Scott Johnson's roller coaster first weekend as Australia's national director of rugby
Scott Johnson’s first day as national director of rugby finished on a low but day two gave him some reason for optimism as the country’s Super Rugby teams continued down their unpredictable pathways.
Hours after telling journalists on Friday that the Wallabies boast a fighting chance to win the World Cup, the flagship Waratahs team were undone in embarrassing fashion by the lowly-ranked Sunwolves.
Equilibrium was restored a day later when the Melbourne Rebels produced their most compelling rugby, beating the Queensland Reds 32-13 to leapfrog the Waratahs atop the Australian conference.
If first impressions mean anything, Johnson – who is also a new Wallabies selector – would have pencilled a host of Rebels names into page one of his notebook.
Will Genia is probably spelt in pen but his halves partner Quade Cooper’s case for a Test recall is firming by the week as the pair pulled the strings against their outclassed former team.
Most members of an abrasive Rebels pack are mounting cases too, none more so than flanker/lock Luke Jones and bullocking No.8 Isi Naisarani, whose Australian eligibility ticks over next month.
Classy winger Jack Maddocks is the season’s leading try-scorer with eight, adding two more to his tally via assists from Cooper’s boot.
Coach Brad Thorn’s youthful Reds must bounce back in three straight games against South African foes if they are to lift from the bottom rung they share with the Jaguares and Sunwolves.
A week after stunning the Crusaders, the Waratahs were rudderless in Newcastle, crashing 31-29 to a Sunwolves team who preyed on their mistakes.
Rested five-eighth Bernard Foley was sorely missed, with the little-used Mack Mason seemingly out of his depth and Kurtley Beale also enduring a night to forget at inside centre.
More mandatory rotation looms for Waratahs stars in coming weeks, including Israel Folau and Michael Hooper, their two most consistent performers who haven’t missed a minute all season.
There was a bye for the Brumbies, whose return next week is against the competition-leading Crusaders in Christchurch.
That’s a daunting prospect given how quickly the nine-time champions recovered their poise with a 32-8 thumping of the Hurricanes, turning their table-topping clash into a lop-sided clinic in Wellington..
The Waratahs will also travel to New Zealand to face the Blues while the Rebels host the Sunwolves and the Reds stay in Brisbane to face the Stormers.
Elsewhere in round seven, the Bulls scraped past the Sharks 19-16 in Durban and the Chiefs also left it late to pip the Jaguares 30-27 in Buenos Aires.
The improving Blues made it three straight wins and clambered into the top eighth by seeing off the Stormers 24-9 at Eden Park.
AAP
Comments on RugbyPass
It was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
5 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
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