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Welcome back footy fans
By Iain Payten
Good evening and a big welcome back, rugby fans. It’s round one of Super Rugby Pacific, and we have a belter of an opening clash awaiting us tonight at Allianz Stadium between arch-rivals NSW and Queensland.
But it’s not just the start of a new Super season, it’s a birthday as well. Super Rugby is turning 30 this year, after coming into our lives back in 1996, as the very first iteration of a professional rugby competition in our part of the world.
It’s come a long way, with lots of different names, different sizes, different nations and differing levels of fan fervour.
But after debuting in 2022, Super Rugby Pacific – now housing Australian, New Zealand, Fijian and Pacific Island teams – has been steadily growing and last year’s competition was a cracker.
Tonight we have a fascinating clash between the Waratahs, who are in year two of a Dan McKellar rebuild, and the Reds, who are in the third and last season under Les Kiss before he heads up to the Wallabies.
In a short season, starting well is a must. The defending champions didn’t – the Crusaders just lost to their south island rivals, the Highlanders in a nail-biting 25-23 result.
Let’s see how things unfold tonight in Sydney. I think the Tahs will be too strong.
Who have you got?
Happy birthday Super Rugby
Where you were back on the night of March 1, 1996? Alive? Half-drunk? Fully drunk?
That was the night the Waratahs played their first game of Super 12 – as it was called then – and there was a very healthy crowd of 20-odd thousand people in the old SFS.
Have a read of this great restrospective from Jonny Drennan, about that first night of professional rugby in Sydney.
And while we are in the milestone mood, jump into this story as well. I have had a crack at picking a Dream team from the 30 years of Waratahs rugby in the professional era.
You won’t agree with all my picks, I am sure. And you can vote for yours.
How the teams line up after different pre-seasons
Here are the teams and match officials. There are no changes.
WARATAHS (1-15): Tom Lambert, Ethan Dobbins, Dan Botha, Matt Philip (c), Miles Amatosero, Clem Halaholo, Charlie Gamble, Pete Samu, Jake Gordon, Lawson Creighton, Max Jorgensen, Joey Walton, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Harry Potter, James Hendren
Replacements: Folau Fainga’a, Isaac Kailea, Siosifa Amone, Angus Blyth, Leafi Talataina, Teddy Wilson, Jack Debreczeni, Triston Reilly
REDS (1-15): Aidan Ross, Matt Faessler, Zane Nonggorr, Josh Canham, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Joe Brial, Fraser McReight (c), Vaiuta Latu, Louis Werchon, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, Tim Ryan, Hunter Paisami, Josh Flook, Lachie Anderson, Jock Campbell
Replacements: Richie Asiata, George Blake, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, Seru Uru, John Bryant, James Martens, Finn Mackay, Xavier Rubens
Referee: Paul Williams
Assistant Referees: Angus Mabey, Michael Winter
TMO: Graham Cooper
The Waratahs and Reds have had pretty different pre-seasons, as far as form and injuries.
The Tahs won both their trials pretty well, over the Reds and the Brumbies, and they’ve come into round one without any real injury problems.
Dan McKellar had such a healthy squad, he has left out Wallaby incumbent Andrew Kellaway, and other regular starters from previous seasons are also not in the 23-man squad.
The only headache was the fight between Miles Amatosero and Angus Scott-Young, which saw the former miss two weeks of training and trials. But Amatosero has come straight back into the starting side at lock. He’llit, nothing surer.
The Tahs have rewarded form and effort seen since the last season ended last year, with Clem Halaholo and Jimmy Hendren both making debuts at no.6 and no.15 respectively. Both had great summers, particularly in the Super AUS competiton.
The Tahs will also have Super Rugby debuts in Waratahs’ colours for six others: Matt Philip, Pete Samu, Harry Potter, Angus Blyth, Folau Faingaa and Jack Debreczeni.
The Reds have seven Wallabies injured, including Harry Wilson, and Tate McDermott and Carter Gordon in the halves. Louis Werchon and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips will be the game managers tonight, and you can expect them to come under plenty of pressure.
Welcome back footy fans
By Iain Payten
Good evening and a big welcome back, rugby fans. It’s round one of Super Rugby Pacific, and we have a belter of an opening clash awaiting us tonight at Allianz Stadium between arch-rivals NSW and Queensland.
But it’s not just the start of a new Super season, it’s a birthday as well. Super Rugby is turning 30 this year, after coming into our lives back in 1996, as the very first iteration of a professional rugby competition in our part of the world.
It’s come a long way, with lots of different names, different sizes, different nations and differing levels of fan fervour.
But after debuting in 2022, Super Rugby Pacific – now housing Australian, New Zealand, Fijian and Pacific Island teams – has been steadily growing and last year’s competition was a cracker.
Tonight we have a fascinating clash between the Waratahs, who are in year two of a Dan McKellar rebuild, and the Reds, who are in the third and last season under Les Kiss before he heads up to the Wallabies.
In a short season, starting well is a must. The defending champions didn’t – the Crusaders just lost to their south island rivals, the Highlanders in a nail-biting 25-23 result.
Let’s see how things unfold tonight in Sydney. I think the Tahs will be too strong.
Who have you got?
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
