Aussie Super takes: Western Force's strategic flaw, Nic White over Tate

It was a round which has set up a no holds barred, do-or-die final round of Super Rugby Pacific in 2025, round 15 delivered results which makes almost every side in the competition nervous ahead of round 16. 

The Crusaders looked vulnerable against the Highlanders, which will have the Brumbies licking their lips ahead of welcoming the men from Christchurch to Canberra. 

Similarly, the Waratahs triumph in the west means they have a hope of playing finals footy in a must-win clash in Auckland. 

The Western Force fought bravely but must now truly turn their attention to the British and Irish Lions series, and the Queensland Reds edge closer to being finals ready despite their close loss to the Hurricanes. 

While Super Rugby heats up, so too does the Wallabies selection dilemma, and Nic White fired a warning shot to other halfbacks with a strong performance which almost proved the difference for his side. 

Reds finally kick for goal but it’s not why they lost 

The Queensland Reds took their first penalty kicks at goal for the season, in Friday night’s clash against the Hurricanes. 

Tom Lynagh is one of the most accurate kickers in the competition and he made good on those numbers, slotting 2/2 pens for the side to keep the scoreboard ticking over in the first stanza. 

Those six points would’ve proved material had it not been for the Reds falling asleep at the wheel and allowing the Canes to score twice in quick succession before half-time, scores which proved the difference in the end. 

The Reds showed they are finals material, winning stats like line breaks, tackle percentage, conceding fewer turnovers and improving vastly on their lineout success rate, but they were exposed too often in loose play across the park. 

The Reds and the Hurricanes are very similar sides, both powerful, skilful and inconsistent, both will need to lift if they want to give finals a proper crack. 

Les Kiss’ men have been impressive despite many key players still in the casualty ward, if the reinforcements start to trickle in over the next fortnight the Reds will have the quality to put out 80-minute performances in the playoffs.  

Waratahs first win on the road of 2025 gives them a finals lifeline 

Dan McKellar’s men celebrated big after their Super Time win against the Force because it kept them in the finals race and it was their first win away from home all season. 

Despite the win, they must now go to Auckland and end their Eden Park hoodoo, as well as needing other results to go their way if they are to be in with a genuine shot at playoffs. 

However, from the Taniela Tupou trip to the Fergus Lee-Warner and Miles Amatosero fracases, things could get ugly for the Tahs when emotions run high in Auckland against the Blues in round 16.  

While the Waratahs looked better having two playmakers in Tane Edmed at No.10 and regular starter, Lawson Creighton in the No.15 jersey, but they still struggled to stress the Force’s defence. 

The predictability of the Tahs attack has been a problem all year and without strike weapon Joesph-Aukuso Suaalii, they lack a proper line bending option in the backline. 

Now, without their key man and a long journey to Auckland, the Tahs are going to have to win away from home in back-to-back games, something which even their fiercest supporters would admit is a big ask. 

Nevertheless, they have nothing to lose in their clash with the Blues and that may just free them up to play at the higher level required to unseat the Aucklanders at home. 

Western Force kicking tactics must change ahead of the British and Irish Lions 

One of the Force’s strongest weapons is their lineout, the Wallaby duo of Darcy Swain and captain Jeremy Williams is elite, no more so than at the lineout. 

The pair are driving the set piece which is second best in the competition at 88 per cent success, second only behind the ACT Brumbies, who are operating at 90 per cent. 

Conversely, the Force have the third worst tackle percentage in the competition and are second worst, only better than the Waratahs, for turnovers won, painting a picture of a side which finds it difficult to halt opposition momentum. 

These stats are all important when you look at their kicking game, the Force’s game plan is clearly to kick long and infield and try to win the territory battle. 

It sounds good initially but when you have a leaky defence unable to pressure the breakdown and have a lineout which is one of the best in the comp, kicking in field and backing your defence is the wrong option. 

This is especially the case when Swain and Williams are the second and third best lineout stealers in the competition, only just behind the Brumbies Nick Frost. 

When the Lions come Down Under, the Force must play to their strengths and although Swain and Williams may be ring fenced in the Wallabies by then, the pack still has the players and systems to stick with it. 

Kicking deep and out must be their recipe moving forward, because their defence has been a problem all year.

Wallaby Watch: Nic White reminding Joe Schmidt why he picked him

The length, accuracy, and speed of White’s pass from the base of the ruck was often the difference between scoring and not for the Force on Saturday night. 

It’s this skill which makes the Lion’s Jamison Gibson-Park the most likely starter for the northerners, it adds speed, deception, and variation to a simple three-man pod shape. 

It also forces opposition defences to unsettle and break systems, as more often than not, the pass cuts out three-plus defenders, forcing defences to work hard to get around the corner and set in subsequent phases. 

White’s opposite number on Saturday night, incumbent Wallabies halfback Jake Gordon, was also displaying some good distribution skills in wet conditions, particularly down the short side but White won the duel on this occasion. 

His box kicking was elite all night, regularly getting good clearing distance or the right weight for his chasers to get through and contest. 

It was a very different figure struck by Reds’ halfback Tate McDermott against the Canes, who was regularly visibly frustrated with his own box kicks, knowing the clearing distances weren’t big enough.  

His running game is elite, no one questions his bravery in the contact either but if the Wallabies are to be successful then they need an accurate pair of hands along with a safe pair of boots, and this is why White and Gordon are likely to continue to start Test matches under Schmidt. 

These are also the reasons ACT Brumbies halfback Ryan Lonergan, is shaping to enter the Wallabies conversation after the Lions tour.