Welcome to off-field review, where we'll wrap up the Super Rugby Pacific round in hopefully quicker time than it takes the TMO to rule on foul play!
1. The buzz is back in Sydney, but Waratahs now face defining two weeks on the road
There's an old understanding in Sydney that you can gauge the crowd prospects of a rugby game at Allianz Stadium by the number of people hanging out of the OIympic Hotel pre-game on Moore Park Road. While it might not be the same iconic walk from the city to the MCG in Melbourne, the short stroll down the hill, or from further up on Oxford St., can tell you a lot about the mood surrounding the Waratahs and Wallabies. With the Brumbies in town on Saturday night, riding a 13-game win streak to boot, you could sense the anticipation; the punters not only wanted a NSW win, but a good game of rugby, too. And that's exactly what they got as the hosts defied some early Brumbies pressure to build a 21-6 halftime lead on the back of some enterprising counterattack and a well taken five-pointer from Triston Reilly. Dan McKellar's side then survived a second-half rally from the Brumbies, with Max Jorgensen's late flash of footballing brilliance proving the clincher; Ronaldo would have been proud of the skill the winger showed to lay on a try for Joey Walton. The 20,572 fans who made their way to Moore Park went home happy thereafter. That crowd can swell further for some potentially huge clashes with the Chiefs and Reds, but only if NSW are able to win at least one of their two games in New Zealand. Clashes with the Hurricanes and Moana Pasifika offer them the opportunity to do just that.
2. But it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine at Allianz either ...
While it was a brilliant night at Moore Park and all those who paid their way to come through the turnstiles will have left thinking they got their money's worth, the performance of the officials wasn't up to the mark. Referee Ben O'Keeffe - usually one of the best in the game - had an uncharacteristically poor night with the whistle; but he wasn't helped by his assistants either. While many of O'Keeffe's curious calls evened themselves out over the course of the 80 minutes, his interaction with TMO Glenn Newman frustrated the fans throughout. One of the contentious calls was the decision, after Newman's interjection, to not penalise Angus Bell for a shoulder charge on Rob Valetini. Bell did just enough to convince O'Keeffe he had attempted to wrap his arms, but the fault of this tackle instead lay with replacement hooker Julian Heaven, who dived in low at Valetini's legs, making the contact that first impacted the Brumbies back-rower. If anyone was to go to the bin, it should have been Heaven, who did not really use his arms. Then, in the second half, we had the ridiculous situation where Tom Wright's try was overturned after O'Keeffe had earlier missed a blatant knock-on some seven phases earlier. Sitting behind the posts - as your correspondent was - it was obvious that Brumbies fly-half Noah Lolesio had knocked on; how O'Keeffe ruled otherwise from a near-perfect position is incomprehensible. But what made matters worse was that the TMO let play go on for so long, rather than communicate to O'Keeffe that he had made an egregious error. The other frustration is the officials' comms were not played over the PA, leaving the bumper crowd in attendance in the lurch as to what exactly what was happening. The whole process needs sharpening up.
3. Could the Wallabies out-scrum the Lions?
Such a suggestion will draw howls of laughter up north, but for the second time this season an Australian franchise won a match they could have lost thanks to the strength of their scrum. Two weeks ago it was the Brumbies in Auckland, in Round 6 it was the Reds who dominated the Highlanders, earning penalty after penalty, and eventually a yellow card because their set-piece was so strong. While Highlanders prop Ethan de Groot was eventually carded for a separate offence, the Reds built the pressure through the scrum, leaving referee Damon Murphy with no choice but to reach for his pocket. Crucially, it came after the Reds had made replacements up front, too, with Alex Hodgman and Massimo de Lutiis working over their opponents in the front-row. Having that kind of front-row depth is a blessing few Australian teams have had in the recent history of Super Rugby, and probably even back to the early days of Super 12. It is also wonderful news for Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt who now has the likes of De Lutiis, Hodgman, the Brumbies' Blake Schoupp, Waratahs' Isaac Kailea, and even Force youngster Marley Pearce, ready to back up veterans Allan Alaalatoa, James Slipper and Taniela Tupou, and the world-class Angus Bell. The Lions should not expect the same scrum dominance they have had on previous tours of Australia.
4. Crusaders, Chiefs have set themselves up well
While Rugby Australia will be thrilled with the collective performance of their four franchises, who occupy positions 3-6 on the ladder, the importance of a top-two finish and a home semifinal will not be lost on the Reds, Brumbies, Waratahs and Force. Right now, those spots are filled by the Chiefs and Crusaders, who each had comfortable wins on the weekend, though Clayton McMillan will be less than thrilled by his side's second half effort against Moana Pasifika. The Crusaders however are yet to leave New Zealand, while the Chiefs dropped their only cross-border fixture away to the Drua. So while they are sitting pretty up top, there are some sterner challenges to come. The Crusaders also have a goal-kicking issue, with youngster Taha Kemara backing up his poor effort from the tee against the Force with another wayward night against the Blues in Auckland. It hasn't had an impact on either fixture, but it could well be vital in the Saders' road games against the Drua, Waratahs and Brumbies later in the year. The Chiefs are sitting a little more comfortably out in first; they do not have the Crusaders' goal-kicking woes and only leave New Zealand once more, for a date with the Waratahs in Sydney in Round 9.
Super Rugby Pacific boss Jack Mesley tells the ESPN Scrum Reset team that he is keen to bring back "Super Round" -- possibly staging the event in Fiji.
POTTER RELISHING FORCE'S NEWFOUND FREEDOM
The in-game commentary and post-match "magic" quips may have been cringeworthy, but that was the only lowlight of Harry Potter's two-try performance against the Drua in stinking hot conditions on Sunday afternoon in Perth. The Force winger scored one brilliant solo try through the heart of the Drua's defence and provided another superb finish when he kicked ahead after running onto an inside ball from Ben Donaldson. With his Wallabies teammates Max Jorgensen, Dylan Pietsch, Andrew Kellaway, Tom Wright and Filipo Daugunu all starting the season with a bang, Potter was in need of some ball and space, and finally got that against the Drua on Sunday. The Force laid the platform early up front, and then turned on the style out wide once the visitors began to feel the heat. Potter scored just one try in an injury-marred season last year - he now has four through six games this season.