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Five of the best: The top five performers in round two of Super Rugby AU
Round two of Super Rugby AU will go down in history as being one of the wildest rounds of Australian rugby ever.
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Up first was the Reds hosting the Rebels in Brisbane, with the hosts the favourites heading into the clash, but the Rebels took a 6-12 lead into the half-time break, eventually extending their lead to as much as nine points before the Reds fought their way back.
Two second half tries to Alex Mafi saved the day for the hosts, but it so nearly wasn’t enough. Matt Toomua had a chance to win the match for the Rebels with a penalty attempt, but the flyhalf sent his attempt left of the sticks.
In the other game, wow.
The Waratahs were well outplayed by the Reds in the season opener, but to lose by 51 points to the Brumbies, I can’t say I saw such an emphatic loss coming.
Nine tries to the Brumbies, including a hat-trick to winger Mackenzie Hansen, saw the reigning champions run out to a comprehensive 61-10 win.
After each round of Super Rugby AU this year, I’ll list our top five players of the round. The top three players will then be given points of either three, two or one, to be added to an MVP watch list throughout the season.
Here’s the top five players from round two.
Mackenzie Hansen (Brumbies) – 3 points
I can’t imagine there would be too many arguments with this selection.
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Hansen was in fine form for the Brumbies on Saturday night, outscoring the Waratahs on his own with 15 points. A winger’s core job is to score tries and finish opportunities, and the 22-year-old did just that with a hat-trick in round two.
His first try, which was also the first in his Super Rugby career, was arguably his easiest of the night.
After a lengthy break from Andy Muirhead, some clinical phase play from the Brumbies saw the winger cross untouched. Playing with the advantage 10 metres out from the tryline, the hosts spread the ball wide, with Hansen getting the ball unmarked.
With the Brumbies up 33-10, Hansen scored what was potentially his most impressive try of the night.
Super Rugby Aotearoa is back up and running, with the Crusaders and Blues both picking up wins in the first round of the competition. But, which five players from the opening weekend stood out the most? #SuperRugbyAotearoa https://t.co/qWBoIsyuMz
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 1, 2021
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Off a scrum, an Irae Simone cut-out pass found Hansen on the bounce, but he still had plenty of work to do. He showed great acceleration to beat the covering Waratahs defence to the line.
Inside the final 10 minutes, the winger capped off an incredible performance with his third. Centre Len Ikitau put in a clever grubber kick in behind the Tahs defence, and the ball sat up for Hansen as he again ran in untouched.
The winger simply had a great performance.
He ran for 75 metres, beat three defenders, had a round-high four-line breaks, and also had 10 carries – which was the most runs of any Brumbies player.
Alex Mafi (Reds) – 2 points
Mafi scored a try in his 50th Super Rugby match last week against the Waratahs, but his game went up another level on Friday night.
The hooker had seven runs for 49 metres – which was equal with winger Jordan Petaia for the most metres run of any Reds player, and equal third overall on the night.
The 24-year-old scored his first of two tries in the 48th minute, at a stage in the game where the hosts really needed to score next in my opinion.
With the Reds trailing 6-15 at the time, they had a chance to strike next with an attacking lineout five metres out from the tryline.
Mafi was accurate with his throw and his side set up a driving maul, with the hooker looping around and taking his place at the back. He eventually crashed his way over for the game-changing score.
New Zealand Rugby has announced a Super Rugby Aotearoa round two match will be delayed in a bid to allow fans to attend the fixture. #SuperRugbyAotearoa https://t.co/GnvycUBb3s
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 28, 2021
In the 73rd minute, he had would what’ve been his second try of the night disallowed after coming agonisingly close.
But he did eventually get his second at a crucial moment in the match.
Off a lineout again, and in a very similar position to his first try, the Reds forwards set up for a maul but instead popped the ball off to Mafi.
The hooker had Hunter Paisami outside him, but after a double-pump or two, he backed himself and crashed over for a try. James O’Connor then stepped up and converted the try, handing the hosts a two-point lead that wouldn’t change.
Mafi also did his core job to an exceptional standard, accurate with 12 of his throws.
Tom Banks (Brumbies) – 1 points
Bring an end to our top three players from round two is Brumbies fullback Tom Banks.
Banks’ talent was instrumental to the reigning champions’ big win, as he showed great leadership as well. He looked threatening every time he got his hands on the ball, running for a round-high 93 metres.
The 26-year-old played a big part in the lead-up to Hansen’s first try, as he sent Muirhead on a lengthy break.
But arguably his most impressive moment in the match came in the 77th minute when he became the seventh and final Brumbies player to score a five-pointer against the Tahs.
The Waratahs are understandably coming in for some criticism after two bleak performances to kick off the season – but coach Rob Penney has asked for understanding. #SuperRugbyAU #BRUvWARhttps://t.co/YJ1FSAGh6S
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 28, 2021
That being said though, the work rate he showed in the phases leading up to the score can’t go unrecognised.
Banks intercepted an Alex Newsome pass inside his own 22, and turned that into a 30 metre gain. In the third phase, he again got his hands on the ball, running it into their attacking 22.
But then in the eighth and final phase, he was rewarded for his efforts, with some slick passing from the Brumbies seeing the fullback run in.
He really is one of the leaders of this Brumbies team, and his kicking for touch was also brilliant.
Honourable mentions
Matt Toomua (Rebels)
It’s unfortunate for Toomua that his great performance was somewhat overshadowed from a missed opportunity to win the game – let’s start there.
The Rebels captain had a penalty attempt to win the game, with the siren sounding just as he was taking the kick. Unfortunately though, he sent it left of the sticks.
But let’s focus on the positives here.
Was this a coming of age performance from the former age-grade star? ? #HURvBLU #SuperRugbyAotearoahttps://t.co/AJ2jDnx0PE
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 28, 2021
The 31-year-old showed great composure to exit well throughout the match, and control the tempo of the Rebels attack.
While the blame for the loss could potentially be put on Toomua’s boot though, keep in mind if was his accuracy which so nearly guided the visitors to a famous upset win at Suncorp.
He converted six penalty attempts, finishing the night with 18-points on his own.
Noah Lolesio (Brumbies)
For the second week in a row, Lolesio deserves an honourable mention for his performance in Super Rugby AU.
Watching him play, you can be forgiven for forgetting that he’s just 21.
Even though he did start the match with a knock on after 22 seconds, it says a lot about the player that Lolesio both is and has the potential to be, as he bounced back with another great performance.
Lolesio played a role in the lead-up to Hansen’s first try, firstly helping spread the ball wide to Muirhead for his length break.
Early season injuries are a tradition for the Crusaders – but so are young players stepping up to the mark to replace them. Who were the best performers for #SuperRugbyAotearoa in Round 1? #HIGvCRU #HURvBLUhttps://t.co/OkOyF0fEHt
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 28, 2021
But then the flyhalf added a try assist to his stat sheet, drawing in the defence of Jack Maddocks, but passing to Hansen who ran in untouched.
He did score a try as well, but let’s just say it was unconventional. Off a driving maul, Lolesio came in to support the push but instead found himself with the ball as the Brumbies pushed their way over. Incredible.
The most important stat on a rugby field is the scoreboard, and Lolesio’s influence can’t go unrecognised. In his 63 minutes on the field, he outscored the Waratahs on his own, finishing the night with 15 points to his name.
2021 RugbyPass’ Super Rugby AU MVP watch
= 1st: Fraser McReight (Reds) and Mackenzie Hansen (Brumbies) – 3 points
= 3rd: James O’Connor (Reds) and Alex Mafi (Reds) – 2 points
= 5th: Filipo Daugunu (Reds) and Noah Lolesio (Brumbies) – 1 point
Week 1 top 3
Fraser McReight – 3 points
James O’Connor – 2 points
Filipo Daugunu – 1 point
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Comments on RugbyPass
What’s new its a common occurrence, just the journos out there expecting a negative spin. The outcome will be beneficial to jordie and Leinster. The home grown lads hav got some experience to step up to and be more competitive, that or spend the 6 months keeping the bench warm.
9 Go to commentsI’m all for speeding up the game. But can we be certain that the slowness of the game contributed to fans walking out? I’m not so sure. Super rugby largely suffered from most fans only being able to, really, follow the games played in their own time zone. So at least a third of the fan base wasn’t engaged at any point in time. As a Saffer following SA teams in the URC - I now watch virtually every European game played on the weekend. In SR, I wouldn’t be bothered to follow the games being played on the other side of the world, at weird hours, if my team wasn’t playing. I now follow the whole tournament and not just the games in my time zone. Second, with New Zealand teams always winning. It’s like formula one. When one team dominates, people lose interest. After COVID, with SA leaving and Australia dipping in form, SR became an even greater one horse race. Thats why I think Japan’s league needs to get in the mix. The international flavor of those teams could make for a great spectacle. But surely if we believe that shaving seconds off lost time events in rugby is going to draw fans back, we should be shown some figures that supports this idea before we draw any major conclusions. Where are the stats that shows these changes have made that sort of impact? We’ve measured down to the average no. Of seconds per game. Where the measurement of the impact on the fanbase? Does a rugby “fan” who lost interest because of ball in play time suddenly have a revived interest because we’ve saved or brought back into play a matter of seconds or a few minutes each game? I doubt it. I don’t thinks it’s even a noticeable difference to be impactful. The 20 min red card idea. Agreed. Let’s give it a go. But I think it’s fairer that the player sent off is substituted and plays no further part in the game as a consequence.
1 Go to commentsThose are pretty good draws for the two top Aussie teams. I certainly wouldn't want my Chiefs to have a quarter final in Brisbane. None of the top teams will want the Crusaders.
1 Go to commentsHonestly, I am a bit lost here …. Ireland - RSA was (at least in my opinion) perhaps (from a purely technical / rugby-skills-show point of view) the pinnacle of the RWC2023 - almost flawless playing (putting aside the kicking of RSA which was the difference between the two teams), rugby at it’s very best …. if I were a Bok and after the game some Irish lads came around saying “see you in 5 weeks same place”, I definitely wouldn’t have thought of it as being in any way “arrogant”, rather a sort of jolly “if we both continue to play like this, no one could stop us” - besides, few of us fans would have, at that time, been surprised to see the same teams playing on 23 september and 28 october 2023 ….. well, we all know Ireland chose to hit a slump to keep the QF curse alive …..
135 Go to commentsThere’s value gleaned from having an All Black star running and training with your team. How many games he starts (or even where he plays in the backline) will be decided on a week by week basis based on the needs for that week. But the overall learning and growth for all concerned, I’d think, is massively beneficial. Especially for Irish players.
9 Go to commentsSon, whith just " raw athlete “ , you are able to beat “ better rugby players “ by 74 points…. May be England should recruit in athletics….
1 Go to commentsPffft. It’s not a one-way street bud and Irish teams don’t seem to have had an issue taking kiwi players previously.
9 Go to commentsParticularly great to have captain Scott Barrett back after going off last week for the Crusaders. Codie Taylor a real leader and mighty Tamaiti Williams join Fletcher Newell in the front row. Those 2 will make a big difference. Great bench with the likes of Tom Christie, Jamie Hannah etc who are playing well. Should be a great derby.
1 Go to commentsDoes a blitz defence not have a weekness against a well-placed grubber kick, perhaps angled cleverly. All the defence is up and the full-back can only cover so much ground. Thoughts?
28 Go to commentsWhile Iose is destructive in the Canes set-up, he is not big for an international 8 and could struggle against the top teams. With his speed, he could be developed into a seven but, as Ben points out, he doesn’t show a scavenging game with the Canes or make dominating tackles. Sotutu has shown a step up this year and attitude plus motivation seems to be the big areas of growth. Deserves another AB shot imo.
3 Go to commentsNaholo is my only question mark for this side. He wasn’t the only one who had a forgettable game against the Brumbies but he was passive, defensively poor and generally lacked energy. Needs to get a whole lot busier for me. I would have liked to see Sullivan on that wing with Higgins on the bench (if staying with a 6-2 as BeegMike points out on here!)
3 Go to commentsWell, I am sure that Eben said exactly what he meant to say, exactly how he meant to say it. Does he strike you as a man that doesn't know arrogance when he sees it. He should know it because he has shaken the arrogance out of many foes before.
135 Go to commentsPls get it into your thick arrogant heads that the final was played by two Southern Hemisphere teams. The best against the best and that Argentina was just unlucky otherwise non of the Northetn Hemisphere teams would have seen the light of day.
135 Go to commentsAs long as New Zealand youth are involved in sport they are passionate for, and are well supported, it’s all good. I love league as well as rugby. NRL clubs have long since scouted the First 15 competitions, the NH and Japan scout super rugby and NPC. It’s a miracle there’s any players left for the all blacks to pick from.
4 Go to commentsI'm a Bok fan, so I don't say this lightly, but he is one of my all time favourite players. I am really going to miss watching him play. Thanks for many great memories. You are a true legend of the game.
3 Go to commentsBest way to deal with all of this is to play another game.
135 Go to commentsIt’s 12-15 games Luke. Ringrose has barely played in 2024 and Henshaw and Keenan have also been out for spells in the same time period. There are always injuries and for younger players to play with the likes of Barrett will be great for them. It’s just looking for negatives where there are none.
9 Go to commentsAndy Goode pushing his own agenda with very dubious considerations on refereeing performances. Luke Pearce speaking a bit of French doesn’t make him a good and adequate referee for the Champions Cup final; his latest refereeing performance in particular was not so great.
4 Go to commentsJordie knows that he has to earn the right to put on the jersey, whatever that jersey might be.
9 Go to commentsThe best outside centre in the world at one point. He will be greatly missed.
3 Go to comments