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Despite only four Super Rugby Pacific matches being scheduled, there was no shortage of talking points to fill space over the weekend.
As if his side’s 33-14 loss to the Brumbies wasn’t enough hurt for one weekend, Western Force coach Simon Cron was faced with news that he might soon be managing a player share arrangement with new NRL franchise, the Perth Bears.
Imagine that? Like Super Rugby isn’t hard enough already, without having to integrate league players into the team one week, and then the next week losing Carlo Tizzano and Ben Donaldson out of the starting line-up because they’re rostered on to play the Manly Sea Eagles?
Nobody can deny how the fiercely outcomes-driven Peter V’Landys consistently delivers for the NRL and NSW Racing. And perhaps one of the reasons behind his success is because while so much of what he says is such utter tripe, he has no embarrassment or shame filter and simply ploughs on regardless?
With the Force having recently embarked on a round of redundancies in order to trim operating costs, it’s not out of the realms of possibility that Andrew Forrest – no matter the depth of his pockets – would consider a proposal for the Force to share front-of-house functions.
But player sharing? This is elite, professional sport, with rugby and league players flat out keeping pace with many of the world’s best in one sport, let alone a second. Not to mention team cohesion markers plunging through the basement. The only thing that the Force and Bears would share out of any such arrangement is the wooden spoon.
Things didn’t stop there with V’Landys writing to the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee, eyeing up a berth for rugby league at the Olympic Games.
“As the fastest, most athletic and accessible ball-in-hand football game that exists on the planet, rugby league epitomises the Olympic Creed of ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter – ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together’,” he wrote.
“The NRL anticipates the media interest and exposure in rugby league at the Olympics would be significant, providing considerable promotional opportunities for the Organising Committee and others in the broader Olympics ecosystem to leverage,” V’Landys added.
Faced with that onslaught, one wonders if Rugby Australia shouldn’t just tell the Lions not to bother coming, and finally run up the white flag for the sport in Australia; particularly with V’Landys brazenly ripping ‘ecosystem to leverage’ straight out of Phil Waugh’s’ playbook.
On the off chance the Lions tour is still on, there was plenty of interest around Andy Farrell announcing his 38-man squad, to be captained by Maru Itoje.
Getting the jokes out of the way about there being more New Zealanders and as many Australians and South Africans than Welshmen in the party, this does look like a strong and well-balanced side, albeit shy of one more big, specialist second-rower.
When the biggest source of friction is a pointless argument over whether English flanker Henry Pollock is a bolter or not, that suggests that Farrell has things about right.
Yes, there were unlucky players, as there always are – Jack Willis, Darcy Graham and Dewi Lake among the most prominent – but there will be hot competition for the match-day 23 and a cracking series awaits.
A challenge of a different kind awaits NZ Rugby, who last week delivered their 2024 financials, reporting a $19m loss on record revenue of $285m.
Reasons for the exploding expenditure line? The cost of running the All Blacks increased from $76m to $84m and administration costs rose from $22m to $28m. Throw in some foreign exchange losses and the money pit that is NZ Rugby’s own content and digital platform, NZR+, and there’s your sorry-looking equation.
With ongoing broadcast revenue expected to decline, Sydney-based NZ Rugby chair David Kirk, who in his role as head of the player’s association advocated against the private equity deal struck with Silver Lake, is now tasked with making it work.
What’s interesting for Australian fans contemplating how a promising start to Super Rugby Pacific has settled into a more familiar ‘two teams in the top six’, is the increase in annual allocation that was made to each of New Zealand’s professional franchises from $4.3m to $5.4m.
After a run of decreasing allocations for Australia’s Super Rugby franchises there’s a fair case to be made that the Australian sides – no matter their week-by-week inconsistencies – are actually overachieving.
Josh Canham is tackled by Andrew Kellaway. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
That’s not something that can be said for the Wallaroos who, despite putting in a brave effort, are no closer to achieving a breakthrough win against New Zealand, this time falling 38-12 in Newcastle.
With the set piece contest fairly even, the difference between the sides came at the gain line – the Black Ferns were consistently more powerful, dynamic and direct in attack and more punishing in defence.
Perhaps the Black Ferns were short of a run – their error rate was far higher than what they would have liked. But with the Wallaroos able to lift intensity and urgency for long periods of the second half, in the process avoiding a repeat of some of the recent blow-outs, this feels like a small step forward for Jo Yapp’s side.
Friday night opened with a dull match in Suva; the Blues setting up camp in the Drua half and hammering away mercilessly. In the end, conceding just five tries in a score of 34-5 almost felt like a win for the Drua, although it probably spoke more to the Blues opting to keep things tight, still striving to rediscover the narrow power game that served them so well last year.
As for the Drua attack? With the Blues choking them down so effectively, there simply wasn’t any to speak of. Their ball runners will be hoping the Force push a few more risky passes in Lautoka next week and the play opens up.
While the imbalance in games played paints a false picture, the Blues have clawed their way up to 5th place.
It’s early days, but keep an eye on 20-year-old midfielder Xavi Taele, who has come through NZ age group teams into Super Rugby. Playing heavier than his size suggests, he added another fine match to his already strong debut season tally.
The Waratahs’ best performances this year have been built on assertive defence. That plan played out in the first quarter, with the home side jumping to a 14-0 lead.
But two smart pieces of play turned things for the Reds. Chasing hard after a kick through, Lachie Anderson resisted the temptation to dive on a covering Triston Reilly, and instead managed to hold him up over the goal-line.
Then, awarded a free kick at the ensuing 5m scrum, Tate McDermott had the presence of mind to hold his tap and run until he’d gone back to the correct mark at the base of the scrum. Despite the detour he was still too quick for a napping Waratahs defence, slithering in under the posts.
The Waratahs gave plenty and stayed in the fight, but a yellow card to a much-improved Taniela Tupou, and Fraser McReight’s best match of the year, helped the Reds to dominate field position in the second half.
The winning try came when Anderson ran onto a well-placed cross kick by Filipo Daugunu, with Anderson celebrating in the time-honoured way by getting married the next day!
Leading 19-3 on the stroke of half-time, there was much to like about the Crusaders’ connected defence and clinical finishing.
But in the blink of an eye, they were behind 22-19, the Chiefs successfully managing to jolt them out of their comfort zone.
That scoreline blew out to an impressive 35-19, with the final try to Wallace Sititi an emphatic stamp on proceedings. It’s worth a second look if you get the chance – a series of crunching hit-ups and accurate, dynamic clean-outs – putting all opposition sides on notice ahead of the finals.
You could almost reach through the television and feel the warmth in Luke Jacobson’s shoulders during his post-match interview.
As the Hurricanes showed last week, the Chiefs aren’t unbeatable, but when they set their mind to things – and with the luxury of a power-packed bench – they appeal as the side in this competition most adept at Test-match, finals winning rugby.
Ex-Force players gathered for a 20-year anniversary celebration must have come away from the match in Perth pondering how little things have changed across two decades.
This felt like a familiar template – the Force always combative and competitive at home, but too frantic and prone to throw the ball onto the boot and chase instead of building pressure on the opposition defence.
As a result, the Force consigned themselves to making a whopping 303 tackles, and it was no wonder that when the Brumbies upped the ante in the final quarter, holes started to appear.
Much was made of the Brumbies final try securing them a ‘valuable’ bonus point, but looking at the table I’m not sure it’s of any consequence.
The Brumbies currently sit two points ahead of the Crusaders, who have a game in hand. With those two sides due to meet in the final round it’s highly likely from here that it is wins – and the winning of that match in particular – that will determine their respective final ladder positions.
At this stage though, it feels like that battle is for second place, with the Chiefs having matches against Moana Pasifika and the Highlanders to come.
That should be enough to secure them well-deserved home ground advantage during the finals – imagine how invincible they would be if they got a player share arrangement happening with the New Zealand Warriors?