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Week one is done and dusted, so let’s crunch the numbers to see why it left some teams shaking their heads at full time, and others jumping for joy.
Brumbies 19 def. Force 17 at Canberra Stadium
In their seventh season of Super Rugby the Force are still yet to record a win in the first round of competition. Jake White, meanwhile, enjoyed a winning start to his Canberra tenure.
Both teams looked rusty in the opening exchanges with six penalty shots at goal before the clock had ticked past the 20 minute mark. The Brumbies finished the match conceding 11 penalties to the Forces’ nine.
Despite dominating possession (65%), 7+ phases (five), and runs (120 runs for 580 metres), the Force were unable to turn this into points, only making three line-breaks with one try. The backline made only 36.1% of the team’s total runs.
In contrast the baby Brumbies took their opportunities; Jesse Mogg made a standout Super Rugby debut with one try, two linebreaks, and six tackle busts, while Robbie Coleman continued to build on his strong 2011 with one try, two linebreaks, and six runs for 70 metres.
Peter Kimlin regained some of his 2009 Wallabies form and stole two throws from the Brumbies line-out. Alongside Ben Mowen he kept Nathan Sharpe to just one steal, off Stephen Moore.
Sharpie turned back the clock and in his final season of Super Rugby showed the young guns just how it’s done, making a team high 16 runs for 60 metres. There’s still life in the old legs yet!
But it was not to be for the Force as they surrendered their half-time lead for the third consecutive game to lose their four consecutive match by six points or less.
Reds 25 def. Waratahs 21 at ANZ Stadium
It was hardly the most convincing performance by the defending champions, but as Ewen McKenzie later admitted they used their “get out of jail free” card to earn their first win against the Waratahs in NSW since 2003.
There were positive signs from the Reds performance, despite only enjoying 45% of the possession. They dominated the Waratahs in runs (87) and metres (486m), linebreaks (two), offloads (11), and tackle busts (24).
The Reds backline continued their 2011 attacking form, making 50% of the team’ total runs, and six of the seven starting backline players busted through two or more tackles.
However Link will be worried about the turnovers (21) and handling errors (11) which allowed the Waratahs more time with the ball.
Michael Foley will have to get his backline humming. Sarel Pretorius proved his worth with a typically sneaky scrum-half try, linebreak, and try create, but the player outside of him only busted through four tackles, and made 23 of the team’s 68 runs (33.8%)
As it normally does, missed points from the goal-kicking boot proved the difference with Harris kicking at 100%, while Halangahu missed a conversion and penalty to finish the game with a 66.6% success rate.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.