While COVID-19 continues to disrupt the Super Rugby Pacific season across the ditch, it appears to be smooth sailing in Australia — for now at least!
The exact make-up of Round 5 will be confirmed later on Wednesday, but there are no such troubles for the Six Nations, which reaches its conclusion this weekend.
Can France wrap up the Grand Slam on home soil? England will be doing their best to deny Les Bleus the ultimate glory.
Read on as we bring you the latest edition of Rugby Real or Not.
The Chiefs have the class and squad depth to win Super Rugby Pacific
Real. Last Saturday’s win over the Crusaders can certainly be deemed an upset, but when you take a closer look at the Chiefs line-up it shouldn’t have come as that big of a surprise. And the rest of the competition should now be on notice that this Chiefs team is capable of going all the way. The Waikato team could so easily be 3-0, but for Bryn Gatland’s late penalty miss in Auckland the week prior, and the fly-half more than made up for that wayward strike with an exceptional game in Christchurch. The Chiefs also have two key additions to their squad from last year in co-captain Sam Cane and returning lock Brodie Retallick. It’s worth remembering that Cane missed much of last season with a pectoral injury, while Retallick was completing the second year of his Japanese sabbatical. When you add those guys to a pack that also features All Blacks Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tupou Vai’i and Angus Ta’avao, you are well on the way to something akin to the “Rolls Royce” pack that Steve Hansen once famously described the Crusaders as. But the standout performer for the Chiefs this season has been No. 8 Pita Gus Sowakula, who has taken his game to another level with a series of powerful performances. The Chiefs also have the necessary attacking threats across the backline to go all the way this season, and with Bryn Gatland and Josh Ioane offering slightly different options from No. 10, they have the ability to tweak their game accordingly. Turns out the loss of Damian McKenzie might not be the hammer blow that many expected.
Friday night’s Reds-Brumbies clash is an audition for the Wallabies No. 8 jersey
Real. What a tantalizing prospect this week’s match-up in Brisbane promises to be, as Harry Wilson locks horns with Rob Valetini. While Valetini will likely wear No. 6 on his back, this looms as a key contest in the battle for the Wallabies No.8 jersey. After a reasonably sluggish start in Round 1, Valetini has really asserted himself on each of the Brumbies’ victories over Fijian Drua, the Waratahs and then the Rebels, scoring a try in each game as part of excellent contributions in both attack and defence. Wilson, meanwhile, is back to the form he displayed in 2020 when he burst onto the scene and later established himself as the Wallabies’ first-choice No. 8. Wilson leads Super Rugby Pacific for the number of carries made [61], so too run metres [341] among the competition’s forwards contingent. When you consider the Waratahs Will Harris is also slowly starting to deliver on his potential, it puts Australia’s depth at No. 8 in great shape. Wallabies coach Dave Rennie used Valetini and Wilson in the same back-row in the first two Tests against France last year, but the Reds No. 8 didn’t play again thereafter. In his place Rob Leota and Lachie Swinton – who are both currently injured – emerged, with Valetini nailing down the No. 8 jersey for the rest of the season. Pete Samu, meanwhile, is a natural replacement on the bench given his ability to cover all three positions across the back-row, a role he filled superbly in 2021. If both Valetini and Wilson continue to play as they are in Super Rugby Pacific, then Rennie may well look to combine them once more. If not, then Friday night’s game at Suncorp looms as a huge match for both men.
Fourteen-man England’s determined showing against Ireland has granted Eddie Jones some breathing space
Not real. You could be forgiven for thinking England had won the World Cup, such was the adulation they received for their 15-32 defeat at Twickenham last week. Yes, they did well to hang with Ireland after the dismissal of Charlie Ewels in only match’s second minute, but the result did little to convince Jones’ critics that England are heading in the right direction. After a narrow loss to Scotland, the obligatory comfortable win over Italy, a real dogfight with Wales, and now the weekend’s loss to Ireland, we’re really no clearer as to whether Jones’ England overhaul, both in terms of the make-up of his squad and its approach, is actually making progress. The Six Nations finale, however, provides the perfect opportunity for England to show what they’re capable of. They will head to Paris as underdogs against a Les Bleus outfit pursuing a Grand Slam. Fabien Galthie’s team has already undergone its overhaul, having previously invested in youth, and is now reaping the rewards. It’s unlikely England will be able to win this fixture exclusively from the kicking tee, as France have too many points in them from a playing group that is loaded with attacking weapons, both up front and out wide. England, meanwhile, have only had brief moments when their attack has flowed, with Marcus Smith yet to truly turn in the commanding performance many think he is capable of. If England are beaten, and beaten well at the Stade de France, expect the drums to beat even louder for Jones’ head, which would then set up a likely make-or-break series against the Wallabies Down Under in July.
