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Waratahs

Hats off to Rob Valetini who was outstanding last night on the blindside back row at the Brumbies, as he never backs down every time Valetini has the ball on hand. It goes to show that Valetini has so much physicality and some speed to burn down, having played a huge part in the Brumbies’ fantastic first-half performance that includes a try for himself. And he’s blessed to contribute in this forward pack while firing on all cylinders, where Valetini was rewarded with Wallabies experiences by his side at Super Rugby level.

Next up is Nick Frost on the second row at No.5 for the Brumbies, where he also put in a full show last night. Like Valetini, he has the tall and physical package that kept the Tahs quiet under his toes, especially when Frost made good use of the opposition’s slow start earlier on, before he held them back defensively. The Brums did pull him off the bench for a bit after he started 70 odd minutes, but he came back two minutes later where Frost prevented the Tahs from leveling the score into golden point. Imagine what Frost could do all game with credit from a productive Brumbs forward line, having scored the team’s 2nd try in the first half, as it wouldn’t be possible to get the job done without him.

And Ben Donaldson gave the Brumbies a few nightmares when running into their end, especially in the 2nd half, as he was the standout player last night at fly-half for the Waratahs. We love how he injects some pace and kicking power when Donaldson has the ball in hand, in which he can control the ball whatever he likes to play with the attack. His two assisted tries to Angus Bell & Will Harris after half-time have put the Tahs back in the contention, that almost went into extra time & have another shot towards winning, but they just left it too late following their poor start in the first half. He’s 22 right now with so much playmaking and kicking quality potential to nail down a starting Tahs spot at No.10 every week, as his contribution will send a much decent threat to any other Super Rugby team out there under his watch.

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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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