Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii looked like a man on a mission against the Western Force in Perth, driving a fine line from the line in the second half and beating many defenders.
Only an incredible defensive tackle from Power full-back Nathan Hastie stopped him; Hastie made a good impression on Jerome Kaino who lifted Digby Ioane in the semi-final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Suaalii showed no signs of his hamstring injury and looked as if he was coming off a frustrating spell after disrupting another Super Rugby campaign. That will please Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, although the Reds’ Josh Flook is at the center of Australia’s competition.
Flook gives Rugby Australia the two-finger salute as he delivers a string of impressive performances for the Reds before joining Italy’s Benetton.
Good news and bad news about Gordon’s injury
Jake Gordon’s face said it all as he left the field during the Waratahs’ 31-25 lead. loss to the Army at Perth Saturday: he has a long rehabilitation ahead of him after rupturing his Achilles tendon.
These severe injuries immediately cast doubt on whether players can return as the same athlete, but there is a promising example in the field.
Former All Blacks fullback TJ Perenara suffered a similar injury at the end of 2022, but when he returned he looked as if he had added half the speed.
The bad news is that problems delayed Perenara’s return for about a year and a half. Gordon will already be thinking about next year’s World Cup, but in Perenara’s case the injury did not deprive him of the speed that is a big part of Gordon’s game.
It’s hard to ask for Australian teams in the playoffs
The Brumbies’ heavy loss to Moana Pasifika in Canberra on Saturday has doomed them to face the Hurricanes in the final, which involves a short-lived change.
The table-topping Hurricanes opted for Friday’s opening week of the playoffs and will return many of their stars after resting most of them against the Crusaders. The Brumbies struggled against the raw form of Moana Pasifika, and the Hurricanes will bring that brilliance and more on Friday.
The Reds have the best chance of upsetting the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday, but the Kiwis will still be hot favourites. Even without All Blacks Damian McKenzie and Quinn Tupaea, the Chiefs looked dangerous against the Blues on Saturday when their attacking play clicked.
Pellegrini in the shop window
Australia’s Moana Pasifika number 10, Patrick Pellegrini, showed his full game against the Brumbies.
For the past two years, Pellegrini has been one of the best Australian No.10s in the comp. If Moana Pasifika can’t continue, it will be a mystery if the Waratahs don’t snap up Pellegrini. Perhaps his international credibility counts against him – Pellegrini is a Test player for Tonga – but the 27-year-old has a good attacking mentality and plays with what’s in front of him.
Pellegrini’s counter-attacking maneuver set up Moana Pasifika’s match-winning try against the Brumbies, capping a fine individual performance that included two five-pointers of his own.
The Blues are advancing to the semi-finals
The Blues have lost three in a row and will travel to Christchurch to play the Crusaders on Saturday.
But even if they lose in the first week of the play-offs, they can still qualify for the semi-finals as a “lucky loser” under the Super Rugby finals format.
The Blues need the Hurricanes and Chiefs to beat the Brumbies and Reds, respectively. If that happens they will receive a way to win the losers to stay in the competition for another week. Talk about beating a dead horse. The lucky winners device – the three winners from the first week of the finals and the highest-placed loser advancing to the semi-finals – has not worked in Super Rugby Pacific and should be abandoned next season.
Cully team of the week
1. Harry Johnson-Holmes (Power), 2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa (Power), 3. Misinale Epenisa (Power), 4. Jeremy Williams (Power) – player of the week, 5. Josh Canham (Reds), 6. Seru Uru (Reds), 7. Carlo Tizzano (Power), 8. Violini Ekuasi (Power), 9. Tate McDermott (Reds), 10. Ben Donaldson (Power), 11. Dylan Pietsch (Power), 12. Filipo Daugu 13 Jods (Rescue). Andy Muirhead (Brumbies), 15. Tom Wright (Brumbies)
Paul Cully is a rugby columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect through X or email address.
