Queensland Reds

Western Force have back to back wins now. They fired off really well with the points on the board. Although the Force were inconsistent at times. Especially when they lost a few penalties to the away team. And the Tahs take over the lead later on. But never gave up until the every end. When they came from behind with ten to go. Before taking advantage of the Tahs poor line-out throw. And done enough with two late good penalty goals.

Waratahs were left gutted in the dying seconds. They did make up some lost time in the first 40. Having seen them concede via the ill-discipline. But have settled during the second 40. Such as two tries on the board. There is no fault about them defensively as of late. Especially with a few key players coming back. But the only real mistake was the poor line out just after the final hooter. Only for the Force to win a penalty & kicked into the goal. They still have a few areas to improve. Just another loss at the wrong time sadly.

In case if you missed it the Force won by a single point in Perth (31-30). As they have their finals hopes still alive going into Week 10. Then we look at another cracking game in Melbourne. Where the Rebels v Brumbies earlier this afternoon.

Melbourne Rebels got away early in the first 30-35 minutes. They may have took advantage of the Brumbies poor start. But there were a few inconsistent runs spotted there. Such as two players sit on the naughty chair. And the ill-discipline which ultimately lost their lead ahead of half-time. Rebels did make some lost time in the 2nd 40. Just unlucky when they were not patient with their attacking setup. And that hurts with a six point loss in the end.

And Brumbies got away with a win in Melbourne. They might have fallen behind at the start. But settled very well to hold on for the majority. Credit is due with the Rebels mistakes. Both with the lost penalties/disjointed talk up. And used these ball opportunities that put more pressure in return. Before they held on tight in defense. That is by making the Rebels struggle to execute. Which was enough to win that penalty after the final hooter. And cap off a great afternoon in the office. Both the bye next week and the Qualifying Final v Force or Rebels ahead.

The final score is Melbourne Rebels 20-26 Brumbies. As the home side need to win big v Waratahs away next Saturday. And see Queensland Reds beat the Force in five days. That is the only scenario if Rebels are to finish third. So they can be in the Qualifying Final for the 2nd straight year. Then have an extended run from there for a meeting v Reds in the Final.

Reds may have fired off from behind. Not only they conceded a few penalties. Their finishing was mislead. Which lead to leaked points for the first 50-60 mins. But they did make some gains from somewhere defensively. It aided them winning penalties. Where they added a couple of safe three-points into the goal.

Before the Reds were finally settled after the break. Credit to James O’Connor who produced a playmaking masterclass. He found a way to crack the Brumbies territory. Unpacking that cross-kick is one of their weapons. That influenced most of their big touch scores. Such as Josh Flook & Jordan Petaia who also learned off JOC for his 50/22 kick. As the Reds overtook a late winning move that ended up on top.

Brumbies on the other hand moved ahead immediately. They were able to get their attacking setup organised. Due to the winning penalties & ball on hand. It aided their early big scores. With two in the first 40 off Folau Faingaa. And Tom Banks who made a brilliant intercept off the poor long ball. Where no one was there to stop him.

Plus the third from Tom Wright in the second half. But unfortunately the momentum was not the same. When the Brumbies conceded plenty of ill-discipline along the way. Not only it cost them a couple of small points off the goal. It ultimately hit them hard by the final hooter. After the Reds ran from behind & produced two big scores. In which was enough for the home side to win. And it is something they must address ASAP. If the Brumbies want another championship.

While we wind back another cracking ball game from Friday. Which is the Rebels v Force in Melbourne also during Week 8.

Melbourne Rebels jumped ahead on the scoresheet early. Having oversaw the Force poor start. Such as the winning penalties. Which saw them control what they want to do with the ball. The safe shots into the goal are always there. As seen with their attacking strategy so far in 2021 Super Rugby AU. Where the home side lead by six points (12-6) at the break.

But the only weakness that ultimately robbed them is the finishing. There was long balls flying everywhere. And not one/two players picked up the ball. In order to try and complete these offloads. It is very difficult to have that communication flowing. Even from a medium to far away distance. That allowed the Force to make up lost time. Before it was too late to catch up with a narrow loss in the end.

And on Western Force. They may not have the best starts. Where their attack was not up to scratch in the initial run. But the defensive part was good. It allowed them to make some progress. That aided winning penalties along the way. With two three-point goals scored in the first half.

They continued maintaining that build up base after the break. Such as more winning penalties. As well as the ball on hand. Where both of these strengths saw them close the lead on the Rebels. Before the Force were able to bridge their executions. Thanks to Tim Anstee who came off the bench. And submitted that winning touch score with less than five to go. In they went to hold the Rebels off by the final siren. After Reece Hodge missed that drop goal attempt going wide left.

We cannot wait for Round 9 of the 2021 Super Rugby AU. It will be the Western Force v Waratahs in Perth on Saturday Night. While Melbourne Rebels take on the Brumbies next Sunday. There is no Friday game until Week 10. As Reds take the bye.

Reds wrap up in Melbourne still up front v the Rebels. They fired off with three spectacular touch scores in the first 20 minutes. Might have faltered in between on occasions. When the lost penalties slapped against them. That saw the home side began catch up to a ten point buffer at half-time. But they were able to regroup together with more big scores. So the momentum returned as it was from the beginning. Thanks to their impressive attacking setup. The more the Reds have the ball in hand. The better it will be to dictate the game and cap it off their way.

Rebels on the other hand be disappointed not to win another one at home. They eventually got the ball rolling. Especially with Frank Lomani got involved a lot more going forward. So much pace that helped put some points for this side. Plus the talkup that brought a couple of his own through the channels. The same goes to Michael Wells on his defensive contribution. Having seen him dived in the Reds poor areas and flipped into winning penalties. But sadly it is about the slow starts & inconsistent long runs. Like the fumbling & impatient setup last night. As this limit plenty of chances with the ball.

Final Score: Rebels 19-44 Reds

While we look back at the Friday night game in the same round. It was the NSW Waratahs hosting their 2nd home game of 2021. This time at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Their opponents is the defending Super Rugby AU champs ACT Brumbies.

Waratahs have improved in some ways after a tough week beforehand. Thanks to the return of usual half-back Jake Gordon. He really gave this embattled team a hand. Where the Tahs gave themselves ample time with the ball. Due to the brilliant work in defense. And were firing that picked a few touch points. But they were gutted not to get the conversion kick right after 80 mins. Tahs still need to fix their discipline. As well as the patience going forward. Then this side would be able to finally get a win. But not this game.

And the Brumbies left the SCG unscathed with the two point win. It was a close one to escape after the Tahs missed conversion kick. They were not cooperating for the majority. Having seen them lose plenty of penalties via the ill-discipline. It saw two players receive the yellow card. Most notably Tom Cusack who was hit with a double yellow that turned into red. This is one area they need to fix before their next meeting in Brisbane. But there is no doubt their attack is still superior as seen in the first 40. They got themselves on the board early. Before stayed ahead with a decent total that gave the best chance to win.

Final Score: Waratahs 22-24 Brumbies

We are going into Week 8 of 10 in the round-robin portion. Rebels will still be at home in Melbourne on Friday night. As their next meeting is against the Western Force from Perth. While Saturday night sees the Reds v Brumbies. Now we will wait and see where they will play. It will be a Queensland home game. But with the recent spike of COVID cases there. The ground is still yet to be confirmed at this stage. And the Waratahs will take the bye.