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Veteran Waratah centre Adam Ashley-Cooper has won more Wallaby caps than the entire Rebels starting line-up for Friday night’s Super Rugby clash at AAMI Stadium.
But in the opening round last week,the Rebels beat the Crusaders in Christchurch 20-10, crossing for two tries to one. It was no mean feat either, as the Rebels had never won a Super Rugby clash overseas let alone against the mighty Crusaders at home.
On the debit side, reigning champions the Waratahs were left embarrassed with a 25-13 defeat by the Force, who scored four tries to two. It was the Perth-based franchise’s first opening round success in their 10-year history.
So on paper, the Rebels are better prepared than the Waratahs for Friday night. But rugby is played on a field that is a maximum 140 metres long, and 70 metres wide, and the Waratahs are bristling with internationals.
Ashley-Cooper’s 104 Wallaby caps dwarf the Rebels’ 85 Wallaby caps in their entire starting line-up. Total up the Waratahs’ starting line-up Wallaby caps, and it’s a massive 531 to 85.
And the gap would be even greater had Wycliff Palu, with 51 Wallaby caps, not been replaced by Stephen Hoiles with 16 caps.
Palu injured himself at training during the week, just another example of how fragile the number 8 is – rugby’s injury-prone answer to cricketers Michael Clarke and Shane Watson.
The entire Waratah pack are internationals, with front rowers Benn Robinson (72), Tatafu Polota-Nau (50) and Sekope Kepu (78) totalling exactly 200 Wallaby caps to the Rebels’ two from prop Laurie Weeks.
But let’s see who dominates the scrums tonight.
The Waratah locks Dave Dennis (18) and Will Skelton (8) cover Luke Jones’ three caps. While in the backrow, Michael Hooper (42) and Hoiles (16) together with Jacques Potgieter’s three Springbok caps, outweigh the Rebels’ Scott Higginbotham’s 30 caps and Sean McMahon’s three.
The Rebel backs Luke Burgess (37), Dom Shipperley (3) and Mike Harris (7) should be well and truly outgunned by the Waratahs backs – Nick Phipps (28), Brendan Foley (18), Kurtley Beale (49), Ashley-Cooper (104), Rob Horne (25) and Israel Folau (29), with Fijian winger Taqele Naiyaravoro, in only his second Super Rugby appearance, the only non-international in the Waratahs’ starting line-up.
Phipps has been quoted as saying the large Wallaby contingent in the Waratahs line-up had a late start to the season, given extra time off after the spring tour to the northern hemisphere.
Weak excuse.
Pride and passion are on the line on Friday night for the men in blue. Last week, apart from Rob Horne and to a lesser extent Israel Folau, the rest of the Waratahs ran onto the field in first gear, and never got out of it.
Bring it on tonight.