Waratahs star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii looked like a man on a mission against Western Force in Perth. But he’s not the form centre in Australia
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii looked like a man on a mission against the Western Force in Perth; In the second half he was running a perfect line to break out of the formation and tackle multiple defenders.
Only a notable defensive tackle from Force halfback Nathan Hastie stopped him; Hastie made a good impression when Jerome Kaino lifted Digby Ioane in the 2011 Rugby World Cup semi-final.
Suaalii showed no signs of his hamstring injury and appeared to be recovering from pent-up frustration following another disrupted Super Rugby campaign. That will please Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, but the Reds’ Josh Flook is Australia’s best center of the tournament.
Flook effectively gives Rugby Australia a two-finger salute with a series of excellent performances for the Reds before joining Italian side Benetton.
Good and bad news about Gordon’s injury
Jake Gordon’s face said it all as he left the field during the Waratahs’ 31-25 defeat to the Force in Perth on Saturday: he has a long rehab ahead after rupturing his Achilles tendon.
These serious injuries immediately cast doubt on whether players can return as the same athletes, but there is also a promising example.
Former All Blacks halfback TJ Perenara suffered a similar injury at the end of 2022 but looked as if he had added half the pace when he returned.
The bad news is that the problems delayed Perenara’s return by about a year and a half. Gordon will already be thinking about next year’s World Cup, but in Perenara’s case the injury has not deprived him of the pace that is a big part of Gordon’s game.
Tough demand from Australian teams in play-offs
The Brumbies’ indifferent defeat to Moana Pacifica in Canberra on Saturday condemned them to face the Hurricanes in a final that featured a brief comeback.
The top-seeded Hurricanes opted for Friday in the first week of the playoffs and will have most of their stars back after resting them against the Crusaders. The Brumbies struggled against the raw physicality of Moana Pacifica and the Hurricanes will bring that and much more polish on Friday.
The Reds have a better chance of upsetting the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday but the Kiwis will still be among the favourites. Even without the All Blacks’ Damian McKenzie and Quinn Tupaea, the Chiefs looked lethal against the Blues when their attacking play was completed on Saturday.
Pellegrini in the showcase
Moana Pacifica’s Australian number 10 Patrick Pellegrini showed off all his skills against the Brumbies.
Over the last two years Pellegrini has been one of Australia’s best No.10 players. If Moana Pacifica can’t continue, it will be a mystery if the Waratahs don’t land Pellegrini. Perhaps his international commitments work against him – Pellegrini is a Tonga Test player – but the 27-year-old has a great attacking mentality and plays the game in front of him.
Pellegrini’s counter-attacking brilliance launched Moana Pacifica’s match-winning effort against the Brumbies, capping off a superb individual performance that included two five-pointers of his own.
Blues comedy in the semi-finals
The Blues have suffered three straight comprehensive defeats and will travel to Christchurch to face the Crusaders on Saturday.
However, even if they lose in the first week of the play-offs, they can progress to the semi-finals as the “lucky loser” in Super Rugby’s finals format.
The Blues need the Hurricanes and Chiefs to beat the Brumbies and Reds respectively. If this happens, the lucky loser will receive a lifeline to stay in the competition for another week. Talk about flogging a dead horse. The lucky loser device (the three winners of the first week of the finals and the highest placed loser advance to the semi-finals) has not worked in Super Rugby Pacific and should be abandoned next season.
Cully’s team of the week
1. Harry Johnson-Holmes (Force), 2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa (Force), 3. Misinale Epenisa (Force), 4. Jeremy Williams (Force) – player of the week, 5. Josh Canham (Reds), 6. Seru Uru (Reds), 7. Carlo Tizzano (Force), 8. Vaiolini Ekuasi (Reds), 9. Tate McDermott (Reds), 10. Ben Donaldson (Reds), 11. Dylan Pietsch (Reds), 12. Filipo Daugunu (Reds), 13. Josh Flook (Reds), 14. Andy Muirhead (Brumbies), 15. Tom Wright (Brumbies)
Paul Cully is a rugby columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
