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!
THE ROAD TO THE LIONS SERIES WILL BE A ROCKY ONE
This year's biggest rugby event feels that little bit more real after Andy Farrell named his British & Irish Lions squad on Thursday night [AEST]. It is not a vintage Lions squad by any measure, but one with depth across all positions - as many as 10 starting XV spots would appear to be up for grabs for the first Test, too. Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt knows the Irish contingent, Farrell included, intimately having worked as the Emerald Isle's coach for two World Cup cycles. Now in charge of Australia, Schmidt put the building blocks of a Wallabies rebuild in place last year, and convinced many that where the British & Irish Lions series once looked a foregone conclusion, it is now anyone's game. But the Kiwi can ill-afford multiple serious injuries in the final weeks of Super Rugby Pacific. For a few hours in Round 13, that nightmare appeared to be unfolding as Joseph-Aukuso Suaalli and Noah Lolesio were stretchered off on consecutive nights. Thankfully, both men were later confirmed to be okay, and will likely only miss a couple of weeks at most. The incidents were however a timely reminder that for the increased depth in Australian rugby, there are certain players the Wallabies can't do without come July. Suaalii is certainly one of them, Lolesio probably, too, while the loss of Allan Alaalatoa or Angus Bell would be a hammer blow to Australia's hopes of winning the Tom Richards Cup. Beyond that, Rob Valetini and Len Ikitau are also vital cogs in Schmidt's Wallabies machine.
SIGNS OF LIFE IN TUPOU AS MCKELLAR FUMES OVER SCRUM
Taniela Tupou's performances have been the source of constant discussion this season. Rightfully so, too, with the once mighty tighthead prop a shadow of the player he had been a couple of seasons back. But on Friday night there were just a couple of signs that Tupou might be turning the corner, with the Wallabies prop unlucky not to earn the Waratahs a late penalty that could have set them up for a chance to send their derby with the Reds into golden point. Remarkably, Tupou had only 24 hours earlier given an extraordinarily honest interview to the Sydney Morning Herald, where he spoke about his struggles and admitted he had few answers on how to remedy them. But in two separate cameos off the bench - the first because of a yellow card to Daniel Botha - Tupou played with far more energy than he had previously in 2025, working over his opposites at scrum time; he was also a breakdown threat despite not winning a turnover, and scored a try with a trademark short-side burst. However, he was also sin-binned for head-on-head contact that left the Waratahs a man down for a critical period late in the second half.
Meanwhile, Waratahs coach Dan McKellar was incensed his team had not been awarded a late penalty after the entire NSW front-row appeared to drive right through their Queensland counterparts.
"You're asking me the question, so you've obviously got something on your mind, haven't you," McKellar quipped when asked about the scrums. "But I can't say anything, can I? They're protected species."
CHIEFS FOUND ANOTHER GEAR THE CRUSADERS COULDN'T MATCH
The Chiefs bounced back from a disappointing loss to the Hurricanes last week, by producing their own second-half onslaught to pull away from the Crusaders in Saturday night's top-of-the-table clash. It was later revealed that so disgusted by his team's efforts the previous week, Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan made his team endure the ignominy of the Hurricanes' team song in silence in the Sky Stadium changing rooms. But they were brilliant in Christchurch, backs and forwards combining perfectly in an all-team performance that has set them up for top seeding for the playoffs. Winger Leroy Carter scored a breathtaking try while Damian McKenzie was superb after missing a couple of weeks through a hand injury. Just four points separates the Chiefs [41], Brumbies [39], and Crusaders [37], with each team having the bye over the closing three weeks, before the Brumbies and Crusaders meet in Canberra in the final round. With a visit from Moana Pasifika, and a trip to Dunedin to face the Highlanders, it is the Chiefs who are in the box seat to secure home advantage for the playoffs. Saturday's win in Christchurch was huge.
LONERGAN'S TIME WILL COME, WHETHER IT'S FOR THE LIONS REMAINS TO BE SEEN
Ryan Lonergan re-signed for the Brumbies for two more years last week, despite having the option to head overseas. A local ACT boy, who plays alongside his brother in Canberra, the Brumbies are fortunate Lonergan feels so much affinity for the club, otherwise he may well have taken his talent offshore. There is also the lure of a Wallabies jersey, which has so far proved elusive for the scrum-half despite him being included in a couple of wider Test squads. While Schmidt used Jake Gordon and Tate McDermott as his halfback options for all but a couple of Tests, and will likely do so again, Lonergan would appear to be putting huge pressure on Western Force veteran Nic White as the third-string option. The veteran Wallabies scrum-half is nearing the end of his career and Lonergan, at only 27, is about to hit his peak. It would be a shock to see Lonergan not handed an opportunity before the end of the year; the Lions series, however, might just be too soon.
CLOSING TRANS-TASMAN CLASHES WILL BE TRUE MEASURE OF AUSTRALIA'S IMPROVEMENT
The quality of this year's Super Rugby Pacific season is undeniable - it has been the best iteration of the competition yet, and by a considerable margin. But the key games are still to come, with four vital trans-Tasman clashes to serve as the best measure of Australia's collective progress and largely decide who finishes where in the top six - and who misses out altogether. They are the Waratahs-Crusaders [Round 14], Reds-Hurricanes [Round 15], Blues-Waratahs [Round 16] and Brumbies-Crusaders [Round 16]. The Waratahs are likely to need to win both of those, while wins for the Brumbies and Reds would secure top-two and top-four finishes respectively.