Super Rugby isn’t won in autumn, but the Wallabies should not ignore the Brumbies’ unbeaten start against New Zealand opposition in 2026 by the time Ireland arrives Down Under in early July.
The Brumbies were nowhere near their best against the Highlanders in Dunedin, but Stephen Larkham’s men eked out another important win to ensure they kept their top two ambitions alive.
The 14-10 victory was their fourth straight win over New Zealand opposition in two months, having earlier smashed the Crusaders in Christchurch 50-24, before leaving it late to beat the Blues 30-27 and Damian McKenzie’s Chiefs 33-24.
Now, the Brumbies only need to beat the Hurricanes on Anzac Day on day two of Super Round in Christchurch later this month to secure an extraordinary full house.
While the scalps won’t mean much if they lose in the play-offs later this year, the run of victories over New Zealand opposition showed that they have the tools to succeed against the very best.
That shouldn’t be forgotten by the time selectors pick the next Wallabies squad because New Zealand’s Super Rugby sides have long been the standard bearers.
Interestingly, though, few of the Brumbies are considered walk-up starters.
Allan Alaalatoa is one, but the tighthead prop only returned last weekend.
Full-back Tom Wright has yet to play a minute of rugby this season but should be back this weekend, while lock Nick Frost, who started against the Highlanders, wasn’t selected for the opening month because he was out of form and out of shape.
Elsewhere, loose-forward Rob Valetini is the only other genuine Test starter, while loosehead prop James Slipper has, for now, retired from the international games.
Hooker Billy Pollard is another who has been a Wallabies regular recently, but the rest of the side is hardly filled with locked-and-loaded Test starters.
Indeed, half-back Ryan Lonergan was reluctantly used by Joe Schmidt last year. Ditto Corey Toole, who was finally given a chance last year after being overlooked in 2024 by Schmidt. While Blake Schoupp, who debuted in 2023, hasn’t played a Test since the World Cup, having endured two injury-disrupted years.
Rising back-rower Charlie Cale is another who missed last year’s Test season because of injury and has a couple of big names to try and leapfrog. While Luke Reimer, the ever dependable and consistent match-winner, hasn’t been in the picture for the Wallabies since the 2024 Rugby Championship either.
Versatile back-rower Rory Scott has yet to earn a Test call-up, and that extends to fly-half Declan Meredith, centre David Feliuai, and versatile backs Ollie Sapsford and Andy Muirhead.
In many ways, it’s a champion team rather than a team of champions.
But should more of the Brumbies be knocking on the matchday 23?
It’s certainly something to consider, because while others might provide more X-factor, the Brumbies know how to win – and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
Enforcer’s time is now
The Queensland Reds might have made the quarter-finals over the past few years, but realistically, they’ve hardly fired a shot.
Last year, the Reds were never really in the hunt against the Crusaders, while 12 months earlier, they were physically made to look second-rate by the Chiefs. That’s where Salakaia-Loto must step up.
When Michael Cheika was in charge, the Reds’ hardman was a bruising blindside flanker who tried to whack people on the fringes and was useful at the lineout.
Recently, he’s played tighter, but he hasn’t always won the contact and post-metres battle.
That must change if the Reds are to go deep in 2026 and for Salakaia-Loto to re-emerge as a Wallabies regular because Les Kiss’s side need a physical, imposing lock who can cause damage and dent the gain-line.
Against the Crusaders, Salakaia-Loto showed he was willing to run a hard line and seek the ball.
He needs to continue in that vein.
If he does, it won’t just be the Reds he helps, but the Wallabies, who desperately need a lock to fill the size 19 shoes of Will Skelton.
National unions should examine All Black’s Aussie venture
George Bridge’s signing at the Force didn’t necessarily go down well on either side of the ditch.
Former Wallabies said the Force were wasting another position on another non-Australian eligible player, while New Zealanders giggled at the World Cup member’s decision to move to Perth after a stint in France.
But who’s laughing now?
Not only is Bridge proving a more than handy pick-up on the field, but he’s also providing the blueprint for a successful Super Rugby in the future.
Super Rugby can’t just rely on nationalistic grounds, especially given the player drain to the north. It has to expand – and the best way to do that is to open the borders between Australia and New Zealand and allow players to still be selected for their national sides.
Origin flyer passes baptism of fire
The Drua might be outside the top six in Super Rugby, but there are few harder tests for players than succeeding against them in Fiji.
The air is thick and muggy, the grass is heavy, and teams often come unstuck and lose their heads in front of their electric fans.
And despite entering the fray with the game in the balance, Zac Lomax, a man not unfamiliar with high expectations and the big stage, came away with his stocks not just intact but, if anything, up from his Super Rugby debut.
Lomax, 26, playing his first professional match in six months and his first rugby match in more than a decade, looked comfortable on the field and tried to get involved at every stage.
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After coming on after 60 minutes against the Drua, the Force winger caught one-up-and-under well, played his part in a massive counter-attacking raid and got involved in the nitty and gritty, too. He even looked like he knew what he was doing at the ruck.
For a first outing, it was a massive tick.
Force coach Simon Cron made the right call to bring him on midway through the second half and easing him into the fray off the bench would seem like the best path forward over the next fortnight, particularly given the Super Rugby side has a couple of Test wingers to already pick from.
Hybrid players the way of the future
It wasn’t that long ago that people scoffed at Eddie Jones’s suggestion that some backs needed to be considered as back-rowers. Now, it’s a regular thing.
From Jack Nowell to Andre Esterhuizen and Ben Earl, international coaches have caught on to the fact that some backs can play a role in the back-row and vice versa.
That’s now the case in Super Rugby, with Crusaders star Leicester Fainga’anuku shifting between the backline and back-row.
Reds star Filipo Daugunu is another capable of filling some of the roles required to make the impact of another loose-forward.
Daugunu remains one of the Reds’ best on-ball exponents and his ability to cover the wing, midfield and jump into the back-row means he’ll play a big role for the Wallabies over the next 18 months.
Christy Doran’s Australian Super Rugby Team of the Week
15 Mac Grealy, 14 Filipo Daugunu, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 George Bridge, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Ryan Lonergan, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams (player of the round), 4 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 3 Misinale Epenisa, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Aidan Ross
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