We might just be talking about sport but sometimes there is disappointment and there is heartbreak, then there is a combination of both. For the Brumbies’ women the game against the Fiji Drua in Lautoka definitely goes into that latter category.
It was a game the Brumbies should have won and it is going to really hurt.
First up, heading to Fiji to play Fiji is a hard assignment – that’s an understatement. Toss in bucketing rain in the second half, hard just went to very hard.
When the team reflects, the stats add more pain. At the 73rd minute it was…
– Possession: Brumbies 66% to Drua 34%
– Territory: Brumbies 67% to Drua 33%
– Tackled in opposition 22: Brumbies 49 to Drua 9
– Run metres: Brumbies 656 to Drua 477
Add to that, the Drua had two yellow cards. A real, could have, should have won that game.
The first half was the issue. Before the rain came down heavily big time in the second half the Brumbies were on top, possession and territory. They were dominant. But, and it is a big but, they went into half time only up 5-0.
With 10 minutes to go the Brums were leading 15-14 but the Drua started to turn the scrum screws in the last five minute. They marched down the field and scored after the full time. Drua get the win 21-15.
Apart from heartache what came out.
The Brumbies backrow is top notch. We know Pesi Palu and Tabua Tuinakauvadra are international quality but openside Chioma Enyi is also very good. She has been very impressive in the last couple of games. The transition of Palu from the centres to backrow has been astonishing. She is a lock for the Wallaroos squad.
The battle for backrow positions in the Wallaroos squad is going to be intense.
Returning Brumby Ella Ryan had another good game at halfback but like the backrow, there are a lot of good halves running around. To be fair the weather was not conducive for sevens player Tia Hinds to show what she can do at full back. Assuming this is her only game for the Brumbies you could not see her getting into the Wallaroos squad. Since being part of the Wallaroos squad last year Biola Dawa is really developing into a solid winger, fast and strong.
A bit like the Brumbies draw against the Force in round one, it will be a game they will look back on as a missed opportunity.
Reds vs Waratahs
With all due respect to the Brumbies and Drua, the Reds vs Waratahs game was the one all eyes were on (or should have been on.) As noted previously there were battles all over the park plus it had a Charlotte Caslick debut, which garnered some much-needed media coverage.
The game finished up, the Waratahs with six tries, the Reds two, a 36-14 Waratahs win.
A summary of the key battles.
The front rows matched up equally and neither scrum was particularly dominant. Bella McKenzie got the points over Carys Dallinger. The Teagan Levi / Georgia Friedrichs battle was a doozy with Friedrichs getting the points. No doubt Levi learnt a lot about rugby with her 80 minutes on the field and she showed a lot of what she has to offer. On the wing, Maya Stewart got two tries and Kahli Henwood got one. Overall the points also went to the Tahs.
There was not a backrow battle per se but Leilani Nathan was yellow carded after a hit on Bella Nasser. So maybe there was a battle. While on backrows it is worth highlighting Emily Chancellor, who has returned from an ACL. She is not the biggest player, no longer a youngster but is a smart player and still throws herself into the teeth of the opposing defensive line.
Naturally a lot of the pre-game talk was about the sevens players with two starting and two on the bench for the Reds, including Caslick. The Waratahs seemed to rock up to Ballymore with an attitude of wanting to make a big rugby statement. That statement also included some real physicality.
There is a lot of rugby experience across the Waratahs team. It is not just the stars. Katrina Barker the long-time Tahs 12 is not big, is not fast but knows what to do and when to do it. Similarly, half Tatum Bird in her fourth season with the Tahs and long time understudy to Layne Morgan, before she moved to the Reds, has seamlessly slipped into the half role.
Arguably the biggest or one of the biggest influences on the match (and the last couple of matches) was coach Matt Ruthven bringing into the squad a couple of new young tighthead props in Faliki Pohiva, 23, and Seneti Kilisimasi, 20.
Pohiva has played a few games previously for the Waratahs, actually debuted in 2021 but only this year become a regular in the 23. For Kilisimasi this Reds game was her debut. With the loss of Eva Karpani to the Reds there was always a question who would provide the barnstorming runs into the defensive line. That has been answered.
In the round one loss to the Fiji Drua the Waratahs could not get over the advantage line until Pohiva came on in the second half. In the Reds game, Pohiva started and then was replaced in the 50th minute by Kilisimasi, a like for like replacement, both consistently got over the advantage line. Pohiva and Kilisimasi could develop into a quality tag team for the Waratahs.
A feature of the Tahs’ game was their ability to get a turnover or strip the ball whenever it looked like the Reds were getting on a roll. An interesting stat, the Waratahs are the most penalised team in the competition. Not sure if there is a correlation there. The Waratahs were far from perfect hooker – Adiana Talakai had a few issues at lineout time.
On the Reds side, Shalom Sausao was the standout. By half time she had run 107 metres from 11 carries and beaten six defenders. She is a human wrecking ball with all the skills. It is a pity she will not be up for selection for the Wallaroos. Like the Tahs’ Talakai and Chancellor prop Bree-Anna Browne is coming back from an ACL and is getting back to her best. You can never have too many quality props.
There is no doubt Levi, Nasser and Henwood can transition to the 15s game the issue is time, game time. The Tahs game maybe their last 15s game which would be unfortunate. They may well get into a wider Wallaroos training squad, just not sure if they have done enough to make a final squad of 32.
Caslick came on in the 53rd minute but really did not get a chance to show what she can do. She did make one very good run, stepping and slicing through the defence. Fortunately, she will have a couple more games to get up to speed and build combinations. She needs to have more ball in her hands, front foot ball with a strong forward pack.
Next week Brumbies play the Reds on Saturday, the Force up against the Fiji Drua on Sunday and the Waratahs play the development side Penina Pasifika.
