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Ex-PREM coach enters the frame as Warren Gatland rejects Harlequins
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Aussie Super Rugby takes: Just take the damn points, Jorgo the saviour
Round two of Super Rugby Pacific has come and gone, and for a second week in a row, the round didn’t finish without an upset.
Strong performances from underdogs like the Highlanders and Force really gave the competition some life, and it showed there will be no ‘gimme’ games in 2026.
Big showings in the second half from the Waratahs and Brumbies mean that, for the second week in a row, the two Australian teams claim the top spots.
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The Hurricanes got their season off to a flying start against a heavily rotated Moana Pasifika side, with plenty of debutants donning the Pasifika jersey.
The contests right across the weekend were well in the balance at times, making it clear that taking your penalty kicks at goal has never been more important.
So, with another round of rugby to analyse, here are the takes on the Aussie teams after the first round.
Super Rugby Pacific
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Brumbies
2
2
0
0
10
2
Waratahs
2
2
0
0
10
3
Chiefs
2
2
0
0
8
4
Hurricanes
1
1
0
0
5
5
Blues
2
1
1
0
5
6
Highlanders
2
1
1
0
5
7
Moana Pasifika
2
1
1
0
4
8
Crusaders
2
0
2
0
1
9
Reds
1
0
1
0
0
10
Fijian Drua
2
0
2
0
0
11
Force
2
0
2
0
0
Sloppy Waratahs saved by Jorgensen in humid Sydney
Despite what was eventually a convincing 36-13 win, Dan McKellar cannot have been happy with his side’s sloppy and basic errors, particularly with the ball in hand.
It started early with young fullback James Hendren making the unforgivable error of kicking a penalty kick for line over the deadline ball line. It cost the Waratahs a perfect siege of the Drua’s try line.
The humidity in Sydney was oppressive, with the ball popping out of hands like a bar of soap, but what would’ve been even more frustrating was that the errors were coming from experienced and pivotal players in the Tahs’ setup.
While the Waratahs’ A-zone completion stats won’t be looking any better, there was nothing sloppy about Max Jorgensen.
Once again, he was the headline act, creating the momentum for the Waratahs and helping his side to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
A 25m cut-out pass from Lawson Creighton in the 36th minute hit a stagnant Jorgensen, who then proceeded to stutter step and then pull away past his rapid opposite number, Taniela Rakuro, on the outside.
As the most capped Wallabies captain said in Stan Sports commentary, Michael Hooper called Jorgensen “world-class.”
If not for a lineball call on a forward pass from Hendren to Jorgensen, he would’ve bagged a hat-trick, but he had to settle for his second double in as many weeks, with a late kick-chase try off the boot of Jack Debreczeni.
Overall, some elements frustrated McKellar. He will expect more from his leadership group on the pitch and the game drivers, to adapt to conditions more quickly in future games.
But McKellar will take two games with full points and a strong positive points differential heading into their week 3 bye week.
Brumbies’ fast finish and slow out-of-the-gate trend continues
The script was almost identical for the ACT boys in the first two rounds.
The Brumbies snuck a try just before halftime in Perth last weekend, and managed the same in Christchurch.
The story went; a slow start, only to then pull away in the second half.
An opening stanza of almost all the possession, territory, and entries into the Crusaders’ 22m zone was for naught, with the homeside being the first to score after their first raid into the visitor’s A-zone.
Initially, it looked like the Brumbies would pay dearly for their wasted opportunities, but the men from the bush capital showed poise, endeavour, and grunt to close out the game in the strongest of fashions.
A 50-24 win is one of the biggest losses by the Crusaders of all time. The win also meant the Brumbies broke their 26-year-long dry streak in Christchurch, becoming only the third non-NZ side to put 50 or more points on the Crusaders at home.
Not having won in Sader land since 2000 was a milestone hanging over this current crop of Brumbies, but they never wavered from their game plan.
It would be a great injustice to mention this triumph without heralding the input and milestone achievement of James Slipper, who notched his 200th Super Rugby cap.
Slips is only the second Super Rugby player ever to reach the double century milestone, and the first Australian to do so.
You would be forgiven for thinking he was 26, not 36 years old, as he touched down for a great supporting line try early in the game, which helped the Brumbies out of their initial rut.
Congrats, Slips, you are a legend of Australian rugby, and we are so lucky to be able to watch you notch these awesome achievements in style.
Western Force better, just not good enough
Coach Simon and his players will be kicking themselves after a 42-32 defeat at the hands of Vern Cotter’s Blues in Perth’s northern suburbs.
Joondalup was technically a home game for the Force, but the side has only played there three times.
This is not to mention the strong winds, locally called the ‘Fremantle Doctor’, causing havoc for lineout throwers and kickers alike.
At the Force’s traditional home ground, HBF Park, the stands protect against the powerful sea breezes, but on Saturday afternoon, the game was at the mercy of Mother Nature.
Both sides underestimated the power of the wind, but with the Force being less clinical than their Trans-Tasman rivals, those errors proved more costly.
The Force did exceptionally well at the scrum and provided enough variation at the lineout to offset some of their set-piece troubles, often throwing to the front catcher on the ground.
However, the troubles in the phase play attack carried over from last week.
Where last week the Force overused their forwards, they spent Saturday afternoon sending their smaller backs into a staunch Blues defensive line.
This condensed their attack yet again and was easily defended by the Auckland men.
Whenever the Force would make a half break, they failed to capitalise on the gainline ball because their next pod was too deep or their playmaker wasn’t flat enough.
Halfback Nathan Hastie was better this week, with less helter-skelter play.
Flyhalf Donaldson was good off the tee, despite the strong winds, but the game drivers didn’t put the Force into the right parts of the field.
Exiting their own half also became a foreign concept for the Force as they began to chase the game.
It’s true, the wind could have had something to do with this holstering of contestable kicks, but the complete lack of kicks was head-scratching considering the swirling nature of the winds.
The Force now head on a three-week tour of Aotearoa, where they play Moana Pasifika, the resurgent Highlanders, and the powerful Hurricanes all at home.
Coming away with one win is a must if the Force are serious about finals.
Two wins are not beyond this Force side, but it would nonetheless be a major momentum starter and boon for the men from Perth.
Take the goddamn three points when on offer
In only two rounds of Super Rugby, we have seen the benefit of bagging a quick three points when they’re on offer.
This is especially the case with a number of goalkickers who are kicking with confidence.
From the Chiefs, to the Blues, to the Highlanders and even the Force.
From top to bottom, teams that were taking the three points from penalties were altering the trajectory of games.
Rather than taking away from running rugby, it is actually appearing to spur sides on to chance their arm in the bid to outdo and outmaneuver their opposition.
In round 2, the Highlanders retained the elasticity on the scoreboard against last year’s runners-up, the Chiefs, by bagging their three points when they came on offer.
Under the roof of Dunedin, with the uni students going beserk at the ‘Zoo’, the Highlanders goalkicker, Cameron Millar, was yet again unflappable.
He nailed conversions and three-pointers to keep Jamie Joseph’s men in touch with the Chiefs.
Perhaps, had Joseph had his time again, he would have kept Millar on for the full 80, with his replacement, Reesjan Pasitoa, missing two conversion attempts that would’ve won the Highlanders the game by a single point.
The same was the case in Joondalup. Donaldson’s boot for the Force kept them in touch with a better Blues outfit.
In seasons gone by, lower teams have tried to muscle up to the big dogs, and when that has failed, they’ve been punished.
Bagging the threes is a leveller, and circumvents the need for melees that the lower sides just don’t have the punch for.
This is something that Joseph appears to have clocked, and it’s something Cron is perhaps looking at as well.
Kicking three pointers regardless of where or when is proving to be a good option.
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