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AAMI Park

So there we have it, the NSW Waratahs have just defeated the reigning champions and the winningest team in the competition Crusaders after a 13-point win at AAMI Park in Melbourne, 24-37. At the start, the Crusaders got away with the opening points but it was the Waratahs who dominated the majority of the opening half where they came back into the dressing room full of optimism at the break, 10-23. In the end, nothing much has changed despite some improved Crusaders performance later on off the back of a few new faces from the bench before it was too little, too late to close in under pressure. This is the Waratahs’s night tonight where they continued to pick up the opposing team’s misfiring attacking play including the ill-discipline that turned into more big points before the win was there comfortably against a championship-winning team who is right now on the rebuilding phase. It’s a much-needed win for the NSW side as there’s still plenty left to prove going into Round 3 with the Highlanders at home (Allianz Stadium) next up in Moore Park on Friday & for the Crusaders, they have still yet to win after two rounds now as they will fly again this time to Fiji next Saturday v the Fijian Drua.

Here comes the Waratahs all-rounder in cricket terms who plays in the half-back position in Jake Gordon at No.9 following his outstanding performance tonight v the reigning champs Crusaders. He’s in tremendous shape in his prime right now along with tremendous Super Rugby experience on offer to make the most out of the Waratahs attack, having interrupted the Crusaders passage of play a few times throughout tonight before he quickly cashed it in for the sake of the team with great rewards including a TRY for himself. Forming a great partnership next up within the Waratahs at No.10 is Tane Edmed where he was a huge influence both as the leading conversion kicker and a creative attacking player through the middle. He just doesn’t hesitate every time he has the ball with the licence to thrill and play around to get past the oppositon gate such as processing that cross kick including the quick passes before he finds his man to finish it off for him while adding the extra points & he can also be a handy contributor in defense under pressure and that was key to getting the best out of his on-field game. Before we go to the Crusaders at the other end, shoutout to head coach Darren Coleman who has brought the Waratahs back into life from the day he walked into Daceyville at the start of 2022. Yes, he is a man who is under pressure right now but again, he knows the NSW Rugby system more than anyone & losing him this early won’t go down well as this team is under a off-field renovation too. And Sevu Reece has worked so hard more than anyone for the Crusaders down on the wide right. He never stops running back and forth when covering up both in attack and defense, especially when he came back after a long lay-off from his knee injury last year where his contribution has been missed. But despite a great start, some of his new players simply needs time at this top level since a few key players have moved on during the off-season thanks to a plenty of ill-discipline as well as the passage of open play being so isolated that reflected the team’s loss tonight v Waratahs.

CRUvWAR #SuperRugby #Crusaders #NSWWaratahs #JakeGordon #TaneEdmed #SevuReece #Rugby #RugbyUnion #DarrenColeman

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Round 11 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific continues to breed spectacular match-ups like this Saturday night fixture between the Melbourne Rebels v Moana Pasifika at AAMI Park. It was a competitive first-half spell when the Rebels caught up to Moana, 14-10, at the break. Although, Moana struck one back where they briefly regained the lead. However, it’s the Rebels who were unstoppable before they shut Moana down by full-time at 26-22.

Well done to Melbourne Rebels on a fine display where they took advantage of a number of lost penalties by Moana in the first half. Credit to James Hanson, who was the mastermind at starting hooker when it comes to the line-outs & maul, with back-to-back tries before an early mark to the bench not long after half-time. Meanwhile, Reece Hodge managed to put the Rebels back in the box seat & stayed there thanks to his stunning 2nd half spell. He too not only scored one by himself but also assisted one that ended Andrew Kellaway’s seven-game hoodoo without a TRY on the right-wing.

And unlucky from Moana Pasifika tonight, who played really well against an opponent that doesn’t give away any team lightly. They fired off well with the early lead which is good signs from this new Pasifika Super Rugby outfit. Although they kept going despite losing the lead, and were almost within winning reach again towards an upset. Unfortunately, a number of lost penalties counted against them in the 1st half came back to bite them later on before Moana fell just short.

Moana will return to Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland for Round 12 next Saturday afternoon v NSW Waratahs, who were triumphant in their 24-21 upset win earlier tonight v Crusaders. And the Rebels are also heading off to Auckland as well, but this time at Eden Park on Friday night v the Blues.

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We have to say that Reece Hodge is everything that the Rebels needed tonight at full-back. His kicking was top-notch as always when it comes to conversion kicks into goal and even the 50/22 rule into touch. He also played a brilliant role in the attack during the 2nd half, not only Hodge’s a huge threat going forward through the channels but he knows where to find his men or the TRY line himself. Well done on a fine performance with the help of his forwards that helped the Rebels regain the lead, as well as their winning margin.

Meanwhile, credit to James Hanson with his first-half display having scored two tries for the Rebels tonight. He credits these winning penalties off the back of the Moana Pasifika’s disciplinary errors, especially at line-outs/throw-ins where Hanson knew what to do with the ball before it was well executed with plenty of support past the TRY line. And although he finished his shift early, he has so much experience on his plate when Hanson is an important player to learn from within the Rebels dressing room.

And Levi Aumua put in a great shift in the No.13 shirt at outside centre for Moana Pasifika tonight. He isn’t shy when Aumua smashes through the Rebels defense while building some pressure with the ball going forward. His full-game contribution alongside the benefit of winning penalties, helped Moana find their way past the TRY line on a couple of occasions. It just wasn’t his night to reflect when Moana’s disciplinary issues led to plenty of lost penalties before they left it too late towards full-time.

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It was an excellent Saturday night showdown at AAMI Park during the three-day Super Round weekend between the Hurricanes & Queensland Reds. Queensland fired off well where they were up in front earlier with a narrow three-point lead (14-17) at half-time, thanks to the Hurricanes’ disciplinary issues that took out Bailyn Sullivan at one point for 10 minutes with the yellow card. However, the Reds couldn’t find more points along the way while Sullivan’s return presented brilliant timing; when the Hurricanes began to climb back in contention before they dominated the 2nd half spell have confirmed this match-up as winners. The final score is 30-17.

The Hurricanes are on fire here at AAMI Park in Melbourne tonight. They would be disappointed with the ill-discipline when Bailyn Sullivan was taken off the field earlier on via a yellow card for 10 minutes. But he has never let the club down, though, when it comes to the ability on the field; He & Tyrel Lomax made up lost time & put the Hurricanes back in contention where they were three points behind at half-time. And the Hurricanes were able to continue that renewed momentum later on with another two tries on the board before they were well secure with the win, which is a brilliant rebound performance to watch.

Meanwhile, Queensland Reds started well thanks to the Bailyn Sullivan yellow card earlier in the 1st half. They were able to get away with only two tries from Hamish Stewart & Fraser McReight, where they just led by a small three-point buffer at half-time. Although, both the Reds and Hurricanes have disciplinary issues to sort out themselves. However, the disjointed attacking shape unfortunately let them down the most. You can’t win games through a couple of fumbles, particularly Filipo Daugunu; that handed the Hurricanes plenty of ball opportunities where the opposition got away handy with a comfortable win.

The Hurricanes will stay in Australia for a while with a week-long rest before they take on the Brumbies at GIO Stadium in Canberra next Sunday. And the Reds will look to get back to winning ways against a New Zealand team when they will battle against the Chiefs at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Friday night.

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We have to say that Tyrel Lomax is tough as a rock down in the tighthead front row for the Hurricanes tonight. He brings so much physicality to the table where Lomax was there to rob the Queensland Reds’ scoring spree defensively. It came at the right time when Lomax benefitted from Bailyn Sullivan’s return off the sin bin that reconnected the Hurricanes team & also began to notice the Reds’ weaknesses with their attacking shape. Once the Reds were in trouble, Lomax further punished them with the support and communication needed to get the job done in any combination possible; the scrum/maul, phases to build some pressure, and execution past the TRY line. And with the Hurricanes being well safe in the winners’ circle, Lomax deserved a well-earned rest with two tries between half-time breaks after 67 minutes of play.

The next Hurricanes player to look at is Bailyn Sullivan, who plays No.13 in the outside centre role. Yes, he may not have had a good start when Sullivan had to sit 10 minutes on the bench with the yellow card. However, you cannot underestimate his hard work as soon as he came back on the field. The Canes are blessed to have their attacking shape working for the rest of tonight, with credit coming from Sullivan. He can combine the physical toughness that can not only filter out the Reds defensively, but he also adds some pace to execute in return with two tries scored v Reds here at AAMI Park. Without him, the Reds were in the lead earlier on before he came back to turn the tide that changed this match-up.

And one Queensland Reds player to look at is Fraser McReight on the openside back row in the No.7 shirt. He never stopped running and working hard all game, where his Reds team took advantage to get themselves ahead earlier in the 1st half. He also backed up his support runners back and forth while being roped in to protect defensively, which tested his physicality & guidance in this role at Super Rugby level. However, the Reds unfortunately let him down as a whole team when a disjointed attacking shape just faltered later during this match-up.

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It was a high-scoring game between the Chiefs & Waratahs where it kickstarted the three-day Super Round weekend at AAMI Park in Melbourne last night. Waratahs were lucky to have recovered from their messy first-half spell at 30-17 after the break when Jake Gordon’s 2nd TRY almost overtook the Chiefs for the lead in the 50th minute. However, the Chiefs are in cruise control when a hat-trick scoring spree later in the 2nd half from Jonah Lowe sealed them an easy win, 51-27.

The Tahs needed their attacking shape to be on the same page as Jake Gordon. Although, Alex Newsome was the other try-scorer in the 1st half. That is one huge weakness that precluded them from staying in contention over the last 30 mins of this match. Luckily, the 20-minute red card rule gave the back Tahs a full XV men where they made up some lost time. However, the momentum just wasn’t there in the end. They also would’ve benefitted from Angus Bell if it wasn’t for his red card that can form a more robust forward line to stop Jonah Lowe defensively and help brighten up the Tahs’ attack.

And the Chiefs were simply on fire last night. Their attacking shape has been sensational from Jonah Lowe’s four-try scoring spree, including the hat-trick in the 2nd half to Quinn Tuapea’s 1st half double-try. You can see the communication and a few decoy runners lined up together where you saw one player running up & protects the opposition half, while another Chiefs player in the same shirt finds that gap past the TRY line and scores. Although they will need to fix their ill-discipline where Tahs scored back a couple of times, the Chiefs were glad to get one away unscathed, thanks to the read off the Tahs’ poor attacking shape before they unleashed Lowe at the right time that changed the storyline of this game.

Chiefs will now head off to Brisbane & take on the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium next Friday night, while the Waratahs will host the Crusaders at Leichardt Oval in Sydney next Saturday at 5.05 pm local time.

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There is one word to describe Jonah Lowe’s performance; that is simply unbelievable! He scored up to four tries for the Chiefs last night on the right wing, especially in the 2nd half with a hat-trick spell. He was also blessed to be called upon for the the Chiefs when they were almost overtaken for the lead at one point by the Tahs earlier in the 2nd half, and they needed fresh ideas in order to stay ahead. But he’s always ready where Lowe caught the Tahs red handed, as noticed by his teammates with their disjointed attacking shape, before he was just too good to pull off with the pace and power in the end.

Next up is Alex Nankivell in the outside back position at No.13 for the Chiefs where he also worked really hard all game. He was there to operate and protect the Chiefs in all areas, which is crucial when he was being tested defensively. That way, Nankivell can flex his attacking skillset with the ball and shield the Tahs players before one of his men were able to make it past the TRY line. Although the Waratahs almost ran them over at one stage earlier in the 2nd half. However, he has everything in mind what the opposition isn’t capable of and called on his men to do some damage; that set his Chiefs team in full throttle towards the homestretch.

And Jake Gordon was instrumental when his two tries last night alongside Alex Newsome saw the Tahs almost within close reach of the lead earlier in the 2nd half. The way how Gordon sets up the attack with the passing; and how he has the pace & leadership to outrun the Chiefs, which is incredible to watch from this individual. Yes, the ill-discipline the Tahs suffered with the Angus Bell red card & Jamie Roberts’s 10 minute naughty chair spell may bitten them a little in the first half. However, the Tahs attacking outlet simply weren’t on the same page where they struggled mightily later in the 2nd half; that cost them dearly with the heavy loss.

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It’s been such a competitive game from both Australian Super Rugby teams to look back last night at AAMI Park. Queensland Reds off to a flying start with three tries in the 1st half. Meanwhile, Melbourne Rebels also responded well as of late, where they were able to snatch top spot off the Reds at one point in the 2nd half. However, the Reds still proved what it takes to rebound, hold off & win games, as the final score was 32-36.

Unlucky from the Rebels with the narrow loss at home, especially when they came off back-to-back wins lately against the Fijian Drua & Western Force. They credit the defensive shape that got the Rebels going before the home team accrued a couple of big scoring tries, in addition, to Matt Toomua’s brilliant conversions between the sticks. Without these top players the Rebels desperately needed to support their forward pack, it wouldn’t be possible to stay in contention. It’s just going to take more time when the Rebels couldn’t maintain the lead after the Reds bounced back in the last 15-20 mins of the 2nd half.

And the Reds are high-flying once again after their win last game out v Brumbies, followed by the well-earned break last week. They were so powerful when playing attacking rugby off the back from the Rebels’ slow start. Although, there are some weaknesses the Reds need to look out for with the discipline & defense, especially when the New Zealand teams begin to play them starting next weekend. However, a few fresh faces off the bench later in the 2nd 40 saw them land the home base 1st with the win.

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Fraser McReight is one of the reasons why the Reds have a strong back-row after his outstanding performance last night on the openside at No.7. McReight took advantage of the Rebels’ problems by tackling defensively before running off and passing the ball to his teammates, who finished off his work for him. McReight also showed an exceptional balance between pace and physicality on the pitch, as he protected and looked after his team all night.

Next up is 23-year-old Lawson Creighton, who unexpectedly filled in for the majority at full-back, after Jordan Petaia had to come off at the 26th minute. Creighton has plenty of skills from his trade that served him well at Super Rugby level, including a superb mental awareness of his attacking & defensive contributions due to his six-foot height. In addition, his physicality helped the Reds team shield the Rebels’ attack at his end; and most importantly, his celerity, which enabled him to spot & intercept the Rebels’ lack of numbers through the far-right short side, leading to his own try in the 36th minute. He hopes that competition with Petaia at 15 will help the Reds stay on top going into the final six rounds of 2022, regardless of when he will start or be on the bench next game.

And Glen Vaihu caused the Reds a couple of headaches over in the left-wing last night for the Melbourne Rebels. It’s good to see him gain more Super Rugby experience as it goes, especially when graduating through the academy ranks at age 20. For the entire 80 minutes, his pace & work rate proved to be a valuable asset that helped the Rebels accrue the points they needed to stay in contention. Although the Rebels were unlucky to fall short by four points in the end (32-36), however, credit to a few returning stars that got the best out of his game, as it can only get better with the support this team needs to stay competitive at Super Rugby level.

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It’s been a huge scoring game from last night at AAMI Park between the Melbourne Rebels v Fijian Drua. Drua may have bounced back from behind late in the match and were closer to stealing this game. However, it’s the Rebels who finally secured their first win of 2022, having fired off well in the 1st half at 18-6 before they extended their lead as it goes, 42-27.

Shoutout to the Rebels with two tries and a couple of three-point penalty goals in the first half, before they kept the momentum after half-time with more big scoring points on the board even though the Drua’s late comeback melee didn’t affect them too much. And credit to their forwards who were hard at work all game with the physicality, communication, and execution, so they were able to unpack and get the job done past through the Drua’s gate. There’s still a long way to go, as they hope the Rebels can keep their key men together in the weeks ahead that would hopefully strike more wins.

And Drua were closer from behind and almost in the winning circle that would’ve marked an upset in their first few steps at Super Rugby level. We love how they utilise the substitute’s bench well into the 2nd 40 where the Drua were flying high with three tries in almost ten minutes. The pace, patience through phases, winning penalties & passage of passing, now that caused the Rebels mayhem at the other end whenever Drua touched the ball on the TRY line. If they can repeat this attacking masterpiece throughout all game, then the Drua would be too good to pull off like some New Zealand teams. But the poor first 40 and some messy play that exposed their defensive contribution, especially when trying to catch the Rebels so late, has let them down.

Drua will host the NSW Waratahs for Round 7 next Friday at Cbus Super Stadium in the Gold Coast, QLD. Meanwhile, Rebels will have the week-long off before they jet off to HBF Park in Perth for Week 8 v Western Force.

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