tokyo, then we’ll be able to potentially have a good old ding dong battle and something that could be quite entertaining.”

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