Super Rugby Round 2 Preview Part 1
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The two standout performers of Round One face off against one another on Friday when the Brumbies travel to New Plymouth to play against the Chiefs, while the defending champion Waratahs are in Melbourne to take on last week’s Crusaders-conquering heroes, the Rebels, and the Bulls will be desperate not to lose two in a row in Pretoria when the play the Hurricanes, who will be keen to win two in a row at altitude.
Chiefs v Brumbies
The two best performing teams of Round One meet up in an appetite whetting opening game of Round Two. It’s a home game for the Chiefs, at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth, but the Brumbies have shown they are not daunted by playing in New Zealand, having won four of their last five regular-season games across the Tasman.
The loss to injury of David Pocock is a setback for the visitors, while the Chiefs welcome back All Blacks Aaron Cruden, Liam Messam and Hosea Gear, plus Brodie Retallick, who will play off the bench.
With six of the seven games last week having been won by visitors, home ground advantage appears less important in Super Rugby than in many other competitions. These are two well-matched teams, up front and among the backs, and while the Chiefs appear likely to have more impact off the bench, this match is too tight to call with any conviction.
Key players: Aaron Cruden returns at 10 for the Chiefs, replacing last week’s brilliant debutant Damian McKenzie, who is shifted to the bench, and Cruden will need to show he is worthy of a Chiefs starting position and recognition as the best All Black back-up to Dan Carter. Hosea Gear comes in at left wing, with James Lowe – scorer of a superb try last week after an impressively elusive run – being moved to fullback. The 2014 ITM Cup Player of the Year Seta Tamanivalu will make his much anticipated Super Rugby debut off the bench. Ita Vaea will make his first start for the Brumbies since scans found life-threatening blood clots on his heart in 2012. As always, the performances of Tevita Kuridrani and Nic White will be key to the Brumbies.
The big match-ups: Aaaron Cruden vs Matt Toomua at 10, and in midfield Tevita Kuridrani and Christian Lealiifano up against Charlie Ngata and Sonny Bill Williams. Look out, too, for the contributions of Maama Vaipulu vs Ita Vaea at 8.
Rebels v Waratahs
Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has named the same starting line-up, giving the 15 players who turned in a shocker of a performance in Round One the opportunity to redeem themselves. A similarly miserable display this week is unlikely to be met with philosophical selection equanimity by Cheika, which makes the Waratahs performance on Friday potentially crucial to the careers of the New South Wales players.
The Rebels come off a surprise, but thoroughly deserved win over the Crusaders in Christchurch and with the exception of the suspended Nic Stirzaker, coach Tony McGahan has named the same starting team. They showed both skill and resolve last week but will run into a Waratahs team unlikely to underperform in Melbourne as they did in Sydney, and desperate to show their undoubted class.
Surprise wins were commonplace in Round One, and the Rebels must be in with a decent chance of victory at AAMI Park, but another substandard, losing Waratahs performance would cause alarm sirens to sound for Cheika and his players.
Key players: The responsibility for winning breakdowns is far more
widespread in a team than merely a loose forward duty but as a start at least, Michael
Hooper, Jacques Potgieter – now in tandem with Stephen Hoiles (who replaces the injured Wycliff Palu), will need
to be appreciably more assertive at breakdown, as will Bernard Foley and Nick
Phipps in dictating the pattern of play. Kurtley Beale will want to up his performance big time after last
week. For the Rebels Luke Burgess
replaces Stirzaker at 9, with the highly rated prospect Ben Meehan on the bench. Quality performances from Scott Higginbotham and Sean McMahon are always catalysts for the
Rebels.
The big match-ups: The inexperienced
Jack Debreczeni vs the experienced Bernard Foley at 10; the number 8s Scott Higginbotham vs Stephen Hoiles; and at 12, the sadly
off-form Kurtley Beale vs the wily,
much-travelled veteran Tamati Ellison.
Bulls v Hurricanes
The Hurricanes were good in Round One but not great. The Bulls were awful, with very few redeeming aspects to their performance.
The Bulls line-outs were good, as always when Victor Matfield is on the field, but their scrummaging was weak, their defence at times woeful, and the unforced errors at times embarrassing for individuals. They pride themselves on being clinical but they let themselves down last week with a performance nowhere near clinical. They have too many talented players to underperform as badly again and are expected to deliver an appreciably more commanding performance – though whether their scrummaging woes can improve markedly in week remains to be seen,
The Hurricanes could win two consecutive games at altitude, which would be a major boost to the start of the Chris Boyd – John Plumtree coaching reign. Ma'a Nonu is back to partner Conrad Smith in midfield in a backline that will take some stopping. Winning at Loftus Versfeld against a Bulls team intent on redeeming their reputations after last week’s debacle won’t come easily, but if they win sufficient possession, the Hurricanes backs could see them score an impressive double.
Key players: For the Bulls, Victor Matfield because he rules his line-outs and invariably causes problems for opposition jumpers, and props Trevor Nyakane and Mornè Mellett, on whose scrummaging ability much of the Bulls success will lie. Jesse Kriel starts at fullback for the Bulls; he is inexperienced at this level, but offers undoubted class. Is there a more exciting three-quarter line in Super Rugby than Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, and Julian Savea? We know Handrè Pollard’s goalkicking will be good, which means Beauden Barrett will need to be accurate too, especially if the Bulls concede the wholly unnecessary penalties they gave away last week.
The big match-ups: Trevor Nyakane vs Reggie Goodes, and Mornè Mellett vs Ben Franks in the front row. Bjorn Basson’s defence against the imposing Julian Savea. And in midfield, the burgeoning talent of Jan Serfontein up against the 94-Test cap All Black Ma’a Nonu, playing his 145th Super match.
