Super Rugby AU

O'Connor named Super Rugby AU MVP

More than 8000 supporters voted for their favourite Harvey Norman Super Rugby AU players.

O’Connor claimed 30 per cent of all fan votes, followed by teammates Taniela Tupou and Hunter Paisami who came in second and third position respectively.

The 30-year-old has captured the hearts of Australian fans this season and starred as interim captain while Liam Wight was out with injury.

O’Connor finished the regular season as joint top point scorer, alongside Melbourne Rebels playmaker Matt To’omua.

Reds romp to big win

The victory put the Reds back above the ACT Brumbies in the standings and condemned the hapless Waratahs to a fifth successive defeat.

The Reds ran in seven tries to register their biggest win in Sydney - and their first in the city for eight years - while the injury-hampered Waratahs have now conceded 201 points as their horror season continues, heightening concern over the impact on Australian rugby's heartland.

Tate McDermott, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Filipo Daugunu all went over in the first half to take the Reds to a 22-9 lead at the interval.

Brumbies go top in Super Rugby AU

A four-try first half blitz earned Dan McKellar's side the win and a bonus point to move ahead of the Queensland Reds ahead of the Reds' match-up with the NSW Waratahs on Saturday.

The Brumbies dominated throughout and, after the Force held firm despite the early pressure, it was the sin binning of Tevita Kuridrani that turned the game in the home side's favour.

The Wallabies centre was shown the yellow card for a deliberate knock on in the 19th minute and it took less than a minute for his old team to capitalise, powering out to a 28-0 halftime lead.

Rebels score first win of the season

Unconverted tries from Lachlan Anderson and Joe Powell either side of halftime proved enough to secure the victory even after Ross Haylett-Petty had been shown a red card in the 69th minute for a dangerous tackle.

The Force had got their first win in two seasons of the competition -- and a first in Super Rugby since 2017 -- last week but their core of test veterans from around the world were unable to inspire a repeat.

 

Photo Melbourne Rebels/Facebook    

Brumbies captain Alaalatoa set to miss top of the table clash after copping ban for dangerous high shot

Alaalatoa was sent off just before halftime in the Brumbies’ thrilling win over Melbourne on Saturday night for a clumsy shot on Pone Fa’amausili, which left the Rebels prop concussed.

Alaalatoa pleaded guilty to the dangerous-tackle charge, with the SANZAAR Foul Play Review Committee taking into account his clean record and reducing the sanction.

Super Rugby AU venue change

The March 6 match was scheduled to be a home game for the Rebels but restrictions mean that having been in Melbourne, the team would not have been able to travel on to Perth to play a fixture against Western Force the next week.

Western Australia imposed travel restrictions on people who have been to the Rebels' home state of Victoria two weeks ago after a small outbreak in Melbourne of the variant of COVID-19 associated with Britain.

Red card derails Perese's rugby return as Waratahs get thrashed by Queensland

The former Queensland Reds back was sent off after 36 27-minutes of the opener against his old team when he flipped Hunter Paisami in an unnecessary follow-up to a tackle that had already forced the ball loose.

It left the Waratahs a man down for 20 minutes until Perese was able to be replaced under the new rules,.

However, the Reds scored all their points either side of that in a 41-7 rout at Suncorp Stadium.

After leaving the Reds, Perese's short stint at the NRL's Brisbane Broncos ended after he was charged with drug offences.

Western Force name star-studded side for their Super Rugby AU opener

The Force suffered a winless return to the Australian domestic tournament last year but have gone shopping since as they prepare for their first Super Rugby game in Perth for almost four years.

Wallabies pair Tevita Kuridrani (Brumbies) and Tom Robertson (Waratahs), Argentinians Santiago Medrano and Tomás Lezana, and Irish great Rob Kearney have all been named in the starting line-up.

Super Rugby AU introduces its own rule changes for more 'action and less dead time'

A host of law changes were introduced in last year's domestic tournament after Covid-19 forced the suspension of traditional Super Rugby.

They will remain in 2021, but with some tweaks, when the season begins next Friday under a new broadcast deal that includes games on free-to-air television for the first time.

Red-carded players can be replaced by a substitute after 20 minutes, while a five-second time limit to use the ball once available will also be policed to eradicate tedious "caterpillar" rucking.

Queensland Reds cut former Wallaby as 2021 Super Rugby squad announced

Headlined by a strong Wallabies contingent of James O’Connor, Taniela Tupou, Harry Wilson, Jordan Petaia, Filipo Daugunu, Tate McDermott, Liam Wright, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Hunter Paisami, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Fraser McReight, head coach Brad Thorn has retained the core of the squad that enjoyed plenty of success in 2020.

Factor in the high-profile acquisitions of new rugby league convert Suliasi Vunivalu and teenage sensation Mac Grealy, and the Queensland franchise’s prospects remain bright as they look to challenge for titles both in Australia and across the Tasman.