The Reds-Brumbies game in Brisbane – won by the Brumbies, 20-19 – was a good, tough game of footy, but it’s impossible to draw a direct line between that contest and Test rugby.
There is no ‘Test-like’ intensity in Super Rugby – including the top New Zealand derbies – or indeed any provincial rugby competition.
That’s the challenge that faces Joe Schmidt as he puts together his Wallabies squad this year, and the entire program looks worryingly behind the eight-ball in terms of piecing together assistant coaches and the backroom staff.
Of course, Super Rugby provides insights into what the squad might look like, but we’re doing Schmidt a massive disservice if we describe Super Rugby as Test-like in the expectation that what players are producing for the Brumbies or Reds can easily be transferred into the Test arena.
In the Super Rugby context, however, one of the features of the past few weeks has been the control exerted by Ryan Lonergan and Noah Lolesio.
There were so many similarities between the Brumbies’ win over the Reds and their win against the Highlanders in Dunedin recently. They controlled the last quarter: scrums, lineouts, breakdown pressure and contestable kick pressure from Lonergan’s boot – the Brumbies know how to close out a game, and control the clock.
That was arguably Lonergan’s best game for the Brumbies – no wonder they left him on for the full 80 minutes. Lolesio was not far behind in the influence stakes, particularly with that lovely subtle pass that held the defence enough to give Tom Wright enough space on the outside to score his crucial second try.
Brumbies playmakers thrive, while things could still get worse for Waratahs
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31.03.2024
The Reds-Brumbies game in Brisbane – won by the Brumbies, 20-19 – was a good, tough game of footy, but it’s impossible to draw a direct line between that contest and Test rugby.
There is no ‘Test-like’ intensity in Super Rugby – including the top New Zealand derbies – or indeed any provincial rugby competition.
That’s the challenge that faces Joe Schmidt as he puts together his........
© The Sydney Morning Herald
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