Super Rugby Watercooler: Why Joaquin Tuculet should be your new favourite player
Scotty Stevenson presents all the discussion points that matter heading into Round 2 of Super Rugby this weekend.
Super 16?
The Kings and the Sunwolves meet in Singapore this week, with the ‘home’ side desperate to restore some pride to their points differential after last week’s shellacking at the hands of the Hurricanes. Given their final quarter effort against the defending champions, the Sunwolves should probably be favourites.
They will certainly be favourites to stay in the competition at least. It is understood the Kings are on the chopping block as SANZAAR meets this week to discuss the future make-up of the competition. Regardless of good intentions or political imperative, it is clear the Kings will be the first side for the scrap heap. The Sunwolves and the Jaguares are, through the eyes of the expansionists, far more geographically important to the competition, and assurances have been given that they will not be forced to exit.
The Kings aren’t the only side under threat. The viability of the Cheetahs side is under the microscope as well. Even more so given Australian Rugby’s steadfast refusal to cull at least one of its five sides, regardless of sustainability.
Super 16 anyone? Watch this space.
Will the Blues keep putting the boot in?
The Blues may have put 50 past the Rebels in Round 1, but the biggest surprise was just how many times they kicked the ball in play. All up, the Blues made 33 kicks in play, the most of any team in round one, and well up on their 2016 average of 20.9 per game. First five-eighth Ihaia West led the way with 12 kicks in total, forcing the Rebels to attack from depth and allowing his team to capitalise on the error count.
It will be fascinating to see if they persist with the tactic against the Chiefs – fascinating because the Highlanders, who last year topped all teams on the kicks-in-play average (27 per game), kicked just 18 times in last week’s loss against the Chiefs, and allowed two tries from pass errors inside their own half.
The Blues will be keen to play territory against the Chiefs, but making the tactical decision around the kicking game even harder will be the fact the Chiefs missed 37 tackles against the Highlanders*. That would be an open invitation to the Blues to run the ball but for the inconvenient fact that, yes, the Chiefs still won.
To kick, or not to kick, that is the question.
(*To put that missed tackle count in perspective, the Sunwolves missed 43 tackles and got pumped 83-17. The Chiefs sure know how to scramble.)
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Can the Sharks play some rugby, please?
Before round one we wondered if the Sharks would ever again look interested in playing rugby, and it appears the answer to that is an emphatic no. They should still have won against the Reds, but it appears not much has changed from last year in terms of the Sharks’ attack.
If it wasn’t for the Force’s first up effort against the Waratahs – a smorgasbord of serious ineptitude that returned the fewest metres, the fewest clean breaks, and the fewest rucks from the fewest carries and passes off the fewest minutes in possession – the Sharks’ stats would have looked even worse.
The Sharks played with just 34% of the ball against the Reds, and they can ill-afford to do that against the Brumbies this week. The Brumbies love it when teams give them ball to play with, which is exactly why the Crusaders tried their hardest to break records for the number of pass completions and carries against them last week.
To wit: the Crusaders carried a round-topping 157 times in the match and topped the pass count at 220. And they only just snuck a victory. The Sharks, by comparison, carried a measly 78 times and made 80 passes against the Reds. The Brumbies would love them to do that again this weekend. If they do, it won’t be so close.
Joaquin Tuculet should be your new favourite player
The Jaguares managed a first up win away from home against the Kings in Round 1, but will face a much sterner test this week against the Stormers. If they are to stand any show, they’ll be hoping their fullback Joaquin Tuculet can replicate his stats from last week. Because they were phenomenal.
Let’s put aside the fact it was against the Kings, and recap the Argentinean international’s game return and round ranking: 18 carries (2) for 145 metres (2) with 6 defenders beaten (6) and 3 clean breaks (6). Tuculet also scored a try and claimed an assist on another.
Put him in any other team and he would have been one of the most talked about players in the competition this week.
Who’s the bigger loss: Ben Smith or Richie Mo’unga?
It is a massive nut-punch for fans that the southern classic will be shorn of two of its brightest stars this week. Richie Mo’unga (hand) and Ben Smith (concussion) have both been ruled out of the indoor clash this Saturday, meaning some major adjustments for both the Crusaders and Highlanders coaching staff.
This eventuality did get us thinking though. Which is the bigger loss? One is the captain of his side whose calmness at the back has been instrumental in the Highlanders resurgence as a genuine force in the competition. The other has inherited the ten jersey at a franchise that puts an awful lot of stock in a first five who can control the game.
Ben Smith may be considered the better player – a Rugby World Cup-winning All Black, and by most measures the world’s most reliable fullback – but we think the absence of Richie Mo’unga is the more crucial blow.
The Highlanders have plenty of men who can… if not exactly fill Ben Smith’s boots, certainly boast the experience to wear them well. Matt Faddes, the Highlanders’ Player of the Year in 2016, would be on option, and another would be the returning cult hero Richard ‘Barracuda’ Buckman.
The Crusaders will go with Mitchell Hunt – a fine schoolboys player who has had limited opportunities at this level. That’s actually an understatement. Hunt has just two Super Rugby caps to his name and will be in the cauldron this weekend.
Only because of Hunt’s inexperience, we’d say the loss of Mo’unga outweighs that of Smith. But feel free to give us your opinion below.
Comments on RugbyPass
Good to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
7 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
7 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe 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….
84 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!
7 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 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
14 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.
19 Go to comments