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226 points were put on the five Aussie provincial sides in arguably the darkest weekend for Australian provincial rugby, inking another chapter into this annus horriblis.
The Brumbies and Tahs, with finals on the line, were humiliated. The Rebels and Reds simply did not show up. The Force actually played okay in a respectable loss, but any notion of that work was undone with yet another magical mystery tour mishap in South Africa the preceding week. Involving their bright young Wallaby and the captain to boot.
The weekend’s results have exacerbated the two key structural issues facing the game here – there are too many Australian Super Rugby teams, and the ever increasing player drain to Europe. They are symbiotic.
Persanally, I have no issue with players setting themselves up for life with magical deals and the opportunity to throw around some pig-skin and see other cultures.
But we simply cannot maintain five teams and let this issue go unchecked. The talent pool is too thin. For the Wallabies, the issue is masked as players can now play for the national team with the new flexible arrangements for qualified overseas players.
Our provincial teams simply cannot compete against Europe or Japan.
So where to go from here in the near future? The Reds are celebrating the signings of Stephen Moore and George Smith for next season as coups.
Smith will be 37 next year. Moore will turn 34 in January, and cannot run out 60 minutes, let alone 80. Quade Cooper returning could complete the triumvirate to ‘save’ the Reds.
The Western Force have been around since 2006, and have not seen the finals once. 2007 was their best year with a seventh, after throwing the chequebook at a host of Reds and Brumbies players. They are administratively shot and the ARU are now hand-holding. Ben Daley is their big signing to date for next year.
The Rebels started reasonably brightly, but the wheels have completely fallen off. Like the Force, no finals since their inception. Last year they beat the Brumbies, Chiefs and Crusaders, but this year there has been a significant regression, and apart from a win against the Tahs there has been no major scalps. Young talent maybe, but where is the core senior playing group to nurture that?
The Brumbies, as they have done every year under Stephen Larkham, start the season like Usain Bolt but end up looking like Norm from Life Be In It. Their attacking lines on Friday were endemic of many of the Wallabies problems, and suggest Larkham needs to rethink the game-plan. They have been a shadow of the team Jake White was developing.
The Tahs are an interesting case – they have lost a couple of matches that they will regret this year but have not progressed beyond their magnificent win against the Crusaders in 2014. Kurtley Beale and a few others of that cornerstone are gone. Cross-roads.
This weekend the Waratahs and Brumbies will take on the Blues and Force respectively for the honour of being Australian’s sole representative in Super finals this season.
Irrespective of whoever is the lone wolf come finals time, it won’t do much to paper over the collective cracks of Australia’s worries at Super Rugby level.
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.