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Can I just start by saying, how good is rugby! And how good is Super Rugby Pacific this year: close matches, brilliant attack, desperate defence, and upsets aplenty.
For the rejuvenated Queensland Reds, the likes of Fraser McReight, Josh Flook, Harry Wilson and many others have been standouts. But the Australian player who has really caught my eye is Corey Toole for the Brumbies. I’ve been watching Super Rugby for 25-odd years and have never seen a better finisher.
He had a stellar first season in 15s rugby in 2023 finishing in the top ten Super Rugby players for tries scored (fifth with nine tries) and clean breaks (fourth with 22 clean breaks). He was the best Australian player in each of these categories.
Watch every match of Super Rugby Pacific ad-free, live & on demand on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport
But if you thought that was good, Corey said ‘hold my beer’ for 2024 and has upped the ante. He’s now in the top ten Super Rugby players in four different metrics now:
– 1st with 5 tries
– 4th with 6 clean breaks
– 8th with 18 defenders beaten
– 7th with 311 metres gained
If you look at just the Australian players, he is:
– 1st in tries
– 1st in line breaks
– 2nd in defenders beaten (behind Andrew Kellaway)
– 4th in metres gained (behind Andrew Kellaway, Harry Potter and Max Burey)
Bloody impressive. What excites me is not only his pace but also his smarts. He holds the ball in two hands and is a master of the chip and chase. It’s still early days in his career, but he currently has 14 tries from just 18 Super Rugby appearances. That’s 0.78 tries per game. An amazing statistic. How amazing? Just have a look at the top ten try scorers in Super Rugby history:
Julian Savea: 61 tries in 157 games = 0.39 tries per game
Israel Folau: 60 in 96 = 0.63
Doug Howlett: 59 in 97 = 0.61
TJ Perenara: 58 in 151 = 0.38
Caleb Ralph: 58 in 136 = 0.43
Joe Roff: 57 in 82 = 0.70
Ma’a Nonu: 56 in 174 = 0.32
Christian Cullen: 56 in 85 = 0.66
Bryan Habana: 56 in 118 = 0.47
Stirling Mortlock: 56 in 140 = 0.40
Corey is currently scoring tries at a more potent rate than all of these legends. He even compares favourably to another current great to watch in Will Jordan. Jordan has 38 tries in 52 games (0.73 tries per game).
How does Toole compare to SR players who have filled the Wallabies’ wings in recent years?
Marika Koroibete (2017–21): 23 tries in 69 games = 0.33 tries per game
Andrew Kellaway: 22 in 63 = 0.35
Jordan Petaia: 15 in 54 = 0.28
Suliasi Vunivalu: 14 in 31 = 0.45
Toole smokes them all. Koroibete has been a mainstay on the Australian wing the last few years. I like watching him play but I just feel like we have nine forwards when he is out there. I think he is going to retire anyway but we need a real try-scorer on the wing.
People will be quick to jump on Toole’s defence as his weakness. But tell me this, is he any worse than Petaia or Suli? Petaia’s tackle completion rate was actually lower than Toole’s in Super Rugby Pacific 2023 and Suli’s defensive reads leave a lot to be desired.
Joe Schmidt has the perfect opportunity to get some new players into the Wallabies with some relatively easy home games versus Wales and Georgia. Toole should be number one on his list.
So come on Joe, give the Wagga Wagga flyer a start and watch the tries roll in!
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.