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Rugby News Australia, Top 3 players from the Waratahs v Reds game in RD2 of 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

In another week running of the new Super Rugby season, the Queensland Reds were blessed to have co-skipper James O’Connor by their side at first five-eighth. He always used the best of these penalties, especially with the successful kicks into the goal. And that cross-kick assist towards Jordan Petaia for the five-point score during the first-half is unbelievable, thanks to the communication built by the Reds’ forward line so JOC can unleash his magic.

Next up, Ryan Smith has to be the game-changer here off the bench for Angus Scott-Young on the blindside, which gave the Reds some fresh legs to help themselves get past the Waratahs in the end. He has a very clear vision to unpack even with a bit of space thanks to his tall build at almost two meters. With Ryan on board, the Reds needed his help in a bid to dismantle a pack of Tahs’ defenders past the TRY line when they felt so 1-2 meters short, before he dived in down low and grounded the ball first that turned out to be the game-winning score.

All in all, JOC started and finished the game for the Reds in style under the rain, while Smith made a huge difference later in the 2nd half that helped the Reds pull off what they desperately needed in 1st place (16-20).

And the Tahs may be gutted with the narrow loss last night, but one player who stood out is Will Harris at Number 8. He had an outstanding first-half run that puts the Tahs on level with the Reds at half-time (10-10), when not only did he collect a TRY himself via the scrum feed, but he also kept a close eye on the Reds and held them down defensively when the opposition lacked numbers. We love how he outsmarted Reds’ half-back, Tate McDermott, when he pulled the trigger once the Tahs’ stayed square & finished off against Angus Scott-Young past the touch line. Unfortunately, the Tahs made a couple of messy mistakes towards the end. Not only did it isolate their finishing opportunities with the ball, but it also exposed their defense before James O’Connor kicked the ball into touch after the 80th minute and it’s too late.

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Rugby News Australia, Queensland Reds v Melbourne Rebels Game Review in RD2 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

It’s been a wet and wild night when playing under the rain at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, especially during the 2nd half as the Queensland Reds came out firing on top with the win v Melbourne Rebels, 23-5.

Brilliant start by the Queensland Reds, who kickstarted their 2022 campaign with the early lead. Like how they were patient while sorting out their attacking shape, when Harry Wilson at No.8 produced a short-ball assist to Taniela Tupou towards the TRY line that bagged them five to seven points. Although they were able to extend the scoreboard lead a little further ahead of the break at 13-5 thanks to the two penalty goals from James O’Connor, but the Reds need to watch their discipline if they are to stop the Rebels from scoring after half-time. They later managed to wrap this up comfortably even in the uncomfortable wet conditions, thanks to another Harry Wilson masterclass with the TRY this time via the short-ball assist from O’Connor. And full-back Jock Campbell rounded off the Reds’ 3rd and final TRY of the night in the 80th minute.

Meanwhile, the Rebels were excellent as always when it comes to the defense. They read it well when the Reds were not up to scratch earlier on, as one of their winning penalties/advantages was successfully converted into a TRY via a five-meter line-out, thanks to Brad Wilkin on the openside flanker role. They just need to be a bit more patient when being given the ball, watch the opposition sink with more mistakes and the Rebels can see light at the end of the tunnel come full-time. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t make the most of these opportunities when it comes to sorting out their attack & trying to get past the Reds zone. Not even the heavy rain has changed the game that much later in the 2nd half.

The Reds will head off into New South Wales where they will face the Waratahs on Friday night at Leichardt Oval, as both teams are in the Top 2 right now on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder with the Brumbies v Western Force game to come tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Rebels will return home in Melbourne for another Saturday night clash in 7 days at AAMI Park v Western Force from Perth.

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Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Queensland Reds v Melbourne Rebels Game in RD1 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

Well done to Number 8 Harry Wilson, who played a big part in the Queensland Reds’ opening-round win for 2022 v Melbourne Rebels tonight. He brings so much to the table that a Number 8 usually contributes on the field, such as smashing through the opposition territory, spotting the Rebels mistakes defensively & building teamwork before he combined all of these skillsets that helped the Reds successfully unleash past the TRY line. And to top it off, he walked away with one assist in the 1st half via a short-ball offload towards Taniela Tupou on far left, plus a TRY for himself later in the 2nd half thanks to an inside pass from James O’Connor. He even clearly grounded the ball down just on the TRY line which was enough to award him a big score!!

Then we look at another Reds player on display, this time it’s James O’Connor at first five-eighth, who just played his 100th Super Rugby game tonight. The kicking through the two posts was brilliant as always, which helped extend the Reds’ early lead further in the first half. Beyond that, he’s an exceptional playmaker when organizing the attack through the channels. Not only does JOC love to create cross kicks as one way to get past the opposition through the gate, but his vision & leadership when offloading to his men with some room, have helped exploit the Rebels past the TRY line. And that one example where he assisted an inside pass to Harry Wilson, in another successful five-point touch score after half-time is exceptional teamwork planted right there.

These two men are key to the Reds’ hot start in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific campaign, should they seek another successful spell even they will be facing the New Zealand teams at some point.

And Brad Wilkin did well to spot the Reds’ mistakes earlier on with some ill-discipline defensively. It allowed his Rebels side to put the pressure back to the home team, when being given the ball where Wilkin was blessed with the penalties that saw him nail down five points by himself via the five-meter line out. But a lack of executions & patience has let him down that led to more Rebels mistakes of their own, not even the heavy rain didn’t help change their game that much.

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NSW Waratahs v Fijian Drua Game Review in R1 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

After a winless 2021 campaign of 13 games, the Waratahs have finally ended their long-running drought last night with a comfortable 40-10 win v Fijian Drua at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, NSW.

It’s great to see the Tahs forward pack make up most of the work earlier on in the 1st half at 21-3, where Will Harris and Dave Porecki added a couple of big scores through the TRY line with credit to the Drua’s dirty work via the advantage. They’re able to build on that comfortable start after the break when another forward at tighthead in Angus Bell produced two brilliant finishes, one for an assist to Inside midfielder, Lalakai Foketi, and another for himself thanks to the offload from the returning Jed Holloway on the second row. And their skipper at half-back, Jake Gordon stole a messy Drua attacking shape, when he intercepted the ball on the 10-metre line & ran over halfway on the run home that summed up the Tahs flying start to 2022.

Meanwhile, the Fijian Drua may not get what they wanted with the loss during their first game at Super Rugby level. Their series of disciplinary mistakes not only worsened their defense but also limited their time in the attack against the Tahs territory, especially at one point in the 2nd half. They just rushed through it with numbers all over the place, before Jake Gordon exploited their weakness & ran off over half the pitch towards the touch zone that cost more huge points on the board. There are some moments made, however, when fly-half Baden Kerr scored their first-ever points on the board, while we covered skipper & No.8 Nemani Nagusa on the Top 3 players list, who scored the Drua’s first-ever TRY later in the 2nd half. It’s still early days though as it will take time to become competitive, especially when facing the Australian and New Zealand teams regularly.

The Tahs will remain at home next week, but this time they will be at Leichardt Oval where they will welcome another State of Origin rivalry v the Queensland Reds, who will be facing the Melbourne Rebels at (Suncorp Stadium) home in Brisbane tonight.

Meanwhile, the Drua will head off to Canberra for another tough encounter v Brumbies at GIO Stadium next Saturday at 2.35 pm.

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Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Waratahs v Fijian Drua Game in RD 1 of 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

We gotta say that Angus Bell is one of the brightest stars in the making for the Waratahs at loosehead prop last night. We love the way he contributed to their attacking line, where he just never stops running and smashing through against the Fijian Drua territory. That kind of teamwork built from the beginning made him even a better player after the break, when not only did he assist Lalakai Foketi with the TRY but Bell also touched a huge score himself, as his hard work reflected the Tahs brilliant start to the new Super Rugby campaign.

Then there’s another Tahs forward to look out for is Dave Porecki in the No.2 shirt at hooker. His throw-ins have been spot-on as always before he used so much physicality to push through his opponent team into shreds that reflected an outstanding 1st half. Now he may have the early mark after just over 50 minutes on the pitch, but Poreki left the Tahs with a healthy lead at the break so they can finish the job for him while he rests up for Round 2 next Friday v Queensland Reds at home (Leichardt Oval).

Nice to have a mix of youth and experience team up together that saw the Tahs stay ahead all game long v Drua.

And yes, it may be Fijian Drua’s first game in Super Rugby with the loss but how about we applaud the skipper & No.8 Nemani Nagusa, who just scored their first-ever try during the 2nd half in the 62nd minute. He has tons of leadership and experience being taught from his time over in Europe, where his contribution when being given the ball gave his side a boost when it comes to penalties. These kinds of penalties allowed him to get the job done, having tapped and go with a bit of space and read before he crossed the TRY line down low. This team is in its early days right now as it will take time to get competitive, but it’s just not their night when a series of disciplinary errors led to an isolated defence that gave Drua little time to sort out their attack.

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2022 Super Rugby Pacific Preview

by Admin

2022 is a big shakeup for super rugby. The competition includes three new teams and is now exclusive to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Despite the changes, this season should still be incredibly exciting.

Australian Teams

The closest thing we have had to super rugby over the last three years was the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman series last year. It was a series in which the Australian teams struggled massively, only winning two games against the five New Zealand teams in the competition.

It looks likely to be another year where Aussie teams will struggle. The Brumbies once again look to be the pick of the Australian teams despite the Reds winning their first domestic title in Super Rugby Australia last season. The Queensland Reds will be looking to compete thanks to a variety of international players like Taniela Tupou and Tate McDermott.

The Waratahs, Force and Rebels will all be looking for spots in the knockout stages, but it will not be easy. The Waratahs do see captain Michael Hooper return for 2022, but they still look to be towards the bottom end of the table. Both the Force and Rebels have lost a lot of test experience over the last year and it will sadly hurt them this season.

New Zealand Teams

After dominating the Trans-Tasman series last year, it looks to be another Super Rugby season dominated by Kiwi teams.

Favourites for their fourth title, the Crusaders have a wealth of international talent led by two time reigning player of the year Richie Mo’unga. Their talent also includes Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, George Bridge as well as recent addition Pablo Matera. They may have some competition for their fourth title in a row.

The Blues are welcoming back Beauden Barrett, while still having internationals like Rieko Ioane, Nepo Laulala and Dalton Papalii. They come into 2022 off the back of winning the Trans-Tasman series. The Chiefs could be a surprise this season despite the losses of Damain Mckenzie and Lachlan Boshier. The Chiefs have one of the most talented set of forwards in Super Rugby which could dominate any team on any day.

The Highlanders and Hurricanes both have a huge amount of talent on the squads. But the Highlanders will struggle having lost a third of their starting XV from the Trans-Tasman final. They have a brilliant leader in Aaron Smith, but will struggle to progress in the tournament. Similar situation for the Hurricanes with some major losses coming into the season. But the Hurricanes add Dom Bird and TJ Perenara and could surprise a few people this season.

Two New Pacific Teams

This season features two new teams, both based in the Pacific Islands. After many years of lobbying, the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika will join Super Rugby. Starting with the Fijian Drua. They have had a difficult preparation for Super Rugby due to COVID issues, meaning the squad is based on the NSW North Coast as they could not prepare in Fiji. It looks like the team will need some time to adapt to Super Rugby’s intensity. Their squad contains Olympic champions Napolioni Bolaca, Kalione Nasoko and Meli Derenalagi. Don’t be surprised if Fijian Drua make a push for the knockout stages this season.

The second new team is Moana Pasifika, made up of players from New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga and Australia, including 18 former or current internationals. Much like Fijian Drua, it will be a season of getting used to Super Rugby for Moana Pasifika. 110 capped Australian Sekope Kepu is captain for the 2022 season, bringing a huge amount of experience to the new team. Moana Pasifika will be very exciting in the upcoming season, but don’t expect them to be near the top of the table come the end of the season.

The Loss of South African Teams

The reshaped 2022 Super Rugby does not include any South African teams, after their Super Rugby licenses expired after the 2020 season. It does seem odd going into a Super Rugby season without the Bulls, Sharks, Lions or Stormers. Their exclusion opens the floor up a lot for either the New Zealand teams to take over or opportunities for the new teams or the Australian teams to step up.

Super Rugby is going to look very different this season. Losing the South African teams is big for the competition. Despite not competing with them domestically, South Africa is still playing against New Zealand, Argentina and Australia in the Rugby Championship. It does show some disjointed thinking when it comes to Super Rugby’s thinking. But the 2022 changes bring plenty of opportunities for Pacific Island teams who have been trying to get into Super Rugby for years.

Predictions

In this new look Super Rugby, it looks as if it will be a few years until the new teams or the Australian teams can compete with the talent of the New Zealand teams. 2022 looks to be a similar story.

Working from the bottom up, I think the four teams that are likely to miss out on the knockout stages are most likely to be the Rebels, Force, Waratahs and Moana Pasifika. These teams just don’t have the talent to move any higher. In terms of the teams to get stuck at the quarterfinals, I could easily see these teams being the Hurricanes, Highlanders, Fijian Drua and the Brumbies. The Brumbies could be the surprise package this year, with the talent their squad possesses.

But this season will be dominated by the New Zealand teams. The Reds will be the exception to this, looking likely to at least reach the semi-finals. In an emotional season, the Chiefs will also be targeting a semi-final push, but it may be slightly too difficult for them to get past either of the two teams left.

These two aren’t exactly surprising to anyone who has followed Super Rugby over the last five years. The Blues welcome back Beauden Barrett after his time in Japan, the team has talent in all areas. But the Blues don’t quite have the two time reigning Super Rugby Player of the year.

I think at the end of the season, the Crusaders will lift their fourth title in a row. A team with Richie Mo’unga, Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, Sam Whitelock and Joe Moody is too much talent for any team to compete with when you reach the knockouts. The Crusaders will win their fourth title in a row.

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Rugby News, Stephen Larkham announces return to the ACT Brumbies as head coach for a 2nd spell in the 2023 Super Rugby Season

by Sports Benches

Great to see Stephen Larkham announce his return back home as soon as the current United Rugby Championship wraps up in Europe mid next year at Irish provincial club, Munster, not only he’s doing that to prioritize his kids’s future but also will take up the Brumbies Head Coach role for the second time in 2023 by the time Dan McKellar fully commits to the Wallabies backroom setup especially during a World Cup year.

When Larkham first took the top job in Canberra, the Brumbies have been present to the Super Rugby Playoffs every year under his watch (2014-2017), although the round-robin ladder position has improved consistently when they finished 4th during his last two years but unable to get out of the Quarter Finals at the same time.

His highest Playoffs finish was the semi-final where the Brumbies was beaten twice by the eventual champions, Warataths in 2014 & Hurricanes in 2015 while at Munster as Senior Coach, Larkham continued to carry his strengths in the regular games having topped the Conference B group last season & gone one better to the final this time but only lost to Leinster.

Right now his Munster group has some work to do for the Irish Shield title where they sit 3rd behind Ulster and Leinster by 5 points (19) but that competition group is running hot in the same position when it comes to the overall ladder & have an extended shot towards the main trophy via knockout rounds.

If he can keep up the progress with Munster for the rest of the season and knick at least a silverware on their trophy cabinet, then there’s no doubt Larkham is going to come back as a better coach this time around that will send a huge warning signal to all other Super Rugby clubs.

He’s learned a lot from a variety of elite coaches both as a player and coach himself for a long time, now he’s ready to continue the hard work Dan McKellar set up & transfer all that European adventure into being the Brumbies’ own Crusaders-esque team in Australia.

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Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Wales v Wallabies Game at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff

by Sports Benches

Tomos Williams had a great game today as the starting half-back for Wales when he oversaw the Wallabies mistakes in the 1st half, from there he made quick and wise decisions with the ball including that short pass assist to Ryan Elias thanks to the five meter penalty line-out towards the touch zone.

And he’s such a great communicator that allows him to build ample time on how he wanted his Welsh side to attack which helped them accrue the maximum points possible when they invade the Wallabies half.

Next up is Ellis Jenkins who put a great shift as starter on the Welsh blindside where he knows how to keep the Wallabies quiet, this is reflected when he possesses great vision & physicality in defensive which is the same thing he found during the maul that saw him help Tomos Williams assist Ryan Elias with Wales’s opening TRY.

He went on to have a well-earned rest with 20 minutes left having utilised that time during the Wallabies’ lowest ebb via their ill-discipline & build some momentum when Wales leapfrogged the Wallabies for the lead under his watch.

Folau Faingaa made a instant impact off the bench not long after half-time when he came on for Tolu Latu at hooker, he was a brilliant support player in the Wallabies attack including that short ball assist to Filipo Daugunu who scored a TRY in the 70th minute plus he’s a handy tackler in defense based on his vision & physicality at the same time.

All of the skill sets he demonstrated help the Wallabies be on the same page was Wales until the very end, his side were just unlucky to hold off even though they played with 14 men for the majority off the back of ill-discipline.

#WALvAUS #Wallabies #Wales #MillenniumStadium #Rugby #RugbyUnion #AutumnNationsSeries #InternationalRugby #TomosWilliams #EllisJenkins #FolauFaingaa

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Wallabies finish their three week 2021 European tour without a win in a close loss v Wales at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff

by Sports Benches

Well it’s gutting to see the Wallabies finish their three-week 2021 European Tour without a win even though they were so close v Scotland & Wales, they fired off well & always kept themselves in contention which is a good effort 100% but there’s plenty of ill-discipline especially when Rob Valetini received a red carded in the 1st half that hit them the most & it allowed Wales to fight back before it became difficult to stop in the end.

For Wales, love the way they respond when the ball was given to them which bossed the field of play having gone from a slow start to a narrow 1st half lead at half-time (16-13). Although the momentum began to be eaten up by the Wallabies later on but the home team never slipped out of contention when another TRY plus a few penalty goals including the 80th minute was enough to derail the Wallabies day at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The final score is a one point difference (29-28) with Wales gone wild in front of their home supporters as the 2021 Autumn Internationals have came to an end, Domestic rugby will resume next week in Europe & South Africa while we get watch Cricket & Tennis back home before Super Rugby returns in February next year.

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Rugby News, Australia continue their 2021 European Tour with another defeat against England at Twickenham Stadium

by Sports Benches

The Wallabies lost yet again in Europe having fell short last week v Scotland in Murrayfield by 12 points at 15-13, however, they were beaten so easily by England especially in the 2nd half thanks to messy discipline that wasted a lot more time until its too late.

Yes, they have built some three-point penalty goals in a way to keep themselves in contention, but the execution such as the long throws through the wide areas is appalling and needs to regroup going into Wales next Saturday.

And England are on fire today at Twickenham where they responded well from the Wallabies early three-pointer thanks to full-back Freddie Steward, having taken advantage of their poor discipline with a four-point lead at half-time (16-12) before England continued to be blessed by more Wallaby mistakes left, right & centre that accrued two more penalty goals followed by a sensational finish to the game (Final Score: 32-15) by sub hooker Jamie Blamire, who scored six tries from his first four International games.

Next up the Wallabies will finish their 2021 European tour when they will meet Wales next Saturday at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, while England face off the Springboks from South Africa at the same time.

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