Lessons From Super W So Far

The biggest Super W result came with Fijiana Drua end­ing the Waratahs’ 20-game unbeaten streak to book their spot in the final.

Meanwhile, the Reds celebrated Women in Rugby Round with a dominant victory over the Rebels whilst the Brumbies got off the board for 2022 against the Force.

Learning from round five include:

The streak is over

After nearly five years, the Wara­tahs have finally been beaten.

The question has been thrown around for years about who could beat the dominant force in Super W and we finally have an answer as the Fijiana Drua cement their sta­tus as the team to beat.

When the Drua were on, the visi­tors had no answers to the high-paced contest, allowing them to dic­tate the style of play and ultimately secure the 29-10 victory.

For Campbell Aitken and the de­fending premiers, the defeat serves as a wake-up call ahead of two like­ly fixtures against the Reds, with the winner of the second, facing the Drua in the Final.

Dominant

With their rivals Waratahs fall­ing to their first ever defeat, the Queensland Reds sent a message of intent with a thumping victory over the Rebels.

For the first 20 minutes, it really looked like Alana Thomas’ side was going to match it with the Reds, finding a way through via Willow Rowland.

However, the brutal period of Rug­by that followed would’ve delighted every ex-Red in attendance as part of Women in Rugby round and Wal­laroos legend Vanessa Bradley’s Cap Project, piling on 55 unan­swered points.

After a tough loss to the Drua and a scrappy win over the Brumbies, this was just what Simon Craig was after as they turn their attention to NSW and the finals.

Holding on

Despite their finals hopes being all but buried, the Brumbies found a way to hold on against the Force.

The experience of Grace Kemp, Ash Hewson and Rebecca Smyth shone through as they controlled the contest early, taking the 15-7 lead before closing it out late 27-19.

The win provides some positive momentum heading into the end of the season, finally able to close out a big victory after letting several leads slip to start Super W.

Cracking the code

Waratahs captain Grace Hamil­ton knew after the game what went wrong as they got sucked into play­ing the Drua’s style of Rugby.

In the defeat, both teams found the blueprint to take down their coun­terparts. The key is execution.

The Drua’s fast line speed and bru­tal defence frustrated the Waratahs and forced them into an offload-heavy attack, something which Hamilton conceded was far from the game plan.

Meanwhile, the visitors looked at their best when they kept the ball tight and focused the attack through their set-piece, particular­ly dominant at rolling maul time on each side of halftime.

For the Waratahs or whoever makes the Final, this has to be the focus if they wish to upset the Drua.

Plenty to play for

Whilst the finals are all but se­cured, there are several key sto­rylines to watch heading in this final round.

The Waratahs and Reds fixture will go a long way towards work­ing our Jay Tregonning’s Wallaroo squad for the upcoming Test calen­dar, with particular interest around the back three battle and whether the Reds pack can get the upper hand over Hamilton, Naiqama, Chancellor and co.

Meanwhile, the Brumbies will be looking to end of a high against a Drua side out to sweep the regular season.

However, one of the best contests will be between the Force and Re­bels, the two winless teams looking for their first victory in almost two years.

Their corresponding fixture in 2020 was a 31-26 nail biter to the Vic­torian-based side and with nothing to lose, expect another free-flowing contest.

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