The NRL doesn’t sell what you need to win a Rugby World Cup

You can pinpoint the exact moment when the Waratahs lost the game against the Hurricanes on Saturday: it was the 34th minute when the Hurricanes brought on former All Blacks tighthead Owen Franks for Tyrel Lomax, who was being overpowered by Angus Bell. Franks won three scrum penalties on the bounce against a tiring Bell, and the game swung.

Franks, who is 34 and is coming back from a long-term injury, is a special prop – and he’s won two Rugby World Cups. That is something Rugby Australia needs to bear in mind as it looks to the NRL for signings for the 2027 edition in Australia.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with recruiting players with NRL experience – look at Marika Koroibete, Izaia Perese and Suliasi Vunivalu, who was excellent against the Blues on Saturday.

But, they will not win you a Rugby World Cup, and that must be priced into any offers RA makes to NRL players.

2. Waratahs may not recover from Perese injury

The Waratahs’ ‘next tier’ have provided great value in recent weeks. Tighthead Archer Holz has been terrific in his core roles, Langi Gleeson’s enthusiasm off the bench on Saturday caught the eye, and Mahe Vailanu’s X-factor, low centre of gravity and breakdown work should really end any debate about a potential Tolu Latu return.

Izaia Perese is tackled against the Hurricanes at Leichhardt Oval.Credit:Getty

However, coach Darren Coleman must deep down be wondering if their season hit the rocks on Saturday when Izaia Perese hobbled off with that knee injury. With Angus Bell and Jed Holloway plainly in need of a freshen-up, the Waratahs now face a tough trip to Dunedin before hosting the Blues, so there is a chance they could hit the finals without any momentum.

Holloway, incidentally, was superb against the Hurricanes, and it was good to see him see the lighter side of a late goal-line dropout that went wrong.

3. Ryan Smith is Wallabies bolter material

Last week, we mentioned the decent stocks of second-rowers available to Dave Rennie. In hindsight, it was remiss not to mention the Reds’ big man.

We’ve been watching him closely this season, and he has gone from a solid, hard-working option in the match-day squad to a genuine Super Rugby second-rower.

Ryan Smith has evolved into a quality Super Rugby lock.Credit:Getty

He certainly didn’t lose many, if any, individual contact battles against his Australian rivals in the earlier part of the season, and against the Highlanders and Blues in the past two rounds he has shown a level of athleticism that hinted he could take his game further.

4. Rebels heartbreak shouldn’t disguise Rob Leota’s big shift

The Rebels won back some respect on Sunday after rolling over against the Blues last week. Their last-gasp loss to the Chiefs will hurt, especially as captain Michael Wells’ late lineout steal looked like it would be enough for victory.

Inexperience cost the Rebels thereafter, but Wallabies fans can at least be cheered by a performance from No.8 Rob Leota that suggested he is coming to the boil at the right time of the year.

Leota’s work rate was the most pleasing aspect of his display, and he was still going strong in the 80th minute. He is clearly going to be a key player for the Test year.

5. The concern from the Brumbies’ loss.

Backup No.10 Rodney Iona will cop heat for his display, but there was another area of the game that the Brumbies will no doubt have a close look at: the scrum. We mentioned Owen Franks before, but the next Owen Franks – young Crusaders No.3 Fletcher Newell – had the ascendancy over James Slipper.

The Brumbies had the better of the Chiefs’ set-piece last week, but a dialled-in Crusaders pack is another matter.

The visitors used it both to relieve pressure, winning an early penalty, or a solid platform to score points, such as Bryn Hall’s five-pointer in the second half. The Brumbies’ scrum will need to go up a gear against the Blues next week.

Team of the Week

1. Angus Bell (Waratahs); 2. Dave Porecki (Waratahs); 3. Cabous Eloff (Rebels); 4. Jed Holloway (Waratahs); 5. Ryan Smith (Reds); 6. Michael Wells (Rebels); 7. Charlie Gamble (Waratahs); 8. Rob Leota (Rebels) – Player of the Round; 9. Jake Gordon (Waratahs); 10. Carter Gordon (Rebels); 11. Dylan Pietsch (Waratahs); 12. Lalakai Foketi (Waratahs); 13. Andrew Kellaway (Rebels); 14. Suliasi Vunivalu (Reds); 15. Reece Hodge (Rebels).

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