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'People love winners': Pivotal round looms for Australian Super Rugby teams as goodwill slowly fades
Former Queensland Reds captain James Horwill views their Super Rugby Trans-Tasman clash with New Zealand champions the Crusaders as a line-in-the-sand moment for the code in Australia.
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Horwill and his 2010 teammates celebrated the 10-year anniversary of their Super Rugby title – won against the Crusaders – in Brisbane on Friday.
The two sides will meet again at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday as champions of their respective domestic competitions.
But after a 5-0 start for New Zealand teams over Australian rivals in last week’s opening round there is much at stake, the former Wallabies skipper said.
“The positivity around Australian rugby is really pleasing, the most positive I’ve seen it in years,” he said.
“We know one thing about Australian sports and Queensland sports, it’s that people love winners.
“To build on that momentum there’s no better statement to make than to beat arguably the greatest ever provincial side in world rugby.”
Seven Wallabies will return to the Reds’ starting line-up while Suliasi Vunivalu, who scored twice off the bench in his injury comeback last week, will start and push Wallabies winger Filipo Daugunu to the pine.
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Taniela Tupou, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Harry Wilson and Fraser McReight will give the pack more potency while Hunter Paisami returns from injury and Tate McDermott (rested) add spark to the Reds’ backline.
With Jordan Petaia (thigh) on the sidelines co-captain James O’Connor admits it’s as close to full strength as the Reds have been all season.
An unapologetic Israel Folau says he has no regrets about his controversial religious views as he aims to resurrect his sporting career via a Gold Coast rugby league club. https://t.co/W4oi53zDIi
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 21, 2021
“They’ve set the benchmark for 15 years … let’s see what we can do,” he said of the Crusaders.
“There’s a lot to prove and we enjoy that. We’ve taken the first step and there’s many to go.”
Meanwhile Lonergan brothers Ryan and Lachlan will be the first to start together for the Brumbies in a Super Rugby fixture, against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday.
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Set to start at hooker, Lachlan is the only change to the starting unit that came within two points of the Super Rugby Aotearoa champions the Crusaders last week.
The pair both made their Brumbies debuts at the ground, Ryan in 2017 and Lachlan in last year’s 26-14 win before the traditional Super Rugby season was abandoned.
Chiefs captain @Brad_Weber9 is pushing his case for a greater role with the #AllBlacks in 2021 and the challenges keep coming. #SuperRugbyTT #CHIvBRU @ChiefsRugbyhttps://t.co/J7K3oPcxGw
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 21, 2021
“It’s a great story … they’re both great young men who come from a great family who grew up supporting the Brumbies,” coach Dan McKellar said.
“And now they get a chance to pull on the jersey together at the place they made their debuts. It’s really special.”
Still seeking their first win of the season, the Waratahs will welcome firebrand backrower Jack Dempsey back from a foot injury to face the Blues at Eden Park.
Ben Donaldson retains the No.10 ahead of Will Harrison while winger James Turner – Shute Shield’s leading try-scorer last season – has rocketed into the starting side at the expense of Mark Nawaqanitawase after being called into the squad last week.
– Murray Wenzel
Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
69 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments