Darry Worthington goes over the five biggest talking points to come out of Round 7 of Super Rugby AU 2020.
Image Copyright – Steve Haag Sports
Round 6 of Super Rugby AU went pretty much according to script with the two favourites, the Reds and Waratahs, both winning their games comfortably. The victories for these two sides have really tightened the log up with the Reds now just two points off the log-leading Brumbies and the Waratahs a further point back.The Reds bounced back from back to back defeats in style as they beat the Melbourne Rebels 19-3 at the Suncorp. This was the perfect tonic for Brad Thorn’s men who had went down 22-20 to the Brumbies in Round 5 and 45-12 to the Waratahs in Round 6.
The win has moved the Reds into second spot on the Super Rugby AU standings, and they are now only two points behind the first-placed Brumbies, although the Brumbies do have a game in hand over the Queenslanders.
Waratahs Make It Two Wins On The Trot
The ‘Tahs have now scored 73 points in their past two games, which is great news as they were really struggling for tries during the early salvos of the season.
Furthermore, the men from New South Wales are now just three points off the log-leading Brumbies and are all but assured a play-off berth.
Michael Hooper Shines AgainWallaby stalwart Michael Hooper put in another fantastic shift this weekend with the veteran ‘Tahs man playing a key role in his side’s 28-8 victory over the Western Force.
While Hooper was extremely impressive at the breakdown, slowing down opposition ball and racking up a number of runovers, the most eye-catching aspect of his performance was the manner in which he linked play. Hooper was essentially playing as a third centre and was heavily involved in a number of the the ‘Tahs tries.
Tate McDermott In Driver’s Seat For Wallaby Nine Berth
While the likes of Jake Gordan and Joe Powell have been solid for their franchises, Reds man Tate McDermott has to be in pole position to land the vacant Australian number nine berth.
The diminutive half-back played another blinder for the Queensland Reds this past weekend, offering slick service from the base and putting in a mammoth defensive performance that saw him stop a certain try. McDermott also shone on attack grabbing a try assist and playing a heavy role in the last try of the game.
While he had been on the Reds bench for their previous two fixtures, we’re unlikely to see McDermott on the pine again this season.
On to the funny stuff now, and there was a moment in the Rebels versus Reds game that would have left rugby fans around the world in hysterics.
The moment in questions was when burly front ranker had his shorts ripped. While incidents like this are rather common, what is not common is to see a front-rower sporting pink underpants like Cabous was. Had it been a Jack Maddocks or another one of the back division, no one would have batted an eyelid but to see a bearded prop looking pretty in pink is a rather stomach-churning event.
