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Game of inches: Who has the edge in Australian conference title race between Brumbies and Rebels?

By Online Editors
Will Genia in action for the Rebels against the Brumbies. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

The Brumbies are in the box seat to top Super Rugby’s Australian conference and play finals but three key derby clashes amid desperation for Wallabies jerseys make for an intriguing finish.

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Bonus point wins in round 15 have given the Brumbies (34 points) and Melbourne Rebels (33) a big lead from the NSW Waratahs (26) who are badly missing Israel Folau’s strike power after their eighth loss by eight points or less.

The Brumbies appear to have the better run home – facing the lowly Sunwolves (12) then the Waratahs and Queensland Reds (24).

The Rebels play the Waratahs at home before a daunting away assignment against the ladder-topping Crusaders and a home clash with the always-competitive Chiefs.

While the Waratahs’ hopes are slim at best and the Reds are out of the running, the competition for Wallabies spots in a World Cup year should ensure the derby clashes are ferociously contested.

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar was talking up playmaker Christian Lealiifano’s claims for an emotional Wallabies return following his cancer battle after he maintained impressive 2019 form in a 22-10 win over the Bulls on Friday.

“He’s been outstanding, just consistently good every week and off the back of his defence, his leadership and direction,” McKellar said. “He’d be my 10 (at the World Cup), but I’m a little bit biased.”

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The coach would be equally impressed with giant Wallabies centre Tevita Kuridrani’s recent surge of form that included three tries against the Bulls.

The Rebels will have fingers crossed that talismanic halfback Will Genia is fit to play the Waratahs this week after being knocked out in his team’s 52-7 thrashing of the Sunwolves.

Without the sacked Folau’s rare ability to find the tryline, the Waratahs have were frustrated yet again when beaten 23-15 at home by Argentina’s Jaguares (36), who top the South African conference and look a genuine title threat.

“It’s like every game this year, you look up, 70 minutes and the game’s in the balance again. We just haven’t been able to grab the game and run away with it,” said skipper Michael Hooper.

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Adding to the Waratahs’ woes, tough centre Karmichael Hunt’s Super Rugby season appears over after he copped a medial ligament injury.

The improving Reds had their hopes snuffed out in heartbreaking fashion when falling just short of their first win in New Zealand since 2013, losing to the Chiefs 19-13.

The Crusaders (53) remain a class above every team in the competition after they put a controversial week behind them with a 19-11 win against the Blues.

The African conference remains the most open with just six points separating all five teams.

The Jaguares knocked the Bulls (32) off top spot, the Stormers (30) downed the Highlanders and the Sharks (33) were too strong for the Lions (30).

AAP

In other news:

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J
Jon 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

28 Go to comments
A
Adrian 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

28 Go to comments
T
Trevor 10 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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