Waratahs coach Dan McKellar will be frustrated by the Waratahs’ failure to make the play-offs, as there is a sense that they are only just getting started in what is a relatively short season.
In recent weeks, they’ve started to carve out an identity based on back-line speed and attacking intent. If Super Rugby were a European-style competition in terms of length, it would really kick on over the next month.
The Waratahs need to double down on this approach because it clearly excites their younger athletes. But McKellar also needs to use the long off-season wisely.
Just as the Waratahs have worked out their identity based on the quality of their younger backs, opponents such as the Highlanders and the Brumbies have exploited the defensive weaknesses created by the Waratahs’ relative lack of leg speed up front.
The Waratahs’ forwards are too slow to reset on defence, allowing opponents to flood through that space. The Waratahs must either get fitter or recruit well up front to match their exciting younger backs.
Where Angus Crichton could fit in
The Roosters forward will bring leadership and fitness to the Waratahs next year, but he might also bring something else, if given the chance. It appears that the Waratahs see him exclusively as a No.12, but game trends are moving away from that rigid approach.
Crichton has the frame to be the modern hybrid, switching between the midfield and back row if the Waratahs are brave enough.
The Crusaders’ Leicester Fainga’anuku has a far greater impact on games as a No.7 than as a midfielder or winger, and Crichton’s involvement will similarly be far higher if he can move into the back row at certain points during the game. Rugby is evolving quickly.
Attack is the new king – look at the Champions Cup final in Spain this weekend.
Super Rugby Team of the Week
1. James Slipper (Brumbies), 2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa (Force), 3. Massimo de Lutiis (Reds), 4. Lachlan Shaw (Brumbies), 5. Jeremy Williams (Force), 6. Rob Valetini (Brumbies), 7. Carlo Tizzano (Force), 8. Harry Wilson (Reds), 9. Ryan Lonergan (Brumbies) – Player of the week, 10. Carter Gordon (Reds), 11. Tim Ryan (Reds), 12. Hamish Stewart (Force), 13. Kadin Pritchard (Brumbies), 14. Max Jorgensen (Waratahs), 15. Jock Campbell (Reds)
Leinster went all-in on Springboks defence guru Jacques Nienaber to deliver them another European crown, but the all-singing, all-dancing Bordeaux attack humiliated them 41-19 in the final.
Leinster thought they were being clever with Nienaber, but they’ve made the classic mistake of playing yesterday’s game. If Crichton is used solely as a crash-ball No.12 in rugby, it will be a waste.
Wallabies fullback race has a clear 1-2-3
It was fitting that Jock Campbell scored the winning try against Moana Pasifika on Saturday, which pushed the Reds to within a whisker of a play-off spot. The fullback has been the Reds’ MVP this year, running brilliant lines and counterattacking with aplomb.
The Wallabies have a massive call to make in the No.15 jersey for the July Tests, because two incidents in the Waratahs-Brumbies game, on both sides of the ball, showed that Tom Wright has not yet regained top speed following his ACL injury.
Max Jorgensen has impressed at No.15 since moving into what will be his long-term position, but the Wallabies might be reluctant to move him from his spot on the wing.
If it’s a form selection, the Wallabies will select Campbell first, Jorgensen second and Wright third while the Brumbies outside back works his way back to full fitness.
Super Rugby’s own ‘six again’ problem
The Force’s inability to secure a bonus-point win against the Drua on Saturday effectively locked in the top six with a round to spare. The competition is too predictable.
This column called the top six months ago – in fact, we’ve been banging on this drum for three years. It doesn’t mean Super Rugby is a rotten competition – there has been a spike in quality and intensity since Super Round – but it does mean that it is not meeting its potential.
Lomax gets his ‘welcome to the big world’ moment
Zac Lomax’s outstanding early form in rugby was partly explained by comments he made on the Kick Offs and Kick Ons (KOKO) show this week. The Origin star outlined the “respect” he has for rugby players since switching to the 15-man code, given the game’s complexity.
It hinted at a willingness to be the new boy in class despite his star status, and this has clearly served him well. Lomax’s respect for rugby would have increased after the Drua game, as it gave him another taste of what’s coming down the track at Test level.
Lomax was smashed in one second-half tackle and turned over against the big Fijians, and beaten in the air in a high-ball contest he had been dominating.
Of course, Lomax played against explosive athletes in the NRL, but rugby is a different beast. The best South Africans, French, and Argentinians await on the horizon – Lomax is to be admired for truly testing himself on the world stage.
Watch every match of Super Rugby Pacific live and exclusive on Stan Sport.
Paul Cully is a rugby columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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