We can thankfully now stop agonising about whether the Waratahs will field their Wallabies stars against the Highlanders in the final round – a debate that never should have even got to this stage.
The Brumbies' convincing win in Parramatta ended the Waratahs' season in the right way, with absolutely no ambiguity about who deserves to play in the finals.
Curtains: The Waratahs look on during their defeat to the Brumbies.Credit:AAP
Having admitted they overplayed their Wallabies last year, the Waratahs have had plenty of time to come up with a strategy to live without them.
The other Australian sides have had to take their medicine in terms of rest weeks and had the Waratahs won on Saturday and picked their Wallabies for the last game the resentment it would have caused outside NSW would have lingered for years.
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It's true that Daryl Gibson would have 'owed' his players the opportunity to push for a finals place but an agreement – even of the verbal, non-formal kind – is still an agreement and Australian rugby desperately needs its stakeholders to be pulling in the same direction.
2. Brumbies' first half was the best of the year
The Waratahs had no answer to the Brumbies because the threats were coming from everywhere.
Alan Alaalatoa was giving Tom Robertson a rough night at the scrum, Rory Arnold was dominating the collisions, wingers Toni Pulu and Andy Muirhead were busy and incisive, and in the midfield the cohesion was coming from Irae Simone and Tevita Kuridrani.
It was physical and it was clinical and the Waratahs looked like the big effort against the Rebels the week before had taken something out of them.
Joe Powell makes a run for the Brumbies.Credit:AAP
The other thing to like about the Brumbies was the performance of No. 9 Joe Powell.
He had some highlight-reel moments earlier in his career but I'm not sure he has ever played better than the second half of 2019. He's playing tough and smart and he made some great tackles when the Waratahs did manage to threaten in the first half.
He's back on the Wallabies' radar, big time.
3. Don't go, Samu
The Reds scored an excellent, patient multiphase try to beat the Blues on Friday.
Too often this year there has been an aimlessness to their play but in the final minutes against the Blues they looked like they knew exactly how to exploit the 14-man Blues.
However, the night was bittersweet because it appears that Samu Kerevi will take his services to Japan. Colleague Georgina Robinson has indicated that Rugby Australia simply doesn't deem Kerevi a high enough priority to keep.
Yet if anyone deserves the security of a longer-term Rugby Australia deal it's Kerevi, who has developed into Australia's best No. 12 with his strong running and offloading game.
At 25 years old he has time to improve as well and is clearly respected and loved by his teammates in Brisbane.
Money is obviously tight but it will be a crying shame if Kerevi wants to stay but ends up going because funds have been directed elsewhere.
4. Rebels hit the perfect storm
The Crusaders were always going to bounce back after their loss to the Chiefs the week before so life was going to be tough for the Rebels.
However, even after a 66-0 shellacking I'm not convinced Dave Wessels is going to be losing too much sleep.
The Rebels' season was always going to be defined narrowly – if they make the finals it's a success – and that is still within their control.
The mathematics are simple for them: if they beat the Chiefs in Melbourne on Friday they are in the finals.
Their selection for the Crusaders game indicated they were targeting that game and the importance of makRead More – Source
We can thankfully now stop agonising about whether the Waratahs will field their Wallabies stars against the Highlanders in the final round – a debate that never should have even got to this stage.
The Brumbies' convincing win in Parramatta ended the Waratahs' season in the right way, with absolutely no ambiguity about who deserves to play in the finals.
Curtains: The Waratahs look on during their defeat to the Brumbies.Credit:AAP
Having admitted they overplayed their Wallabies last year, the Waratahs have had plenty of time to come up with a strategy to live without them.
The other Australian sides have had to take their medicine in terms of rest weeks and had the Waratahs won on Saturday and picked their Wallabies for the last game the resentment it would have caused outside NSW would have lingered for years.
Advertisement
It's true that Daryl Gibson would have 'owed' his players the opportunity to push for a finals place but an agreement – even of the verbal, non-formal kind – is still an agreement and Australian rugby desperately needs its stakeholders to be pulling in the same direction.
2. Brumbies' first half was the best of the year
The Waratahs had no answer to the Brumbies because the threats were coming from everywhere.
Alan Alaalatoa was giving Tom Robertson a rough night at the scrum, Rory Arnold was dominating the collisions, wingers Toni Pulu and Andy Muirhead were busy and incisive, and in the midfield the cohesion was coming from Irae Simone and Tevita Kuridrani.
It was physical and it was clinical and the Waratahs looked like the big effort against the Rebels the week before had taken something out of them.
Joe Powell makes a run for the Brumbies.Credit:AAP
The other thing to like about the Brumbies was the performance of No. 9 Joe Powell.
He had some highlight-reel moments earlier in his career but I'm not sure he has ever played better than the second half of 2019. He's playing tough and smart and he made some great tackles when the Waratahs did manage to threaten in the first half.
He's back on the Wallabies' radar, big time.
3. Don't go, Samu
The Reds scored an excellent, patient multiphase try to beat the Blues on Friday.
Too often this year there has been an aimlessness to their play but in the final minutes against the Blues they looked like they knew exactly how to exploit the 14-man Blues.
However, the night was bittersweet because it appears that Samu Kerevi will take his services to Japan. Colleague Georgina Robinson has indicated that Rugby Australia simply doesn't deem Kerevi a high enough priority to keep.
Yet if anyone deserves the security of a longer-term Rugby Australia deal it's Kerevi, who has developed into Australia's best No. 12 with his strong running and offloading game.
At 25 years old he has time to improve as well and is clearly respected and loved by his teammates in Brisbane.
Money is obviously tight but it will be a crying shame if Kerevi wants to stay but ends up going because funds have been directed elsewhere.
4. Rebels hit the perfect storm
The Crusaders were always going to bounce back after their loss to the Chiefs the week before so life was going to be tough for the Rebels.
However, even after a 66-0 shellacking I'm not convinced Dave Wessels is going to be losing too much sleep.
The Rebels' season was always going to be defined narrowly – if they make the finals it's a success – and that is still within their control.
The mathematics are simple for them: if they beat the Chiefs in Melbourne on Friday they are in the finals.
Their selection for the Crusaders game indicated they were targeting that game and the importance of makRead More – Source
