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!
WARATAHS HAVE LONG BEEN 'TOO COMFORTABLE', IT'S UP TO MCKELLAR TO FIX IT
NSW Waratahs should have turned up to Allianz Stadium on Friday night motivated by the challenge in front of them, for not only was their season on the line against the Crusaders, but they were also confronting the long-time kings of Super Rugby minus All Blacks Scott Barrett, Codie Taylor, Fletcher Newell and Will Jordan. Instead, the Waratahs were blown off the paddock inside 17 minutes, and never mounted a serious challenge thereafter. Sadly, the carnage of a 48-33 defeat was an all-too-familiar sight for Waratahs fans, who have long come to expect their team to be, at best, mediocre; and at worst, outright reprehensible. It was the latter on Friday night and while they remain a mathematical chance of playing finals footy, the reality is that ship has sailed for another season.
Compare the Waratahs with Moana Pasifika -- who now look set to reach the postseason for the first time. In Australia there is a franchise, who should have long set itself for success with their talent pathways and player resources, but instead continually fail to nail their recruitment and roster management, their on-field performances an ongoing disappointment save for one loan title under Michael Cheika in 2014. Across the ditch, Moana Pasifika are in just their fourth season, but the expansion franchise has managed to cobble together a squad of players who are desperate to make the most of their opportunity and, behind the inspirational play of Ardie Savea, are performing well above expectation. If the reality of the gravity of the task wasn't already painfully clear for first-year Waratahs coach Dan McKellar, it certainly was post-match on Friday night.
"There are some people who are too comfortable. That needs to change. If you're too comfortable, just happy to be here and wear the tracksuit, that will change," the coach blasted. "It's definitely not an ability thing. There's no way it's an ability thing.
"I've been here a while now, a number of months now, and there's some things that are going to take time to change. We showed some fight in the second half but you can't get to 33-7 at halftime and get a spray from the coach to then get a reaction.
"This is a professional game. We've got to be like that from the very first minute. I've got to figure it out. People need to buy into the change. Otherwise we'll change other things."
NERVOUS WAIT FOR NEWS ON ALLAN ALAALATOA
The Wallabies have depth in certain positions, with hooker, the second- and back-row, scrum-half and outside backs all well stocked for the British & Irish Lions series. But one position where they remain worryingly light on is tighthead prop - and Allan Alaalatoa's exit early in the second half of the Brumbies' dogged win over the Reds on Saturday night will have sent a shudder through the heart of Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, who was watching on at GIO Stadium. Alaalatoa was reported to have suffered a lower leg injury, with scans to confirm the exact extent of the issue - and whether or not his playing status for the Lions may be at risk.
Alaalatoa is simply one player the Wallabies can't do without come July. After a torn Achilles robbed him of the chance to play at a second Rugby World Cup two years ago, it has taken the veteran prop more than 18 months to, understandably, get back to his best. But he has been superb for the Brumbies this season, his set-piece work near exemplary and his carry, clean and defence also as good as it has ever been. He is also a key leader within the Wallabies group and the obvious alternate option should Schmidt not stick with incumbent skipper Harry Wilson. But most importantly, he is the rock in the No. 3 jersey that will anchor Australia's scrum against the Lions. With Taniela Tupou, who has endured an indifferent 2025 behind him, and then a list of largely inexperienced Test players behind that, Australia's tighthead cupboard is anything but stocked. Schmidt will have everything crossed that the diagnosis on Alaalatoa's leg is anything but serious.
SAVEA AN OBVIOUS WINNER FOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR - BUT HOW MANY MIGHT HE HAVE HAD?
Ardie Savea was on Sunday night declared the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific Player of the Year, despite there being two rounds to play in the regular season. That result reflects the sort of season the All Blacks star has had - and the scale of his impact on Moana Pasifika. Savea only joined the expansion franchise at the start of the season and with just one win from their final two games - against either the Chiefs or Hurricanes - they will secure a maiden finals berth. That will be no easy task, but given their skipper's outstanding play, and their collective improvement in 2025, it is a task not beyond them. The only sour point surrounding Savea's win is the fact that this is the first year such an award has been presented. While in the previous 29 seasons of Super Rugby, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have all presented awards for their respective star performers from the provincial competition, the tournament had never before anointed a best player full-stop. How ridiculous is that? One must wonder how many awards like the one he claimed on Sunday Savea might have had, had they been in existence previously. The All Blacks great has now been crowned Super Rugby Pacific's, the All Blacks', and World Rugby's Player of the Year - that is some career treble, with more to add yet you'd think.
FINAL TWO WEEKS SET TO PROVIDE THRILLING CONCLUSION TO REGULAR SEASON
One of the hopes of the reduction in Super Rugby teams to 11, and with it a cut from eight finals positions to six, was that there would be real jeopardy in the closing couple of weeks of the regular season. And that is exactly what has been achieved in 2025. Ahead of the penultimate round of the season, no team is assured of their exact position in the top six, and only the Highlanders, Force and Fijian Drua are officially out of contention for the postseason. The closing two weeks of the competition will determine who of the Brumbies, Chiefs and Crusaders finishes first, second or third; who of the Reds, Hurricanes, Moana Pasifika and Blues, who are all separated by just four points, finishes in fourth, fifth and sixth; and who misses out all together. This weekend in Round 15, the Reds-Hurricanes and Chiefs-Pasifika clashes in particular will have a huge bearing on the final ladder positions.
FINAL TWO WEEKS SET TO PROVIDE THRILLING CONCLUSION TO REGULAR SEASON
One of the hopes of the reduction in Super Rugby teams to 11, and with it a cut from eight finals positions to six, was that there would be real jeopardy in the closing couple of weeks of the regular season. And that is exactly what has been achieved in 2025. Ahead of the penultimate round of the season, no team is assured of their exact position in the top six, and only the Highlanders, Force and Fijian Drua are officially out of the contention for the postseason. The closing two weeks of the competition will determine who of the Brumbies, Chiefs and Crusaders finishes first, second of third, who of the Reds, Hurricanes, Moana Pasifika and Blues, who are all separated by just four points, finishes in fourth, fifth and sixth - and who misses out all together. This weekend in Round 15, the Reds-Hurricanes and Chiefs-Pasifika clashes in particular will have a huge bearing on the final ladder positions in particular.
TMO CHAOS REARS ITS UGLY HEAD ONCE AGAIN
A bumper crowd of over 10,000 travelled to Albany on Saturday night to watch the building cross-town rivalry between Moana Pasifika and the Blues take place. Even last year, Moana could have dreamed about that sort of attendance. And they witnessed a cracking contest, albeit one again blighted by the TMO. While the correct decision was eventually reached to deny the hosts a vital score in the 55th minute, the process to get there was far too long. With Lalomilo Lalomilo having just barely put a foot in touch in the lead-up, Millennium Sanerivi's five-pointer was rightfully scrubbed, but the time wasted to get to that decision, as confusion reigned between officials and players alike, just doesn't cut the mustard. Referee Angus Gardner and his fellow officials were trying to work out if it was in the same "attacking phase"; it wasn't, but only because of a brief Blues turnover, so Ardie Savea was rightfully miffed the try did not stand. It was however obvious Lalomilo had put a foot in touch; the TMO must identify that and communicate the error as swiftly as possible to the on-field referee. Nothing turns fans, both at the ground and watching on at home, off like a referee pow-wow. They deserve better.