Mick Byrne will take the slow-down tactics as a compliment and expects a more composed Fijian Drua side to test the Brumbies now their emotional Super Rugby Pacific debut is behind them.
The Drua, boasting just one man in five-eighth Baden Kerr with Super Rugby experience, lost 40-10 to the NSW Waratahs in Friday’s opening round.
Byrne’s side scored the game’s last try though and had their moments early, handling errors scuppering their progress before the Tahs got into stride.
There was no love lost between the sides in a niggling scrum battle, while the Drua learnt quickly how teams might plan to wreck plans of an up-tempo offence.
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“It was interesting … two games against Australian teams (including a pre-season clash with Melbourne) and every time a whistle goes for a free kick someone gets the ball and throws it 30 metres away,” Byrne said.
“They’re obviously understanding of and respect us … they know what we can do and teams will try to do things like that.
“It slows the game down, the niggle starts, the pulling of players … they’re not letting us get on with the game and we learnt from that.
“Having faced it now, there’s a lot of things that go on to try and take your mind off the game.”
The squad’s exposure to a higher level of rugby came in their first fully-fledged match in general since October 2020.
“What we saw was a team that tried really, really hard to get the job done and made some unusual errors early,” he said.
“If we’d held onto the ball we would have been a bit more like the last 20 minutes, threatening. That last 20 is where we can be, so the expectations haven’t really changed.”
A damp night at Parramatta’s CommBank Stadium didn’t help the Drua’s cause, but they should have few excuses under blue skies in Canberra on Saturday afternoon against the Brumbies’ clinical line-out, scrum and maul.
“A lot of the stuff in terms of their offload and flair will come out in a 2pm dry afternoon game,” Brumbies and Wallabies winger Tom Wright said.
“I think we’ll see the best of the Drua in round two … you don’t need to be a footy expert to know that if you let one or two stick all of a sudden 10 or 15 offloads are some of the best you’ve seen.
“They’re a team that will thrive off each other’s energy and No.1 through 23 are probably just as quick and skilful as each other.”
soapit
Roar Guru
Takes away quick tap option so still professional foul for mine even with ball boys
Jimbo81
Roar Rookie
Are you suggesting that Hooper and Hanigan are a boost? They wouldn’t make the Reds squad.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Or our bench LH was awful? Or both
jameswm
Roar Guru
It’s a pet peeve of mine.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
For sure. But for some reason it stuck out this weekend.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
You're dead right Ken, it's already in the laws and doesn't load the referee up with anything new and complicated. Just do it. It's also another area where the refs could be getting a lot more assistance from the AR's. I can't believe that at least one of the AR's couldn't have seen what Gordon and McDermott were up to.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
To quote Spiro, soapit, my fearless prediction is that if it continues this week, there'll be a crackdown the week after. Shouldn't have to be a special crackdown of course, it should be part of the culture of the game. But the refs have stated that there's a focus this year on stopping time wasting and keeping the game moving.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
Bang on, James.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
AFL handles that one well, tsuru. If the kick is almost instantaneous with the whistle, they let it go. But if it's more than a second or two, or if the players takes steps then kicks it, then it's an automatic 50m penalty. Sometimes a player will try to say they didn't hear the whistle, but there's no leeway for that. For the one occasion that might be true, there's another fifty where it's b/s. I reckon if it happens again this weekend, there'll be a crackdown by round 3. As there should be.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Yes Geoff, it’s such a simple fix. A clear offence, ie. it’s a yes or no? decision. A simple penalty. A full arm, or 10 metres, or a yellow card, depending on the previous context. And yet they don’t. So many problems are confounding. But ones such as this (and last feet) are cut and dried. Two improvements right there where the ref does not require a second thought. It’s nowhere near the mystery of a scrum penalty :happy: Simples. Oh, and penalties on the mark. Five scrums on the spot, and the line kickers will quickly learn to respect the ref’s spot. And, hopefully, respect for the ref.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Arhrumph, actually there was once a halfback who did have his leg ripped off. If I could just remember his name..?
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Plenty of tackles after the whistle too, some looked bad but nothing done.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Not going to say its right but we have seen this every week in SR and in overseas rugby. Nothing new.
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
Swinton has always had a problem . He got found out a bit against All Blacks . I'm not a big fan .
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
I noticed that as well . Probably a bit lucky he didn't get 10.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Fair point. My issue was that it arguably took a defender out of play, especially given a try was in the process of being scored. He didn't just clean him out. I think it was a fair try in the end, but it was excessive and unnecessry, and it's the sort of stuff that tends to set off tempers.
MO
Guest
The pulling the Fijian guy out of the ruck didn't look dangerous but I thought it was made illegal in case a half back gets his leg ripped off.
MO
Guest
I don't wanna call them fiji. think I need to come up with a plan. Autocorrect does kill me though. I spell bad enough on phones as it is.
Jimmyjam
Roar Rookie
Very salty from MB considering the Fiji boys were dishing out plenty of niggle themselves, not to mention getting plenty of leeway from our favourite Qld ref Nick Berry.... a couple of blatant knock-ons, offside etc. nothing to whinge about in reality. They'll get better every week , but so will the Tahs with Hooper/Hanigan and RWV still to return to the team.
jameswm
Roar Guru
I remember coaching my team in around the U8-10s. The other team got a penalty and we would pass them the ball - so they could take a quick tap and we weren't ready. I said don't help them out! Place the ball on the ground and get back on side. They got better at it. The oppo parents thought it was poor sportsmanship! Got to teach them some subtleties early...