Waratahs are not the only problem child in Super Rugby’s dysfunctional family

OPINION: Waratahs are not the only problem child in Super Rugby’s dysfunctional family

Paul Cully
May 26, 2024 — 4.45pm

1 Waratahs are a problem child - but most of the Super family is troubled.

Is it too simplistic to say that Moana Pasifika wanted it more than the Waratahs in Auckland on Saturday?

Tana Umaga’s side have some talent – young fullback Kyren Taumoefolau is like a young Israel Folau – but their victory was based on winning the contact areas and some great defensive scramble when needed.

Play video 1:03 Tim Ryan’s airborne spectacular wows.
The Junkyard Dog was in action from the outset, scoring the first Reds try against the Force in Brisbane.

The Waratahs are an enormous problem for Rugby Australia, who must quickly be realising that “centralisation” means inheriting all the issues of the franchises, not magically making them disappear.

Sources with knowledge of the situation who requested anonymity to speak freely have told the Herald the Force lose millions a year, underwritten by the Forrests, and the Brumbies might need the RA loan of $1.7m to be forgiven, if it hasn’t already happened. The Rebels, all but certain to disappear once their season is over, may not be the last club to hand over their licence.

2. Tane Edmed’s face said it all.

The playmaker was clearly frustrated when replaced by Jack Bowen after 52 minutes, in a microcosm of his season.

Sources with knowledge of the situation who requested anonymity to speak freely have told the Herald a switch to New Zealand for the upcoming NPC season has been discussed for Edmed, and he would clearly benefit from a change of scenery and the unequivocal backing of his coach.

Tane Edmed has endured a frustrating season and could benefit from a spell in New Zealand’s club competition.CREDIT:GETTY

Kalani Thomas enjoyed a stint at Auckland last year, and returned a better player – and the same experience would be timely for Edmed. But he certainly is not the only one who has regressed. What has happened to Langi Gleeson?

He burst onto the scene last year as one of the most dynamic loose forward prospects in years, and now looks like an honest clubland battler with poor hands. It has been an extraordinary decline for the Waratahs, who haven’t recovered from last year’s premature pronouncement that they were a top-four club – a charade Darren Coleman clearly felt uncomfortable contributing to.

3. The Junkyard Dog has a tag team partner.

The Reds’ attack was fizzing against the Force, running off the slickest passing display by Tate McDermott in memory. The Force were certainly more passive than the in-your-face version they are capable of, but the Reds were still excellent value with the ball in hand.

Paul Cully’s Team of the Week
Alex Hodgman (Reds)
Matt Faessler (Reds)
Allan Ala’alatoa (Brumbies)
Ryan Smith (Reds)
Tom Hooper (Brumbies)
Nick Frost (Brumbies)
Fraser McReight (Reds)
Rob Valetini (Brumbies)
Tate McDermott (Reds)
Tom Lynagh (Reds)
Mac Grealy (Reds)
Hunter Paisami (Reds)
Josh Flook (Reds)
Tim Ryan (Reds) - Player of the Week
Tom Wright (Brumbies)

Tim Ryan’s rise has been remarkable – is he now in the Wallabies conversation? – but no one should play down the contribution of his wing partner Mac Grealy: both on Saturday night and in the win against the Crusaders a few weeks ago. Grealy is a smart footballer who runs great lines, and represents a shift away from size and power in Australian backlines that we’re seeing through the competition.

Grealy, Ryan, Corey Toole, Josh Flook, Darby Lancaster, Jock Campbell, Andrew Kellaway and Tom Wright (despite his Jonah Lomu impression on Friday) are no monsters. Perhaps they were all born in the wrong Test era, but collectively they do offer the Wallabies a different vision of how they might play the game.

4 Australia’s marginal improvement.

It’s now likely that Australia will have three teams in the playoffs - the same as last year. The Force’s hopes are not yet extinguished, but they are relying on other results to go their way - and need to beat the Brumbies next weekend. On the face of it, that indicates that no improvements have been made by the Australian teams, but it’s not quite the full story.

After a good weekend for the Brumbies, they could yet finish in the top two if the Chiefs beat the Blues in Auckland next weekend (or the Highlanders upset the Hurricanes). That would be a significant development, as few teams would want to go to Canberra for a quarter or a semi-final. The New Zealand sides are still the favourites for the title, but the Brumbies could yet be in a position to give it a real shake.

5. The Tom Lynagh effect.

The Reds No.10 made a strong return against the Force and is an intriguing prospect because he arguably lacks a little bit of acceleration yet makes up for that by the way he reads the game. I’d have him in the Wallabies squad every day of the week and twice on Sunday, because his qualities – the cool head, the physical toughness – are the ones that really count at the Test level.

There are without doubt better running options in Australia, but probably none as well balanced as Lynagh. The Reds always look better with Lynagh at No.10, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Les Kiss was giving Joe Schmidt some glowing testimonials about the youngster.

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