The clock is ticking on Taniela Tupou’s future in Australian rugby.
While most players seem to grow another leg when they’re playing for a new deal, or just settled on one, Tupou – the highest paid forward in Australian rugby – looks down on confidence and confused on the field.
Once a wrecking-ball prop, who loved the contact and played big minutes, Tupou’s quiet start to the season in sky blue continued against the Reds on Saturday evening.
While his work at the scrum has still been strong this season, those hoping for some surging runs against his former side would have been bitterly disappointed because he managed just a couple of carries for a lone metre gained.
But it was his work – or non-work – just after the half-hour mark that would have had Dan McKellar seeing red.
“That maul try was borderline embarrassing for all involved,” McKellar said at his post-match press conference.
As the Reds called for a seven-man lineout in the 33rd minute, all but one player engaged: Tupou.
Most of the Waratahs forwards were ineffective because they defended the wrong area of the maul, leaving little halfback Teddy Wilson to jump in to try and stop four Reds at the maul before Triston Reilly jumped in too.
Others like Hugh Sinclair, Dave Porecki and Ben Grant ran back to try and stop the unstoppable maul a second time to no effect.
Meanwhile, Tupou inexplicably watched on from afar.
It was an inexcusable blunder from a highly paid player.
Without naming names, McKellar delivered a pointed shot late in his press conference.
“It’s hard to stop a rolling maul if you stand there and watch it,” he said.
Taniela Tupou struggled to make an impact against his former side during the Waratahs’ heavy loss in Brisbane. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Tupou’s no-arms shot in the first half was another unnecessary penalty that the tight-head prop gave away.
Although the Waratahs’ next clash is a huge game against the Brumbies at home, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if McKellar sent a message by dropping Tupou.
Tupou can still play a big role in Australian rugby in 2025 – and needs to – but Saturday’s performance needs to be a line-in-the-sand moment for him this year.
Back-row battle heating up
With Harry Wilson the incumbent Wallabies captain, it looks clear the direction Joe Schmidt is headed with his back-row against the Lions.
Indeed, with Fraser McReight and Rob Valetini established and world-class figures making up two of the three places in the back-row, it would seem Wilson will round out the trio.
But behind that there’s a depth and quality and balance that will whet Schmidt’s appetite.
Not since Scott Fardy was moved on so early by Michael Chieka has the back-row mix been so healthy.
Nick Champion de Crespigny is bringing a rugged physicality to the mix, Tom Hooper is going from strength to strength and is enjoying the most consistent and dominant fortnight of his young career, and Langi Gleeson also continues to get better and better.
Up in Queensland, Seru Uru is the other who has well and truly found his feet on the Super Rugby stage.
Seru Uru continues to make an impact for the Reds. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Capable of also playing in the second-row, Uru’s ability to free his arms, find space on the fringes and around the ruck, jump at the lineout and get on the ball has him one of Les Kiss’ most important figures.
It’s no surprise that the Reds struggled without him in Christchurch a week earlier.
Beware the wounded
After falling down the pecking order last year, the Crusaders are benefiting from the trust they showed Rob Penney.
The easy decision would have been to sack Penney after missing the finals after eight straight titles.
But they stuck with him, learned from their mistakes and are benefiting from their trust.
It’s no surprise the Crusaders are back in the top four. With the amount of talent on their books, it was a matter of time.
The key thing for them was getting on their talent on the field, with several big names, including Codie Taylor, Tamaiti Williams, Ethan Blackadder and Scott Barrett missing huge chunks of last year. All Blacks Will Jordan and Braydon Ennor didn’t even get on the field.
The Crusaders were by no means perfect against the Force, with discipline and basic errors hurting them, but the ease they pulled away from their opponents was a timely reminder of their quality.
Wallaby James O’Connor was influential in pulling the strings for the Crusaders, with the playmaker delivering a masterclass on how to close out a game after coming on in the second half.
It’s make-or-break time for the Force
You can understand why Simon Cron stood down four of his best against the Crusaders on Saturday.
Needing to rest his players of national interest once inside the opening eight rounds of the competition, Cron took an educated punt that they’d go down across the ditch.
They did – but they weren’t embarrassed, and several players got some important minutes under their belts including Will Harris and Reesjan Pasitoa.
Would they have won if they were due to come off the bench?
Possibly, but Cron backed that standing them down would give the Force the best chance of backing up the following week and beating the Drua.
The clash looms as an early season must-win clash.
The Wallabies can beat the Lions
It wasn’t long ago that the Wallabies were being ridiculed after their sorry fall from grace, but four months out from their crunch series against the Lions and Joe Schmidt will be quietly confident of running the famed touring side deep.
In fact, on the evidence of the progress under Schmidt last year and the improved showings of the four Australian Super Rugby sides, it wouldn’t surprise if the Wallabies didn’t just win a Test but the series Down Under, too.
The Lions’ pack will undoubtedly have quality throughout it, but they won’t exactly scare the Wallabies either.
Indeed, it won’t be of the same quality of the Springboks, nor have the intimidation of a French or All Blacks pack.
Finn Russell is the favourite to wear the No.10 jersey for the Lions, but is he best suited to the role? (Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)
But it’s in the backline where Andy Farrell will have the biggest selection headache.
Finn Russell might be the most exciting fly-half in world rugby, but he also struggles to drive his sides to victory when it matters most.
Russell once again had a hot and cold evening against Les Bleus – and it was in the second half that he let the home side off the hook when they were ripe for the picking after ill-discipline and breakdown inaccuracy had hurt them.
Christy Doran’s Australian Super Rugby team of the week:
Angus Bell, Dave Porecki, Zane Nonggorr, Josh Canham, Tom Hooper (player of the round), Seru Uru, Luke Reimer, Harry Wilson, Tate McDermott, Tom Lynagh, Corey Toole, Hunter Paisami, Len Ikitau, Andy Muirhead, Tom Wright
