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In exciting news, this weekend was the first for a while where it was almost all about the rugby.
With the finals less than a month away now nothing matters but the results on the field and this week saw a number of teams take important steps to secure their chances beyond Round 18. And with the focus on just the rugby, there is plenty to talk about so let’s get stuck in.
A lot to like about the Brumbies right now
The men from Canberra have been playing some good rugby recently and their win against the Bulls this weekend was impressive. They dominated the Bulls and sent a message to all of those who had dared to suggest that the Brumbies can only score tries from their driving maul.
They ran in four against the Bulls and all were scored by their powerful centres – Tevita Kuridrani and Irae Simone – who put on an impressive show.
It was impressive to see as well the confidence and patience that they’ve developed. With their opening try, the Brumbies made a great line break but instead of Tom Cusack looking for the miracle pass he went to ground, the Brumbies recycled the ball quickly and two phases later they had scored in the corner.
They’ve got the second-best form in the competition right now and their three remaining games are against the Sunwolves, Tahs and Reds – all teams out of form and below them on the ladder.
With this momentum and confidence they should be targeting three wins from three games, taking the Australian conference and a home final. Right now, with the way that they are playing, they will be a threat to most sides in the finals, especially at home on a chilly Canberra night.
It’s also very exciting to see Irae Simone having arguably his best game so far and striking a good partnership with Kuridrani. Is it too early to start talking about Simone as a Wallaby? Yes, probably but it won’t be long.
Siya Kolisi is getting even better
The Stormers back row and Springbok skipper had a great game this weekend to add to his recent impressive form. Already a fantastic talent, he’s really come on both in his play and his leadership this season and that’s good for all Stormers and Springbok fans.
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
His work at the breakdown and set-piece has always been strong, but he’s now also a devastating runner with ball in hand and scoring some great tries over the past couple of weeks.
He’s an important man in South Africa formany reasons and his form is peaking at just the right time for the Stormers. If they are going to make the Finals they need Kolisi to repeat these performances in their final three matches.
Kurtley Beale has similar flaws to Folau at full back
With the end of Israel Folau’s career at the Tahs, Beale has been playing in the #15 jersey and has looked very exciting in attack. The extra time and space has allowed him to show of his skills and he’s been running some lovely lines.
However, on Saturday against the Jaguares he did demonstrate that he’s got some defensive issues in common with the man who wore the jersey before him.
For the opening Jaguares try there was a grubber put in behind the Tahs defensive line just outside the 22. While some of the Tahs tried to turn and sprint back, Ramiro Moyano was faster than them all and collected the ball to score the try. But as he dived for the score, Beale appeared in the shot and was still a good couple of metres away from being able to make a tackle.
For Moyano’s second try Beale was there and had the chance to hit the Argentinian winger at pace about ten metres from the try line and just a foot in from touch. But instead of ploughing into the winger’s side he went high, almost took off the guy’s head, missed the tackle and Moyano was in.
Beale can be very, very good in attack but it’s clear that neither the Tahs nor the Wallabies can depend upon him in defence yet.
We need to get the TMO stuff sorted
There’s been increasing frustration over the past few weeks with the standard of refereeing in the competition. Sadly it isn’t just the men with the whistles that are causing frustrations among players, fans and coaches alike – the TMOs are getting in on the act.
This weekend there were some controversial decisions where views that aren’t available to anyone else but the TMO were used to overturn on-field decisions. Now if the right decision is reached in the end then that’s a good thing, but the lack of transparency isn’t.
Last week there was biased language used from a TMO that put the referee in a very tricky situation. While the ref should have perhaps pushed back against the TMO, as we approach the finals and then the World Cup later in the year, we need there to be consistency and clarity with how the TMOs get involved in the game.
Could the South African conference get a finals clean sweep?
With just three rounds left, the South African conference is excitingly close with just six points separating top and bottom. Add to that the fact that currently four of the five teams are in the top eight on the overall ladder and the fifth is in ninth position and only missing out on points difference.
It is possible that come the end of the regular season we have all five teams in the finals and that would be incredible.
Forgetting stories about suspicious penalty counts while playing at home for the time being, the South African teams have battled hard this season to be competitive. Early in the season, they were very up and down from week to week and it looked like the conference was a bit of a shambles. But as the season has progressed, the teams have all built some momentum and are looking tough to beat.
Interestingly though – while all five South African conference sides could make the finals, it could be that none of them play in South Africa. This must be a confusing set of emotions for the South African bosses at SANZAAR.
What more does Richie Mo’unga need to do?
Oh, to be Steve Hansen. As the World Cup draws ever closer, he’s able to enjoy watching some fantastic players going head to head in the race for 15 All Black jerseys.
At the top of this list is the race for the flyhalf spot as Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga keep pushing each other. Over the past few weeks, the Crusaders #10 has put in some really special performances and against the Blues this weekend he played a lovely game.
(Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)
In a tough game he made all the difference – he kicked well from hand and used his boot to create the opportunity for Bryn Hall to score and he also slotted important penalties/conversions.
But what more does he have to do to steal the starting role from Barrett? It will be interesting to see how Hansen handles them both in the upcoming internationals ahead of the World Cup.
Either way, the All Blacks are in a very fortunate position with two fly-halves who would arguably walk into most other sides around the world.
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.