Darry Worthington looks at the five talking points to come out after Round 4 of Super Rugby AU.
We take a look at the five big talking points from round 4 of Super Rugby AU. Round 4 saw another win for tournament favourites the Brumbies, the Force suffering their third defeat, the Waratahs again putting in an abject performance, the Rebels getting themselves back in the play-off hunt and the looming acid test for the Reds.
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Brumbies Continue Winning Streak
The Brumbies perfect start to the season continued this past weekend as they beat the Western Force 24-0. While the Force aren’t the strongest side in the comp, the Brumbies will be pleased that they managed to blank their opponents, who had scored a decent amount of tries in their previous outings.
What will even be more pleasing for coach Dan McKellar will be that his side put in a strong showing without talented young fly-half Noah Lolesio, who is sidelined with a serious hamstring injury. His understudy, fellow young gun Bayley Kuenzle, put in a solid showing in tricky conditions.
Force Suffer Third Defeat
The Force managed to put in their worst showing of the campaign so far as they were unable to register a point against the Brumbies this past Saturday. While the men from Perth played with plenty of endeavour, they were a lot less clinical than they have been in the preceding weeks as knock-ons and poor execution cost them a few certain five-pointers.
They will need to improve a lot this coming weekend as they play host to a Rebels side that put in a classy showing against the Waratahs last weekend.
Rebels Still in the Hunt
The Melbourne Rebels made a big statement last weekend as they beat the Waratahs 10-29. It was the Rebels’ first win of the campaign with the Melburnians having drawn against the Reds and gone down to the Brumbies.
This weekend will see the Rebels take on the Force and they’ll be gunning for the full five-point haul as they look to sure-up a spot in the knock-out phase berths.
Waratahs Still Lost at Sea
A lot was expected of the Waratahs after they put in a solid shift against the Brumbies in Round 3 but once again the men from New South Wales flattered to deceive as they were beaten by 19 points by a solid but not spectacular Melbourne Rebels outfit.
That loss was their second of their campaign with their only victory being a hard-fought win over the Western Force in Round 2. They will need to up their game significantly if they are to harbour any hopes of claiming the inaugural Super Rugby AU title.
Reds Have an Acid Test on the Horizon
The two frontrunners for the title, the Brumbies and Reds, will lock horns this coming weekend in what is being billed in some corners of the rugby media as the prelude to this year’s final. Neither side has tasted defeat this year with the Reds winning two and drawing one of their three fixtures and the Brumbies winning all three of their games.
The two sides are separated by four points on the ladder and should neither side grab a bonus point and the Reds win the game, then they’ll be all-squared up on the log as we enter the second half of the round-robin phase.
Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets.
