Two Cents Rugby has used its Round 13 review to map out the run to the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs, with the Crusaders' demolition of the Blues at their new Christchurch ground, a Chiefs win in Brisbane laced with refereeing controversy, and the Highlanders' first-half blitz of the Waratahs reframing the top six.
The headline result, according to the channel, was the Crusaders' 36-20 win over the Blues in front of a packed house at the new stadium in Christchurch. The host, who supports the Blues, was unambiguous about the gulf in performance and even more so about the moment of the night.
"Crusaders Blues was a chance for my Blues to be the first team to beat the Crusaders down in that new stadium in Christchurch. Not even close. The Crusaders were pretty deserving winners in that one. 36 points to 20. George Bower, even as a Blues fan, that was a pretty sweet moment to see him go over the whitewash for a try in his 100th game," the host said.
The difference, in the analysis, was a Crusaders pack that controlled possession and territory, and a back-rower who carried the contest at the breakdown.
"The Crusaders had the possession, the Crusaders had the territory, the Crusaders had the line breaks, and the Crusaders had Leicester Fainga'anuku, who was tackling the house down, winning turnovers and setting up tries with his kicking game. He's having a pretty good run at that number seven jersey," the host said.
At fly-half, Stephen Perofeta endured a quieter outing for the Blues, with the channel suggesting that head coach Vern Cotter's selection options on the bench could have been used earlier.
"Stephen Perofeta, conversely, barring setting up one bit of nice territory for the Blues, didn't have his best game. I was kind of hoping they would pull him, bring on Bowden. Instead, they pulled Zarn Sullivan," the host said.
The Chiefs' 31-21 win at Suncorp Stadium provoked the sharpest debate of the review. The channel pointed to a moment before half-time when a try to the Reds' Seru Uru was disallowed, prompting a backlash that even neutrals found difficult to dismiss.
"There's a little bit of controversy about this one with the refereeing, especially because the Reds were denied what was probably a try. A lot of people were rubbed a little bit the wrong way by that one. If you're a Chiefs fan, you probably think there wasn't compelling evidence, but if that's your team or you're a neutral, you probably think the ball got down from Seru right before halftime," the host said.
Even so, the analyst gave the result its due, citing turnover counts and penalty discipline.
"There's still some key stuff which you can look at and go, the Chiefs deserve their win. They won double the turnovers, eight to four. They had fewer penalties conceded, 12 to five," the host said.
The try of the round, the host argued, was assembled by Reds skipper Harry Wilson.
"Joe Brial got the try of all tries in terms of the assist from Harry Wilson, was a thing of beauty. Like if you want a game of the week in terms of just that sweet skill, oh my goodness, absolutely highlight worthy. Stop watching this and go watch that highlight if you have not seen it yet. That pass from Wilson to Brial is magnificent," the host said.
The Highlanders' 31-26 home win over the Waratahs has the channel believing the Dunedin side are back in the playoff conversation, largely because of one returning back.
"How good to have Caleb Tangitau back. That guy is a weapon. He busted 12 tackles in that game along with his line breaks and setting up tries and kicking a 50-22. The Highlanders look a better team when that guy is in the mix," the host said.
The Waratahs, who scored four second-half tries through Andrew Kellaway, Tane Edmed, Triston Reilly and Joseph Suaalii but ran out of clock, came in for criticism on the defensive side.
"75% tackle percentage for the Waratahs as a whole is kind of poor. Samu was missing tackles. Suaalii, although he set up, also missed tackles and whatnot. You can't make the playoffs if you're like that," the host said.
The channel also called out Sid Harvey, who is having a breakout season but is still leaving work to do.
"Sid Harvey, he's having a great breakthrough season, but eight missed tackles is too many. He blew a try as well at one point. So he's like he's always looking for work. He's a really impressive player, but still he's a rookie," the host said.
The Hurricanes-Moana Pasifika 50-17 result was treated more as a one-sided exhibition than a fixture, with the host conceding it never had his full attention.
"I struggled to get invested into this game. This is the game I had on in the background. I didn't really pay it much notice. But this is your top team against your bottom team. And even with the Hurricanes rotation, they still put 50 points on them," the host said.
The final match of the round, the Brumbies' 32-15 win over the Force, drew genuine sympathy from the host for a Force side whose playoff push he wanted to see continue.
"I'm wearing the Brumbies gear because the Brumbies finally got their act together after some misfiring weeks. But I'll admit, I'm gutted for the Force. I wanted the Force to go on for a real run to push for the playoffs, but I think that's bugging it. I can't see the Force making it from here," the host said.
The Brumbies, the host argued, had finally clicked, and Tom Wright in particular looked more dangerous as the playoffs approach.
"Tom Wright keeps looking sharper and sharper as time goes by. The Brumbies were deserved winners. And if they're going to find some form, hopefully this is the game which kickstarts that, because they have been less than Brumby-like impressive in their last month or six weeks or so," the host said.
The table after Round 13 has the Hurricanes (45), Chiefs (40) and Blues (38) clear at the top, with the Crusaders (32), Brumbies (29) and Reds (27) holding playoff spots ahead of the chasing Highlanders (24), Waratahs (21), Drua (20) and Force (18). The next round, with the Force-Reds clash effectively a knockout for the Force, looks set to define which Australian sides survive.
