Super Rugby: Round 3 Wrap up

Another week, Another trio of thrilling matches in Super Rugby, admittedly, they were not all as close as we might have been expecting, but they made for great viewing regardless.

The return of James O’Connor did not end as the Queensland Reds might have hoped, with them losing by 7 points to the Highlanders. The Reds need to get their act together, and soon, because they are really struggling in the tournament so far. The Reds haven’t been helped of course by those meddling Australian police, can’t see why they need to make such a big deal of it, its only cocaine, right? O’Connor was still very impressive in his return, and his pairing with Will Genia looks like it will be one to watch. The Highlanders forced the Reds into a territorial game, a game which the Reds were not equipped to play. The Highlanders pack had the upper hand for much of the match and they made it count, while young flyhalf Marty Banks controlled the game at 10. Jake Schatz was able to get over for the Reds, but unfortunately, this was ultimately nullified by Waisake Naholo.

The Cheetahs pulled off an impressive upset victory over the Blues, although it was not without controversy. Cheetahs out half Joe Pietersen hit the match winning penalty, after the Blues were penalized for stepping back while not competing a Cheetahs maul. This is surprising considering the tactic worked last week and worked for Ireland, Saracens and more throughout 2014. Of course, Blues flyhalf Ihaia West did miss a drop goal at the death, but the argument could be made that he never should have been in that position in the first place. The Aucklanders dominated many aspects of the game, but were never able to pull away. Cornal Hendricks made the most of his opportunity with an excellent double, and Sarel Pretorius added one of his own. Jerome Kaino showed no signs of slowing up in his old age, scoring a try and looking dangerous with ball in hand throughout his 100th appearance.

The Hurricanes big signings are starting to pay off, as they smashed the Western Force 42-13. The Force are a promising young team, but they simply do not have the firepower to contend with the weapons that the Hurricanes can offer. Julian Savea scored an incredible try as he politely invited Luke Burton and Luke Morahan to get out of his way. Ben McCalman was one of the few bright spots for a Force team that seemed to have lost their usual scrappiness as they seemed to accept the battering that they were receiving. Beauden Barrett and Ma’a Nonu played very well, and Julians brother, Ardie Savea added a try of his own. One hopes that the round 1 win over the Waratahs hasn’t seen the Force become complacent, but of late they seem to be playing like it. Expect the return of Nick Cummins to have an impact, but until the Force return to their gritty style of play, they will continue to struggle.

In what was another competitive fixture in the South African conference, the Stormers squeaked past the Lions. The Lions may regret their decision to not go for posts twice as they lost the ball forward, ending the match and sealing the victory for the Stormers. Duane Vermeulen’s side is now 2 for 2 in the championship thus far, and the strength of their performances bodes well. As for the Lions who have yet to win a match, there are some positives to take out of the match. Solid in defence, the Lions kept the likes of Cheslin Kolbe and the dangerous center pairing of Damian de Allende and Juan de Jonghe from ever truly breaking the game open, and the defiant nature in which they played should give them confidence heading into their next fixture against the Blues.

In what was an unexpectedly high scoring affair, the Bulls beat the Sharks by a score of 43-35. The two sides battled in what was one of the best matches we have seen thus far in the tournament. Francois Hougaard, who scored the World Rugby try of the year in 2014 at scrumhalf returned to the wing, and within the first 25 minutes of the match he got his name on the scoresheet with a try. The Sharks are back on the right track, but their record still isn’t great and they will really need to shore up their defence if they want to improve on last years impressive season. Patrick Lambie’s kicking kept the Sharks within reaching distance, but they will need rather more besides to beat the 2-0 Stormers, who will see the return of Schalk Burger and Eben Etzebeth. The Bulls are continuously improving. with the young Handre Pollard looking better with each passing week, and young, well maybe not young, Victor Matfield leading from the front week in and week out.

If the Western Force are wondering where their trademark gritty play has gone, I would look in the Melbourne Rebels camp. The Rebels fought to the end in a very close 20-15 loss to the Brumbies. The Brumbies, who are nearly as unpredictable as the French, have righted the ship after their tough loss to the Chiefs. Tevita Kuridrani continues his explosive dominance, and the dangerous nature of those inside him, like Toomua, and Lealiifano, means that teams cannot isolate him as the focal point of the Brumbies attack. Sean McMahon’s meteoric rise continues, and he has grown rapidly over the course of the last 12 months. If Scott Higginbotham could silence his discipline problems, The Rebels could have an excellent back row, but Higginbotham consistently finds himself in the bin, and this has a major impact on the success of the Rebels. Both of these teams are on the right track, but the Rebels need to continue to grow as a team, and the Brumbies need to find their consistency, if both teams can manage that, then both will be able to go toe to toe with the likes of the Waratahs and the Hurricanes.

The Chiefs Crusaders game can be quickly summarized by watching the scene in Stepbrothers, in which Dale and Brendan walk home past the playground, and if there was some white feces in the area, have no doubt that the Crusaders would have been forced to eat it. Sonny Bill Williams continues his dominant return to Super Rugby, and he not only scored a try himself, but he also set up two others. This match did see the departure of two excellent players, Brodie Retallick, last years player of the year, and sadly, Robbie Fruean, who is only just back after missing all of last season due to heart surgery. Augustine Pulu continues to grow as a player, and Charlie Ngatai will be delighted to have gotten on the score sheet as well. The Crusaders have a lot to think about over the coming weeks, and if they are unable to return to their form of last year, they may rapidly become a non-factor. The Cheifs are looking poised to make a run for the title, and if they continue to play like this, you’d have to think they have a very good shot.