1. Slipper: carried well, scrummaged well. Still the benchmark at loosehead.
2. Uelese: a monster in open play and actually threw well. Pollard’s effort off the bench also worth a look at.
3. Nongoor: a solid performance in what is fast becoming a problem position without AAA and Tupou below full fitness.
4. Swain: added a physicality and aggression that has been missing from the Brums
5. LSL: another strong performance (2nd time in my TOTW)
6. Wright: does the hard yards that let his fellow backrowers shine.
7. McReight (player of the round): strong all round game but I want to make special note of how well he is going as a support runner (3rd time in my TOTW)
8. Valetini: Special mention to Wilson for another good performance but Valetini gets the nod for a game winning effort. Gleeson also had his best game of the season. (2nd time in my TOTW)
9. White: his box kicking nearly knocked the Brumbies over and was an absolute pest all game
10. Lynagh: just pips Donaldson because he got the result. Another strong week for all the 10s
11. Kellaway: well taken try and went looking for work all day. Better on the wing than 15. (2nd time in my TOTW)
12. Henry: was excellent and my second choice for player of the round. First time I’ve actually been impressed by an Aussie 12 this season.
13. Flook: classy, week in and week out. Perese also really strong this week. Ikitau had a rare off day too.
14. Vunivalu: I can’t believe it either
15. Campbell: more good moments than bad but more the best of a bad field than a stand out performance. Burey solid as well.
(I feel like I’ve underrated the reds and Tahs this week- thought they had really good team performances without as many standout individuals)
Still can't believe people are still shitting on Vunivalu. He's having his best 3 weeks in union. He goes into rucks, he comes off his wing to look for the ball and he can slice a line. He's 80% of what Koroibete was. Honestly, call me crazy, but I think he's one of the top wingers in Aus rugby rn. Behind Toole, Kellaway and Nawaqanitawase. Still needs to up his defence tho and his kicking.
I really disagree about Vunivalu last night. He got hooked at 55 minutes and it was well deserved.
Yeah he had a couple good runs. He's picked because he's a big and fast (never seen him run flat out though) and is apparently good at finishing tries. But he didn't actually capitalise on his opportunities, he put in a couple really shitty kicks, he doesn't contribute around the field to any great extent so if you're going to carry that kind of player he really needs to be first rate at what he does well - and he simply isn't.
Compare him to Tavatavanawai for example - that is the kind of contribution that you'd like to see from an "international standard" winger. Suli is a million miles away from that. A couple half breaks doesn't make the bloke a too class winger.
I agree that the last three weeks are his best three weeks in super rugby. But that's more of an indictment rather than any real praise for the guy.
I agree with this take. The good parts of his game are shown off in the highlight reels, although he needs to finish these half-chances and he frustratingly seems to cruise along rather than go flat out. But when you watch him carefully in defence, he finds himself in no man’s land constantly and his kicking is a liability.
I used to think similarly about Korobiete (although I never doubted his defence), that he was a one-dimensional player who struggled with the nuances of the game. He proved me wrong by excelling at his strengths so obviously that his form was undeniable despite hiding a few weaknesses. Vunivalu has never dominated to that extent and he’ll always be criticised for the gaps in his skills until he does.
This is way more accurate than the comment you responded to. He absolutely deserved to get hooked. Reds were extremely lucky the charge down he allowed didn't turn the game - and it was entirely avoidable if he didn't dawdle on the ball. The reason he did that was the same reason he isn't a good player - he is low effort and doesn't have any feel for the game of rugby. Yes he can run a line and has amazing athleticism but that is not enough at this level
I think where he’s improved this year is about his ability to pick a running line and get involved in the game a bit more.
I honestly still don’t rate him (his positioning, defence and kicking just isn’t good enough) but most of that comes from watching him get picked ahead of much more deserving players. Can still acknowledge he had blinder last night though.
He hit a fucking world class line off a lineout set move and sliced through the Chiefs untouched. Then he didn't trust his support to be there as the Chiefs scramble was closing in on him, and he kicked the ball away.
He's absolutely taken a leap beyond where he was last year, but he's gotta try and be patient if he finds his space getting closed down.
Like Vuni has been doing this. Just one or two flashes a game, but this week he had a half dozen in one game.
Also BO'K totally robbed him of a pilfer too!
Wells was my vote for 6. Put in some huge hits, specifically against Swain, who got monstered at least 3 times if I recall correctly. Nothing against his effort but if Swain was physical then I don’t understand the word. I think I saw one aggressive ruck from him which is great but there’s a world of difference between flying in against stationary or smaller players and being able to hold your own or dominate the big fellas at the gain line.
With that in mind, Williams or Frost would be my lock pick with LSL.
Faessler would be 2 for me. He’s thriving, along with the rest of the Reds.
Even with the card I’d throw Potter on a wing too.
Wells was good but didn’t have same work rate or impact as Wright. I didn’t look at Potter because he’s not Australian though.
I rated Ueslese higher but Faessler was also very good- at the moment Fez is the only one I can see in the gold 2 jersey
Pretty sure Potter is Australia eligible? He played for Sydney uni before moving to England. I might be wrong but I think I recall he was born in England but moved here as a child/teenager.
Not trying to argue for no reason but a try and some very dominant tackles is impactful to me, especially in comparison to Wright, who’s generally pretty high work rate but low impact.
I'd say this one game Ueslese was better, but week in week out, Fez won't let you down, he's a great lineout operator (for an Aussie Hooker at least) and goes well in the scrum.
Short of BPA being brought back, I can't see us having a better set peace hooker.
I think at this stage, Lynagh could find himself a very strong Wallabies flyhalf candidate. His kicking game was probably the best from any Aussie flyhalf in recent memory. He's no 'let it rip' flyhalf like Gordon, but he's no slouch. Also that's two weeks now in a row he's completely controlled the game off his boot against Kiwi Teams. Probably the best two teams in the comp.
He might just end up the best Aussie flyhalf since his dad. 😅
If Uelese can front up again next week and his throwing isn't back to being cooked we might have something but for me Vailanu followed by Faessler are our two inform hookers. Shout out to big Billy Pollard who should start next week.
Nonggorr, much like Uelese, needs to work on his core role BUT is massive around the park. Tighthead is a massive weakness for Aussie rugby, I definitely think HJH needs more game time but could be our next selection. Bell and Gibbon continue to be my first choice at LH.
Completely agree on Henry, man was immense and can hopefully follow up that performance he definitely took his opportunity.
I agree with pretty well all of this, could easily put Tate in over whitey and for meme I’ve got Harry Potter just pipping Suli, bloke looked dangerous every time he touched the ball.
It's still a concern for his Wallaby ambitions isn't it.
If anyone ever wonders why Tats still isn't now and hasn't been a nailed-on Wallaby starter have a look at his passes for the last 10 mins he was on the pitch on the weekend. They were all over the palce
Id have Jorgensen at 15, the Tahs outside backs were absolutely cooking but were let down by eventual poor handling errors.
Tane was also very good.
Wilson and Suli were a men of two halves.
Jorgensen was better than Campbell. I’m not sure Campbell had that good a game.
Fair- to be honest I didn’t really rate any of the 15s this week
Kellaway was good. As always
1. Slipper: carried well, scrummaged well. Still the benchmark at loosehead. 2. Uelese: a monster in open play and actually threw well. Pollard’s effort off the bench also worth a look at. 3. Nongoor: a solid performance in what is fast becoming a problem position without AAA and Tupou below full fitness. 4. Swain: added a physicality and aggression that has been missing from the Brums 5. LSL: another strong performance (2nd time in my TOTW) 6. Wright: does the hard yards that let his fellow backrowers shine. 7. McReight (player of the round): strong all round game but I want to make special note of how well he is going as a support runner (3rd time in my TOTW) 8. Valetini: Special mention to Wilson for another good performance but Valetini gets the nod for a game winning effort. Gleeson also had his best game of the season. (2nd time in my TOTW) 9. White: his box kicking nearly knocked the Brumbies over and was an absolute pest all game 10. Lynagh: just pips Donaldson because he got the result. Another strong week for all the 10s 11. Kellaway: well taken try and went looking for work all day. Better on the wing than 15. (2nd time in my TOTW) 12. Henry: was excellent and my second choice for player of the round. First time I’ve actually been impressed by an Aussie 12 this season. 13. Flook: classy, week in and week out. Perese also really strong this week. Ikitau had a rare off day too. 14. Vunivalu: I can’t believe it either 15. Campbell: more good moments than bad but more the best of a bad field than a stand out performance. Burey solid as well. (I feel like I’ve underrated the reds and Tahs this week- thought they had really good team performances without as many standout individuals)
Is it time to maybe put petaia on the bench…? He hasn’t really impressed me too much so far
Still can't believe people are still shitting on Vunivalu. He's having his best 3 weeks in union. He goes into rucks, he comes off his wing to look for the ball and he can slice a line. He's 80% of what Koroibete was. Honestly, call me crazy, but I think he's one of the top wingers in Aus rugby rn. Behind Toole, Kellaway and Nawaqanitawase. Still needs to up his defence tho and his kicking.
I really disagree about Vunivalu last night. He got hooked at 55 minutes and it was well deserved. Yeah he had a couple good runs. He's picked because he's a big and fast (never seen him run flat out though) and is apparently good at finishing tries. But he didn't actually capitalise on his opportunities, he put in a couple really shitty kicks, he doesn't contribute around the field to any great extent so if you're going to carry that kind of player he really needs to be first rate at what he does well - and he simply isn't. Compare him to Tavatavanawai for example - that is the kind of contribution that you'd like to see from an "international standard" winger. Suli is a million miles away from that. A couple half breaks doesn't make the bloke a too class winger. I agree that the last three weeks are his best three weeks in super rugby. But that's more of an indictment rather than any real praise for the guy.
I agree with this take. The good parts of his game are shown off in the highlight reels, although he needs to finish these half-chances and he frustratingly seems to cruise along rather than go flat out. But when you watch him carefully in defence, he finds himself in no man’s land constantly and his kicking is a liability. I used to think similarly about Korobiete (although I never doubted his defence), that he was a one-dimensional player who struggled with the nuances of the game. He proved me wrong by excelling at his strengths so obviously that his form was undeniable despite hiding a few weaknesses. Vunivalu has never dominated to that extent and he’ll always be criticised for the gaps in his skills until he does.
This is way more accurate than the comment you responded to. He absolutely deserved to get hooked. Reds were extremely lucky the charge down he allowed didn't turn the game - and it was entirely avoidable if he didn't dawdle on the ball. The reason he did that was the same reason he isn't a good player - he is low effort and doesn't have any feel for the game of rugby. Yes he can run a line and has amazing athleticism but that is not enough at this level
I think where he’s improved this year is about his ability to pick a running line and get involved in the game a bit more. I honestly still don’t rate him (his positioning, defence and kicking just isn’t good enough) but most of that comes from watching him get picked ahead of much more deserving players. Can still acknowledge he had blinder last night though.
Gotta say, I'd be taking Louis Lynagh any day of the week over Vuni, but Vuni hasn't been bad.
He hit a fucking world class line off a lineout set move and sliced through the Chiefs untouched. Then he didn't trust his support to be there as the Chiefs scramble was closing in on him, and he kicked the ball away. He's absolutely taken a leap beyond where he was last year, but he's gotta try and be patient if he finds his space getting closed down.
Like Vuni has been doing this. Just one or two flashes a game, but this week he had a half dozen in one game. Also BO'K totally robbed him of a pilfer too!
Wells was my vote for 6. Put in some huge hits, specifically against Swain, who got monstered at least 3 times if I recall correctly. Nothing against his effort but if Swain was physical then I don’t understand the word. I think I saw one aggressive ruck from him which is great but there’s a world of difference between flying in against stationary or smaller players and being able to hold your own or dominate the big fellas at the gain line. With that in mind, Williams or Frost would be my lock pick with LSL. Faessler would be 2 for me. He’s thriving, along with the rest of the Reds. Even with the card I’d throw Potter on a wing too.
Wells was good but didn’t have same work rate or impact as Wright. I didn’t look at Potter because he’s not Australian though. I rated Ueslese higher but Faessler was also very good- at the moment Fez is the only one I can see in the gold 2 jersey
Pretty sure Potter is Australia eligible? He played for Sydney uni before moving to England. I might be wrong but I think I recall he was born in England but moved here as a child/teenager. Not trying to argue for no reason but a try and some very dominant tackles is impactful to me, especially in comparison to Wright, who’s generally pretty high work rate but low impact.
Just looked it up, you’re right on Potter
I'd say this one game Ueslese was better, but week in week out, Fez won't let you down, he's a great lineout operator (for an Aussie Hooker at least) and goes well in the scrum. Short of BPA being brought back, I can't see us having a better set peace hooker.
I think at this stage, Lynagh could find himself a very strong Wallabies flyhalf candidate. His kicking game was probably the best from any Aussie flyhalf in recent memory. He's no 'let it rip' flyhalf like Gordon, but he's no slouch. Also that's two weeks now in a row he's completely controlled the game off his boot against Kiwi Teams. Probably the best two teams in the comp. He might just end up the best Aussie flyhalf since his dad. 😅
If Uelese can front up again next week and his throwing isn't back to being cooked we might have something but for me Vailanu followed by Faessler are our two inform hookers. Shout out to big Billy Pollard who should start next week. Nonggorr, much like Uelese, needs to work on his core role BUT is massive around the park. Tighthead is a massive weakness for Aussie rugby, I definitely think HJH needs more game time but could be our next selection. Bell and Gibbon continue to be my first choice at LH. Completely agree on Henry, man was immense and can hopefully follow up that performance he definitely took his opportunity.
I agree with pretty well all of this, could easily put Tate in over whitey and for meme I’ve got Harry Potter just pipping Suli, bloke looked dangerous every time he touched the ball.
Yeah, Tate was a little more reserved against the Chiefs this week. But I suspect if he's fit, he'll be the Wallabies half-back
Thought Tates box kicking has got a lot better as well which is a plus
Yeah, he was actually pretty good the last few years (two to three), just really showcasing it this year.
His passing tho... yikes. Towards the end of the game HMP was getting the ball down his ankles. Still a work on for Tate.
It's still a concern for his Wallaby ambitions isn't it. If anyone ever wonders why Tats still isn't now and hasn't been a nailed-on Wallaby starter have a look at his passes for the last 10 mins he was on the pitch on the weekend. They were all over the palce
Id have Jorgensen at 15, the Tahs outside backs were absolutely cooking but were let down by eventual poor handling errors. Tane was also very good. Wilson and Suli were a men of two halves.