Australia's collective competitiveness is heartening, but let's not get carried away yet, writes Liam Napier. Photo / Photosport
Australia's collective competitiveness is heartening, but let's not get carried away yet, writes Liam Napier. Photo / Photosport
OPINION:
Push pause on the assumption that Australia's Super Rugby franchises have suddenly morphed into highly competitive beasts.
There are, however, promising signs beginning to emerge for Dave Rennie's long-term aspirations with the Wallabies.
Sure, last weekend pointed to the genuine, pleasing Australian progression that Super Rugby Pacific's inaugural competitiondesperately needs and, perhaps, a concerning regression from elements of the New Zealand teams, too.
One weekend is not, though, enough evidence to forge sweeping judgements. Hold fire on that front until we reach the bloated eight-team playoffs.
As it stands, the Brumbies are Australia's only genuine title contenders after knocking over the Highlanders and Hurricanes in successive outings. Their trek to Hamilton this week will be the match of the round.
New Zealand's leading contenders, the Blues and faltering Crusaders, have clearly used the start of the transtasman contests to heavily rotate their respective squads, to manage the workloads of leading All Blacks in particular, as they build for the business end of the season.
Blues coach Leon MacDonald made nine changes between defeating the Crusaders in Christchurch and the scratchy victory against the Fijian Drua in Melbourne.
The following week, when the Blues scraped to another unconvincing win in Perth, Rieko Ioane, Hoskins Sotutu, Tom Robinson and Nepo Laulala were among those rested. This week Beauden Barrett is spelled for the Rebels game.
The Crusaders were without the influential Richie Mo'unga, Ethan Blackadder, one of their best this season, George Bridge and Braydon Ennor, in their shock loss to the Waratahs.
The Chiefs have been missing 13 players, including Sam Cane, Brad Weber, Brodie Retallick and Anton Leinert-Brown.
These widespread selection changes and deflections don't excuse poor performances but they do stunt cohesion while also sending unspoken messages that the opposition does not deserve the same level of respect.
The Waratahs celebrate their upset win over the Crusaders. Photo / Getty
Complacency, perhaps arrogance, has been a factor. So, too, the first two weeks of crossover matches based in Australia.
Australia's collective competitiveness is heartening, but let's not get carried away yet.
With the Hurricanes and Highlanders, New Zealand's dwindling depth is being exposed though.
Not so long ago replacing strong ball-carrying forwards such as Pari Pari Parkinson, Shannon Frizell and Manaaki Selby-Rickit, along with lethal wing Jona Nareki, would not prove so problematic for the Highlanders.
Likewise, the Hurricanes' revolving door at first five-eighth underlines their ongoing depth and development issues.
This aspect, as much as the Waratahs' improvement under first-year head coach Darren Coleman, has closed the gap for now but Australian rugby faces huge challenges retaining its best talent beyond this season and delivering the consistency Super Rugby requires.
While the Rebels and Force especially will encounter much tougher prospects away from home, Wallabies coach Dave Rennie must be rubbing his hands together at the sight of his ever-growing loose forward contingent.
Rennie was always going to need time to bring the fractured Australian franchises together and gradually assert his vision but he will be encouraged by the emergence of a breed of physically dominant forwards – far from a commodity the Wallabies are renowned for.
Lock Jed Holloway has been at the heart of the Waratahs' resurgence and while Christchurch-born flanker Charlie Gamble is not eligible for the Wallabies until next year, he is already stating his compelling case for higher honours.
Brumbies No 8 Rob Valetini outpacing Jackson Garden-Bachop to score from his kick and chase last week is not a replay the Hurricanes first-five will want to view again. Valetini's loose forward partner, former Waikato prospect Jahrome Brown, is another raising his hand to complement Michael Hooper.
First-five remains Australia's major issue but James O'Connor is nearing his return from injury and if Rennie can coax Quade Cooper and world-class second-five Samu Kerevi back from Japan for the test season, the Wallabies have the makings of a competitive squad come the World Cup.
Head in the sands
Fifa president Gianni Infantino. Photo / Photosport
"When you give work to somebody, even in hard conditions, you give him dignity and pride."
Just when you thought Fifa could not be more out of touch with reality, President Gianni Infantino delivered this, err, gem when asked to address the suffering of migrant workers while building World Cup infrastructure in Qatar.
Up to 6,500 workers have died during the construction of World Cup venues for the Middle East's first World Cup in November – the tournament funded by Qatar's vast oil and natural gas wealth.
Responding to questioning from MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle this week, Infantino claimed only three people have died on the construction sites of the stadiums before suggesting Fifa gave those migrant workers pride, despite the grim conditions that led to the widespread casualties.
"Now 6,000 might have died in other works and so on," Infantino said. "And of course Fifa is not the police of the world or responsible for everything that happens around the world. But thanks to Fifa, thanks to football, we have been able to address the status of all the 1.5 million workers working in Qatar."
Workers, mostly men from southern Asia nations, live with multiple people in the same bedrooms in Qatar, while their families remain in their home countries.
Front page news
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano made history by selling out Madison Square Garden last weekend in the first women's fight to headline the iconic New York venue.
Ireland's Taylor emerged in an enthralling, knife-edge encounter to wide acclaim, defeating Puerto Rican Serrano by split decision.
By Monday morning every Irish paper – all eight of them – emblazoned Taylor's triumph as the undisputed lightweight world champion on their front pages.
The Fijian Drua came to the party, alongside 15,000 locals for their maiden home match in Suva, to easily cover the 12.5 point start against the Highlanders. This week we're going back to pugilism to tip Canelo Álvarez to win via points/decision at $1.80 in his light heavyweight fight with unbeaten Russian Dmitry Bivol.
Question
It was interesting to see the Black Ferns make some big selection changes in their first squad of the year. Do you think it will be enough come the World Cup? Louisa, Nelson
It certainly feels like a new era, with Wayne Smith sending an immediate message. Dropping captain Les Elder and veterans Eloise Blackwell and Renee Wickliffe are big calls but evolution of this team is needed. Injecting 10 debutants rewards form, and points to the pace, tempo and significantly improved fitness standards the Black Ferns will embrace. As far as the World Cup is concerned, though, England are in dominant form and will be incredibly difficult to stop.
