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Beale’s comeback proves he can still be a force in Super Rugby
By Paul Cully
1. Beale makes a remarkable return
Kurtley Beale wasn’t the reason the Force beat the Crusaders on Saturday – that was down to a ferocious defensive effort – but it was remarkable to see his impact at fullback after just joining the side.
The pace and timing were still there, and even though the reports from Shute Shield were good, it’s a completely different ball game at Super Rugby. The Force are now in early finals mode – they essentially have to win every week, or close to it – but they do now appear to have a settled side in terms of their best XV, with Bayley Kuenzle’s reinvention as a No.14 and Will Harris’ physicality at No.6 the other standouts from their 37-15 win.
They made a contest out of every bit of play on Saturday, they understood the impact of scoreboard pressure by taking penalties in the second half, and they also had that extra bit of polish that Beale supplied from the back. That was as good as I’ve seen from the Force.
2. The best Super Rugby competition since 2015?
Super Rugby Pacific chair Kevin Malloy is said to be very keen to unveil his new chief executive in the next week or two – but he will already be delighted at how the season is unfolding. The sight of two New Zealand sides in the bottom three is the best thing that could have happened to Super Rugby Pacific, and that is not said disrespectfully to the Highlanders or Crusaders.
Ultimately, this competition will succeed or fail depending on how Australian sides compete: they don’t have to win it every year but they have to be in fight most weekends. The Hurricanes and Blues are still setting the pace, but the unpredictability of this year’s edition is making it the most enjoyable since 2015, before the format expanded to 18 teams.
After nine rounds, no one can say if the Crusaders will beat the Rebels in Christchurch next Friday: that’s what a competition looks like.
Hunter Paisami was the standout player in the Reds’ 31-0 rout of the Highlanders.Credit: Getty
3. Hunter shows his class
Reds No.12 Hunter Paisami was the best player on the paddock against the Highlanders on Friday, by a considerable distance. He’s another one of the many players in Australia who, despite being relatively young (he’s 26 years old) has now accrued plenty of experience at both Super and test level. In fact, there should be an expectation that he stands out against struggling teams such as the Highlanders.
Paisami was brutal on defence and creative on attack, because he’s now at the stage of his career when he’s seen all the pictures hundreds of times. The timing of his pass to set up Lawson Creighton’s try in the second half is exactly what you would expect from a Test player at this stage of his career.
As pointed out on Friday, the Wallabies do not need to go scouring the world for players in a lot of positions because a lot of the investment into guys who have stayed is now reaching the dividend stage.
4. Brumbies exposed by the Blues
Noah Lolesio can expect some traffic down his channel against the Hurricanes on Saturday, presumably in the shape of Kini Naholo, after the Blues targeted him in Auckland.
Lolesio and No.9 Lonergan had a night to forget at Eden Park, and the Hurricanes will offer no respite in the physicality stakes. Although there is a big difference between Super Rugby and the Test arena, the Blues are probably playing a style that most closely mimics the highest level.
‘Stern’ Vern Cotter has them playing a brutal brand of rugby, and the opponents who can live with it, and those who can’t, will no doubt be noted by Joe Schmidt. The Reds host the Blues on Saturday to complete an outstanding round of Anzac fixtures, and any Reds with Wallabies aspirations are about to sink or swim.
5. Why Rodda’s return is a boost for Schmidt
It’s hard to believe that Izack Rodda is only 27 years old – he made his Super Rugby debut for the Reds way back in 2017. He’s only now coming into his prime years as a tight forward, if he can stay healthy.
His return to the field for the Force against the Crusaders on Saturday was promising: almost an hour of action, and 14 tackles from 16 attempts after Tom Franklin had to depart early. For a guy who is over 2 metres and 120kg, that’s a big shift. When it comes to Test options in the second-row, it’s definitely a case of the more the merrier.
The position is so attritional that top sides need four, possibly five, big men to get them though a Test campaign these days. Depth in this area has been the Springboks’ not-so-secret weapon over the past five or six years, and establishing a ‘top two’ partnership has almost become less important than having quality operators at No.3, No.4 and No.5 in the depth chart. The Springboks wouldn’t have even made the World Cup final unless they had pulled a flat Eben Etzebeth 46 minutes into the semi-final against England, replacing him with RG Snyman.
Team of the Week
1. Alex Hodgman (Reds)
2. Tom Horton (Force)
3. Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen (Reds)
4. Ryan Smith (Reds)
5. Sam Carter (Force)
6. Liam Wright (Reds)
7. Carlo Tizzano (Force)
8. Reed Prinsep (Force)
9. Nic White (Force)
10. Ben Donaldson (Force)
11. Chase Tiatia (Force)
12. Hunter Paisami (Reds) – Player of the week
13. Sam Spink (Force)
14. Bayley Kuenzle (Force)
15. Kurtley Beale (Force)
Watch all the action from the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season, with every match ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.
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