The Wrap: Was this Australian rugby’s watershed weekend?

A reliable barometer for the Hurricanes is the speed and intensity of their defensive line, and portents were good early as they kept the Highlanders well in check under the Forsyth Barr roof.

But as the half-time siren sounded, Ardie Savea rushed a tap penalty and, instead of kicking to an attacking lineout, the Hurricanes invited the Highlanders – who were down to 14 men – to have a final crack at them. The outcome was a remarkable try and an unexpected 8-7 lead, which propelled the home pack into a dominant second-half performance and a valuable 30-14 win.

The clinching score came in the 67th minute, with a wrap around move freeing up Waisake Naholo to streak down the right-hand touchline – the opportunity created by Aaron Smith deliberately (and brilliantly) keeping his pass low, at knee-height, to prevent it being blocked by Blade Thompson. Wonderful stuff.

The Hurricanes are in one of their not uncommon mid-season funks, their pack playing without authority, not providing any real platform for their highly rated backline. Compare, for example, the output of Sam Lousi and the Highlanders’ Tom Franklin. But they will be back – assuming that the three-week break is enough time for Ricky Riccitelli to get his lineout throwing in order.

Even if this is not a noteworthy Blues side, the Rebels can feel justly delighted at achieving the first win by an Australian Super Rugby side in New Zealand since Round 10, 2015. Their scrum looked shaky early, with the Blues’ Alex Hodgman powering through Jermaine Ainsley, but the Rebels gradually found their feet, particularly once halfback Michael Ruru realised that there was far more to be gained by using Reece Hodge to roost the ball 60m downfield than by his own shallow kicking.

With four steals, Colby Fainga’a owned the breakdown, and lock Matt Philip once again showed his liking for Eden Park. Having played well there before for the Force, Philip was imperious in the lineout and took the ball up strongly all night.

Coach Dave Wessels spoke later about his team starting to better define the way they play, and even if there is a potential risk against the better sides of becoming too one-dimensional by overdoing the battering ram approach, recent weeks have proved that when the Rebels play directly, they can be a real handful.

(Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

The win capped off a great couple of days for Wessels, who struck exactly the right note in agreeing to stand down Will Genia for the fixture.

“I feel strongly that in Australian rugby we need to change the conversation and start supporting each other in various ways”, he said before the match, later adding, “we need to start living by each other’s happiness and not each other’s misery”, and “if the Wallabies go well that’s good for everyone in Australian rugby.”

If it takes more people born outside of Australia who care about rugby, who aren’t grounded in petty parochialism, to effect lasting change then so be it. For now at least, via these comments and actions alone, Wessels is Australian rugby’s ‘Captain Sensible’, pushing for Time’s ‘Man of the Year’.

The Blues’ night – and their season – was summed up in two moments; fullback Michael Collins ending the match with a pass to nobody, directly over the dead-ball line, and Rieko Ioane, caught on camera, mid-match, sleeping it all off, either too bored or too embarrassed to watch.

The top-of-the-table Crusaders continued on their winning way with a 34-20 win against the Chiefs, away in Hamilton, to celebrate prop Wyatt Crockett’s 200th Super Rugby match and 500th Super Rugby penalty given away.

The Crusaders are going from strength to strength. (Photo by Michael Bradley/Getty Images)

Waratahs fans would have wryly noted Sean Wainui scoring in the same corner where they were denied a try last week, off a Kurtley Beale pass that was much flatter than the pass thrown this time by Damien McKenzie. Nevertheless, justice was eventually done, the Crusaders marching onwards towards what looks ominously like a home final.

The fluency of their play is punctuated by Richie Mounga who, week by week, appeals increasingly as a complete fly-half in every aspect, including game management, kicking and silky distribution off both hands.

Man of the moment Pete Samu entered the game for the Crusaders in the second half and promptly won a turnover that, depending on your point of view, was worth $50,000. Or not. At least by the end of the weekend the wee tiff between Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby had been put to bed, Samu to forgo the sunshine, mussels and wine of Nelson for the hidden delights of Canberra.

(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

Two other non-Australian coaches, the oft-maligned Daryl Gibson and Brad Thorn, demonstrated their positive contributions to Australian rugby by producing two sides that played with intent and purpose – and no little skill – to deliver an outstanding local derby match, certainly the best I can remember in recent years.

The night began with Reds captain Scott Higginbotham lumbering onto the field as if his ageing body was riddled with arthritis, but with an intercept try-assist and a gadget-arm try within 15 minutes, he proved that he was in fine nick.

As it turned out, so were the Waratahs, keen to avoid a set-piece scrap, the speed and fluency of their ball movement something to behold. If there were complaints from some Reds fans about the apparent ease of some of the tries scored, they might do well to consider not just the final stanza, but the manner in which defenders were continually being tested and drawn out of position by the ability of Nick Phipps, Bernard Foley and Beale to rapidly shift the point of attack.

That the Reds stayed in the contest throughout, and scored a remarkable seven tries in losing, was testament to their own fighting qualities and willingness to play positive rugby; the difference ultimately coming down to inferior goal-kicking, Israel Folau’s aerobatics, and Gibson being a couple of years ahead in his team development than Thorn.

With the Irish series upon us a number of players made strong claims for Test minutes, including Curtis Rona, the impressive Caleb Timu, and Taniela Tupou who, after destroying Tom Robertson at one scrum, got up with a grin that was eerily reminiscent of John Belushi about to start a food fight in ‘Animal House’.

Although it is only one match, this contest feels like it is a defining, watershed moment for Australian rugby; the night the players discovered that, when the stars align correctly, their ambitions can indeed by matched by their ability.

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The road to redemption must certainly be forged through better administration at all levels, and better co-operation and respect for governance structures, but the first thing that will get fans back to watching the game is more players with superior athletic ability, expressing themselves with the ball and having a red-hot crack.

Throw in the Rebels winning in New Zealand, and the Brumbies last week coming from behind, a man down, to overcome the Bulls in Pretoria, and there is evidence accruing to suggest that a corner is slowly being turned. Ireland will, of course, provide a huge test, but it is now up to Michael Cheika and his Wallabies to leverage off this momentum, to play with heart, daring and flair, to give Australian fans no choice but to get back in behind their team.

A moment in the match worthy of further discussion was the first-half try scored by Waratah Michael Wells, which came in the phase after Foley was pummeled by Samu Kerevi in a great try-saving tackle. Kerevi’s hit was fair, but noticeably above the nipple line, meaning that it would be liable for penalty under proposed new tackle laws.

With Foley certain to score if not for the tackle, referee Angus Gardner, if operating under the new laws, would have had no choice but to award a yellow card to Kerevi and a penalty try to the Waratahs. While everyone involved in the game has a duty to foster a safer sport, this example alone should be enough to stop this nipple nonsense dead in its tracks.

The round finished with the Brumbies falling short of their 15,000 crowd target, but taking a 41-31 win over the Sunwolves that was in reality, always more comfortable than the score suggests.

Sam Carter of the Brumbies (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

The Brumbies’ win keeps some ‘scoreboard pressure’ on the Waratahs and Rebels for the conference title, although a more sober assessment suggests that the last wildcard spot will be decided between the Rebels and the Sharks – with the Rebels in the box seat at the moment.

With New Zealand Rugby coming under fire last week over the Samu eligibility matter, it was great to see them finish the week with a public relations coup, achieved with their new promotion ‘Have an All Black over for Macca’s’ launched in spectacular fashion by Jordie Barrett.

Designed to forge closer engagement with fans, Barrett unselfishly paid an early-morning visit to a couple of ladies, burgers in hand, and while some nitpickers were quick to point out that the women concerned did not actually register for the visit, it is expected the promotion will continue, with either Israel Dagg or Aaron Smith potentially tipped as next cab off the rank.