Aussie Super Rugby takes: Wallabies selections, Brumbies not out of the woods

Super Rugby Pacific round-13 delivered some telling results and some great rugby.

The Crusaders began their predictable charge towards the finals, with Leicester Fianga-anuku leading from the front, going from strength to strength in his new hybrid role in jersey no.7.

The Queensland Reds and the Chiefs went to war, and both sides showed that they are ready for finals footy.

The Hurricanes dispatched with a ever gallant Moana Pasifika, the Waratahs had an up-and-down game against a good Highlanders side, and the Brumbies returned to their winning ways against the Western Force.

What has become apparent is that the three tiers in Super Rugby are pretty accurate indicators of where the power lies, and this bodes badly for Aussie sides.

Finally, with the Test window only weeks away, national selection debates and consistent performances are beginning to actually mean something, as finals for Super Rugby draw near.

So, with a new batch of rugby games to analyze, here are the takes on the Aussie teams after the latest round.

Queensland Reds’ toe-to-toe battle with Chiefs shows they are finals-ready

The Queenslanders showed that, even against extraneous circumstances, they have built into a team that can genuinely challenge in this competition, just in time for finals.

Each week now, we see their Wallabies step up, the game plan become clearer, and execution cleaner.

This is not to mention the confidence coach Les Kiss and the rest of the side will get from seeing Wallabies flyhalf Carter Gordon complete 30 minutes of rugby.

Many people have been singing Harry McLaughlin-Phillip’s praises as one of the form no.10s of the season, and rightly so, he has been consistent and has built a handy all-round game; however, Gordon is different gravy.

The width Gordon wants to play with and the width he can achieve almost effortlessly with his pass are unique to him.

Off just one or two steps, Gordon can spiral a 25m pass and put it on a dime. HMP plays more directly and cannot distribute like this, but the pair worked in tandem at the weekend.

HMP spent 50 minutes sending Seru Uru, Hunter Paisami, and Josh Flook directly into the faces of Quinn Tupaea and the other Chiefs in centre field, which forced them to contract.

Then, when Gordon came on, he used that to his advantage as he skipped out past the Chiefs’ contracted defence and found his wingers in space.

This combination of playmaking styles, the welcoming back of Lachie Anderson on the wing and the form uptick from Wallabies like Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight, Zane Nonggorr, and Matt Faessler, the side is coming together at the right part of the season.

Finally, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto is going from strength to strength.

In the last month or so, the enforcer has bullied the Crusaders, Blues, Brumbies, and most recently the Chiefs pack, where he ran over one of the staunchest tacklers in the comp, in captain Luke Jacobsen.

He is the best tighthead lock in the comp, on either side of the Tasman and out into the Pacific.

In saying this, the lineout is a big concern, and so is the scrum; the Reds won’t be in the race to win the comp unless they sort their set piece out ASAP.

The Reds will likely finish fifth, with an opportunity to sneak into fourth.

They are almost certain to face either the Blues or Chiefs in New Zealand in their bid for finals glory.

Waratahs show too little too late, but they definitely showed something

The Waratahs have tended to take a while to get going in games in 2026, scoring a bulk of their points in the final 20 minutes of each match.

The fact that they play their best rugby when they are chasing games is not a positive.

It appears they only find true motivation when their backs are against the wall; that type of pressure seems to make them more clinical and more dominant in their tasks.

Despite their poor first half, the Waratahs definitely found more space for their elite weapons in Max Jorgensen and Joseph Aukuso Suaalii.

It was evident that the game plan was to get them the pill early, with plenty of time and space.

Shock horror, that tactic worked.

While the Waratahs’ attack structure wasn’t any clearer or better, the talent is such amongst these players, as well as Sid Harvey, that even with an extra half a metre and a second, they can produce something spectacular.

Poor discipline cost the Waratahs, as well as some jitters from Harvey over the line, but they were creating opportunities.

Clem Halaholo made a welcome return for the Tahs as he muscled over the advantage line and whacked the Highlanders in defence. 

He worked in tandem with enforcer Miles Amatosero, who had another stellar showing.

Reserve halves combo, Jack Bowen and Teddy Wilson, were impressive and definitely added impetus when they came on. 

If you are Coach Dan McKellar, you would almost have to consider starting the duo next week. They controlled the tempo, lifted it, and then found the strike weapons in space, with good variation between run, kick, and pass. As stated before in this column, the issue with the Waratahs is that there are not a lot of ready-made combinations in the team, and very little shared knowledge, despite the relatively star-studded team sheet.

2026 is not the year of the Tah, but 2027 might be, but as Jamie Pandaram reports in his News Corp column over the weekend, a lot of the Tahs roster is off contract next year.

If McKellar wants to see improvements and have a shot at the finals, he must work to keep a bulk of the squad together and perhaps take a different approach to how the side runs its attack shape.

This is because, after two years, some of Australia’s brightest stars are not understanding how to run the attack shape, and it would seem daft to believe they aren’t skillful enough to execute a sound plan.

Brumbies steady the ship in time for the bye, but it’s not all positive

Coach Stephen Larkham’s Weetbix would’ve tasted a lot better on Sunday morning, after nabbing the win at home to the Western Force.

It was looking dire and nervy before the game for the franchise that has for so long been the standard setter for Aussie rugby, but this win was hardly a performance that will put any of the top Kiwi sides on notice.

The Force put up a great fight, but the Brumbies were good enough to pressure them away from their game; the Brumbies squeezed the life out of the Western Force.

For the Brumbies, the same issues remain: how to build go-forward when your roster doesn’t have the firepower on the teamsheet.

Time after time, the Force managed to repel them due to staunch defence, smart jackling from Carlo Tizzano and Brandon Paenga-Amosa, and a speed in their defence that threw the ponies off kilter.

The Force are hardly the best side at all of these skills, so it is a worry that the Brumbies struggled once again in the A-zone.

Larkham will welcome the bye-week, allowing his soldiers to rest, get away from footy, and recharge, ready for a furious finals dash.

Players like Kadin Prtichard have received a spell already, but the likes of David Feliuai, try scorer Lachie Shaw, and Corey Toole have all played big minutes.

If the Brums are to be successful in their bid for finals and avoid playing the Hurricanes in the first qualifying final, then these players are going to have to come back from the break, raring to go.

The Brums can’t afford any player to be off their game, and they need their Wallabies contingent at their absolute best.

It was another rocks and diamonds night for Wallaby fullback Tom Wright, and it must be said, his woes are adding to a long list of handling and decision errors being made by other members of the team.

The Brums’ destiny is in their own hands; they must take the bye and come back prepared to go beyond anywhere they have gone before.

Wallabies selection calls near as Zac Lomax, Jock Campbell, and Hunter Paisami push their case

With the first Wallabies Test of 2026 now less than two months away and seemingly only two Aussie sides looking to make finals, the conversation about national squad selection is more relevant than it has been all season.

Western Force and Waratahs players appear only to have three more games where they can push their case, while the Brumbies and Reds players will likely have a fourth to shine and impress Joe Schmidt and Les Kiss.

This means that decisions on selections in the coming weeks will come down to micro skills, how players deal with pressure, and who can continue to perform no matter the setting or opposition.

Jock Campbell at the Queensland Reds has had his best Super Rugby Pacific season to date, and although he has been in the Test wilderness since 2022, the fleet-footed Queenslander has been the pick of the Aussie fullbacks.

His all-round game is as good as any other, and the fact that he has added a metre or two of pace means that gaps he previously only challenged, he is now breaking clean through.

He has also added some strength and reliance to his seemingly slight frame, and that counts for a lot at the next level.

His Queensland teammate, Paisami, at inside centre, has truly gone to a new level due to his newfound consistency, both throughout matches and week to week.

There is no other no.12 in Aussie rugby domestically that hits as hard as him, runs as straight as him and has the diverse skillset that he does.

The fact that he has now added consistency to his game means his selection for the Test arena becomes an almost undeniable asset.

This is because he already has a well-established Test partnership with Len Ikitau, and an even stronger partnership with his club partner, Josh Flook, who, despite heading to Benneton in Italy, will likely feature in gold in 2026.

Although Paisami is heading to Japan, there’s no escaping that he is entering his prime as a centre.

It would be a shame, but oh so Australian rugby, to cast his experience and now accrued knowledge out the window when we could most benefit from the time and resources put into him.

This trust in those who have been around for a long time and who have earned their stripes is in stark contrast to the stars who have exploded onto the scene and forced us to watch their every move.

While Sid Harvey, Treyvon Pritchard, and Mac Grealy have all been stellar, it’s Zac Lomax who has been a cut above.

Although he has a lot to learn, Lomax has shown that his physical prowess, unique vertical leap, and hard work ethic to learn the game of rugby, have made him a difference maker.

He stands out because he is hunting moments, chasing down opportunities to impact the game, and he isn’t scared of being himself.

At 106kgs and 190cm, Lomax is the biggest outside back available for Wallabies selection, even bruisers like Dyland Pietsch and Filipo Daugunu are a few kilograms and a few centimetres shy of Lomax.

Lomax is a six-time State of Origin representative, and as the three-game series is the pinnacle for rugby league in the world, the calibre of players who are selected is very high.

As such, it is no wonder Lomax’s raw athletic ability and work rate are such a standout even after just a handful of games.

This is not to say that Lomax is Wallabies-ready now, or even bound for the July Tests, but in his limited minutes, he has outshone other players who have garnered several dozen Super Rugby caps.

Lomax is unique, and there is nothing better in the world of elite sport than being something others can’t replicate or plan for. Lomax has a skillset that teams can’t plan for.