Aussie Super Rugby takes: Super Round an epic success, Aussie teams drop the ball

Super Round in Christchurch blew all expectations out of the water and surpassed many people’s hopes.

Buzzing crowds, fan engagements aplenty, and epic buy-in from non-mainstream media heightened the fan engagement from the Super sides, making it a carnival of rugby.

It was the perfect way to open the new stadium, and it was hosted in the ideal and beautiful newly reconstructed heart of Christchurch.

In a city that has seen so much destruction, the joy of having a massive festival of rugby like Super Round to open up their new One New Zealand Stadium was a full circle moment for many.

Despite the rugby not quite living up to the hype, the weekend was untainted by the Kiwi domination.

The vibes, infrastructure, food and beverage, and entertainment inside and outside the stadium were simply too awesome.

Nevertheless, we must talk about the rugby on the field because, after all, the demons have been excised from the amazing food and beverage Christchurch served up, and the ladder is in a precarious situation for the Aussie sides.

Waratahs fail to deploy Max Jorgensen in the preferred position

Try as they might, the Waratahs just weren’t able to give Max Jorgensen the space he was looking for after shifting into the no.15 jersey.

It was a night that went in a similar fashion to many others. Entries into the 22m followed by poor execution, drop balls, and breakdown in plays.

While the Waratahs were staunch during the haka performed by the Crusaders before kick-off, there was a notable difference in physicality and edge between the two sides after the first whistle.

There just wasn’t enough aggression from the Tahs team in the blunt force melees to be able to turn the tide in their favour.

Miles Amatosero and Angus Scott Young, despite being frenemies due to their pre-season scrap, really set the tone for brutality in the clean outs and around the collision area.

Nevertheless, a yellow card to Amatosero a few minutes before halftime, and then a failed HIA check saw his mass and presence leave the game at halftime, where he was replaced by Angus Blyth.

The former Queenslander was also impressive in what was a night of work rate and small moments that were promising signs. Kick charge-downs, strong carries, and whacking breakdowns.

While there were strong performers throughout the pack, the backline was less impressive.

The halves combo was inaccurate for the most part, the centres got little cut through, and besides some great injections from reserves Teddy Wilson and Triston Reilly, the back line just weren’t able to influence the game consistently.

Coach Dan McKellar was once again visibly frustrated by his players’ poor handling and costly mistakes in key areas.

While he wasn’t as concerned about Jorgensen’s lack of impact, there will no doubt be time to settle a new combination in the back three if Jorgensen is to continue at fullback.

The key is that you want Jorgo with the ball in his hand in space, but if he is in no.15, we may just see him giving the final pass as opposed to receiving it.

Which number suits him best is still up for discussion, but there’s no doubt he’s had his best moments in either no.11 or no.14.

Ever reliable Brumbies have become a rocks and diamonds side

When you think of the Canberra team, you think of hard-working, tactical, and clinical rugby; these values were not the ones illustrated for long periods on Saturday afternoon in Christchurch.

This step away from their core way of playing the game has not been a sudden jerk, but a slow drift which has been present since the early parts of the season.

Dropping balls in contact, pushing offloads, and wayward kicking have been regular mistakes in their game over recent weeks, and it has hurt the Brumbies’ season badly.

They are by no means out of the finals race, but they are only making their own lives harder. With every loss, a finals clash with the Hurricanes or Chiefs looks more and more likely.

Declan Meredith kicked the ball dead from two penalties, which otherwise would’ve given the Brumbies excellent field position to roll a couple of maul tries in, but instead, they gave up territory and possession.

It’s a mistake which is not good enough at the professional level, and yet Test centurions like George Ford made the mistake during the Six Nations this year.

Meredith, according to coach Stephen Larkham, took a lot of ownership for the thrashing, based on those two dud kicks, but few Brumbies players could say they outplayed their opposite on the night.

The only Wallaby that walked away with higher stocks was Tane Edmed, who has struggled to find form since moving to Canberra this year, but who worked hard to give the Brumbies direction.

The rocks and diamonds nature of the Brumbies is emulated in Wallaby fullback Tom Wright’s return. He is running lines and throwing passes like he was three years ago.

The running will always take time to peak after such a lengthy and serious injury layoff, but the drop balls in contact and loose passing were tough to watch.

The Brums will be without Wallaby tighthead prop Allan Alaatoa for two matches, according to Larkham, after suffering a head knock in training, a big blow for a side that needs leaders and cool heads.

Losing to the Queensland Reds, Drua twice, the Waratahs and now a thrashing by the Hurricanes is a deviation from years gone by where they have been almost perfect against the Aussies and nabbed games in Fiji.

The Brums are still in pursuit of an 80-minute performance, and that says it all when looking at where the side is as a team.

Furthermore, it’s the first game this season where they couldn’t muster a fight back to come home with a wet sail; they were just well beaten.

Queensland Reds not playing to their potential

Oh so close, but yet so far. A Super Time finale, the exciting match between the Queenslanders and the Blues truly deserved, was ruined by a penalty at the ruck after sustained phases by the Reds’ captain Fraser McReight.

Coach Les Kiss was visibly frustrated in the post-match press conference, and how could you not be? 33-a-piece in the final ANZAC clash of the ANZAC day games, and it is brought to an anticlimactic halt by a penalty like that.

What Kiss also said, which was telling, is that he believes the side still hasn’t hit a performance of 70-80% of what they are capable of. 

It certainly appears that the Reds do have much more than what they are putting out.

The loss in itself, rather than the fashion, would’ve stung more for Kiss, as his Reds had their moments to score more tries, not quite dotting the ball over the line on two occasions.

Winger Tim Ryan was foiled by his own forearm on a dot-down, and halfback Kalani Thomas was too eager when making a last-gasp effort to stretch out and touch down.

These little moments are emblematic of the little percentages that the Reds are missing from truly taking their place as Australia’s best side.

They have the cattle, the game plan, and they are starting to build the form, but they will hope they can speed up this ascension to form so as to get themselves in a favourable spot for finals.

The cattle in the form of Harry Wilson, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, and Hunter Paisami had their best games of the season on Saturday.

Wilson was back at his wrecking ball best with ball-in-hand, while Salakaia-Loto was an enforcer on both sides of the ball in the truest meaning of the word.

Belting rucks, destroying the gainline, and whacking blokes in defence, Salakaia-Loto was a stand-out even amongst the Reds’ best.

Paisami was at his own destructive best with the ball in hand, regularly sitting Blues players on their backsides and distributing with the speed and accuracy.

The Reds is the only Aussie side comparable with the ladder-leading Hurricanes as far as average meterage per carry.

At 4.05m per carry, the Reds are only just behind the Hurricanes at 4.16m, which is the closest any Aussie side has gotten to the pack leaders.

However, the point remains, the Reds are a side that have the gainline carriers and the combinations to be legitimate challengers, but they have been too slow to take off this season.

Troubles at the lineout are being mopped up by Salakaia-Loto, but without his partner in crime, Josh Canham, the set piece will continue to struggle unless LSL’s fellow pack members get across the detail.

The Reds are so close to being the side they promise to be, but they are running out of time to show it. Peaking at the right time is an art; perhaps Kiss knows something we don’t.

Despite Kiwi whitewash of the Aussie sides, rugby was the winner of the weekend

Super Round was a super success, and Christchurch is the only place currently that can host this event as it requires to be.

From the moment you stepped into the airport in Australia, rugby jerseys from across the Pacific and even the world were visible in every nook and cranny of the terminal.

People waiting in coffee lines asking about the latest team sheets, talking about which games they were going to and trash-talking each other’s teams as they boarded the planes. It was epic.

Then you bottled that excitement on the flight, and from the first moment you set foot in the Terrace in the heart of Christchurch, you were in what felt like a rugby theme park.

Instead of mascots walking around, as Mikey and Minnie do at Disneyland, you had All Blacks, Wallabies, Flying Fijians and former greats walking the streets and were very generous with their time to each and every fan.

Pubs were overflowing with people in rugby jerseys, concourses were splattered with the colours of the Pacific, and music could be heard everywhere to let you know where the crowds were gathering.

Imagine all this even before a whistle had been blown, or anyone had entered that new, beautiful stadium.

One New Zealand Stadium is something the people of Christchurch needed but also deserved. 

Talking to the residents, they said it felt like they had gone full circle from the upheaval and sorrow felt since the devastating earthquake in 2011.

The city of Christchurch is now a place of pubs, clubs, restaurants and cultural sites that most big cities would be jealous of, and along with the new stadium, the atmosphere it had during this weekend was electric.

The stadium itself is spacious, full of great food and beverages, and there’s not a single bad seat in the entire place. 

The height of the seating means you are always in the thick of the action, and it gives everyone a ‘front-row’ seat to what was a smorgasbord of rugby.

Nowhere in Australia could you achieve what happened during Christchurch’s first Super Round, and the weekend’s success is the strongest case possible to have it there once again in 2027.

Rugby in Australia, at times, can feel like it lacks a genuine supporter base; it feels as though, at times, fans aren’t truly proud of loving their sport, but that was not so during this weekend abroad.

Rowdy charter flights from Queensland, staunch Brumbies supporters in their tight-knit groups, and Wratahs fans hoping their blue would defeat the red of the hosting Crusaders.

The weekend was an awesome insight into what rugby could and should be in Australia, and perhaps a little preview of what is to come with the home World Cup in 2027.

Super Round in Christchurch and One New Zealand Stadium was a super success, no notes.