Sam BruceMar 9, 2026, 09:57 AM
CloseSam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage.
Multiple Authors
The drama keeps on coming in Super Rugby Pacific, with Saturday’s triple-header again producing the pick of the weekend’s action.
After blowout wins for the Chiefs and Hurricanes on Friday, the Highlanders, Blues and Reds then picked up victories on Saturday, with the Queenslanders handing the Brumbies their first defeat of the season in controversial fashion.
Read on as we review some of the big talking points from Round 5.
ACCIDENTAL OFFSIDE OR NOT? CAMERA ANGLES TELL CONTRASTING STORIES
It was billed as the biggest Australian derby this season, probably for years, but no one could have scripted the drama that unfolded in Canberra on Saturday night.
Firstly, the clash between the Brumbies and Reds was delayed by over an hour due to an electrical storm in the city, before the two sides then traded scoreboard jabs in an entertaining first half.
Leading 20-19 at the break, the Reds retained their three-point advantage past the hour mark before two tries in 11 minutes appeared to have set the Brumbies on their way to a fourth straight win.
That was until Filipo Daugunu wrestled his way over from close range in the 79th minute, the converted try giving the Reds an outside chance of victory.
Cue the controversy.
Filipo Daugunu appeared to have knocked on into Fraser McReight, only for a different camera angle to show that wasn’t the case Mark Nolan/Getty Images
From the restart, Daugunu appeared to have knocked the ball on into teammate Fraser McReight, but play continued and the Reds soon made a break down the right touchline through Jock Campbell, who then kicked ahead for debutant winger Treyvon Pritchard.
Just as he was about to be bundled into touch, Pritchard hurled the ball back infield, which the Brumbies knocked on, giving Queensland the scrum and platform from which to launch a final attacking raid.
After winning a penalty for a dominant scrum, the Reds then pressed hard on the Brumbies’ line, before offseason recruit and Wallabies playmaker Carter Gordon skipped round the outside of Tane Edmed on the eighth phase, diving over to steal victory for Queensland.
Earlier, Stan Sport replays showed that Daugunu had knocked the ball into McReight – or at least that is what the camera angles had you believe. But on Sunday afternoon another angle popped up on social media, that vision showing a clear gap between Daugunu and his skipper and that no accidental offside had occurred.
New angle of the “controversial” moment at the end of the #BRUvRED. Last night it appeared to be a clear knock on by Filipo Daugunu into Fraser McReight, but this shows there is no touch on the Reds captain | @StanSportRugby @wwos pic.twitter.com/4n7Y9Two0S
— Michael Atkinson (@kinson88) March 8, 2026
ESPN contacted Super Rugby Pacific officials on Monday, who confirmed the “grassy knoll’ style vision was indeed legitimate and that the angle shown on Stan’s coverage was “extremely deceptive”.
The official also confirmed that the Television Match Official could not have intervened because the play was stopped when the Brumbies knocked on, ending the sequence in question.
Regardless, the Brumbies will be questioning how on earth they managed to lose a game they led by 11 points in the 78th minute. After last week’s dramatic win over the Blues beyond the final siren, this was a devastating comedown on their home patch.
HURRICANES WERE BRUTALLY BRILLIANT – BUT STILL MUST MASTER THE GRIND
The Hurricanes put the Waratahs to the sword on Friday night, piling on nine tries as they ran out 59-19 winners at Allianz Stadium. They played some superb attacking rugby along the way, with centre Billy Proctor finishing with a hat trick, winger Bailyn Sullivan a double, while All Blacks star Jordie Barrett laid on two five-pointers with pinpoint kicks in behind the NSW defence.
Up front, the Canes were well served by Xavier Numia, Asafo Aumua and Peter Lakai, in a team performance that had you wondering how on earth Clark Laidlaw’s side had lost a week earlier in Fiji.
But that has long been the Canes’ Achilles heel, that when they are not quite at their best or the flow of the game doesn’t suit their typical style, they are unable to adapt and grind their way to a win.
“I think it’s the recognition when we don’t have momentum and control, what tools we’ve got and how to use them well,” Laidlaw responded when asked how his team could take the next step and threaten for the title.
“So everyone said that last week in Fiji it was a lottery with the conditions and you’ll never see that again; well I fully disagree around that, because we learned some stuff around how we control games when we can’t get on top. What different tactics can we use to gain momentum in different areas of the field, either through different areas to attack or different areas to kick; how do you play without the ball to win big games.
“That’s a real focus for us. Can we do it when we’re not getting what we want and we don’t have the momentum, because when we do you can see what we can do.”
If the Canes can master that part of the game, as Laidlaw described, the rest of the competition will be on notice.
YOUNGSTERS SHINE OFF THE BENCH
It was a horror night for the Waratahs on Friday, with their 40-point drubbing coming after star centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii had injured his hamstring in the warmup.
Suaalii is now poised to miss between six and eight weeks, which leaves NSW incredibly light on in the midfield.
There may need to be a reshuffle, one that sees Wallabies utility Andrew Kellaway moved into the No. 13 jersey, which would accommodate Sid Harvey’s promotion to the starting side.
The Narrabri-raised outside back looked every inch a Super Rugby player after coming off the bench on Friday; he is also a competent goal kicker, certainly more so than current NSW fly-half Lawson Creighton.
Treyvon Pritchard looked right at home in Super Rugby during his debut for the Reds on Saturday night Mark Nolan/Getty Images
Harvey was really the only bright spot on an otherwise grim night for NSW, who now must regroup to face the Reds at Suncorp Stadium in Round 5.
And it’s there where they may confront another rising star of Australian rugby, Treyvon Pritchard, with the 18-year-old also impressing off the bench in Round 5.
Pritchard was brought on in Canberra much earlier than expected following an injury to Lachie Anderson and, just like Harvey, appeared at ease with the step up to Super Rugby.
The Australian under 18s star very nearly won it for the Reds when he set sail for the corner after scooping up Jock Campbell’s kick in the 80th minute, while he also defended stoutly on the edge.
Given the injuries across both sides, we may see Pritchard and Harvey in action from the opening whistle in Brisbane this week.
GOAL-KICKING CLOUD STILL HOVERS OVER WALLABIES
How good was it to see Carter Gordon score the match-winner? Brumbies fans aside, there would have been few Australian rugby fans who will have begrudged the Queenslander his moment in Canberra.
He looks right at home in the Les Kiss gameplan, too, which is good news for the Wallabies with Kiss to take over from Joe Schmidt after Australia’s opening Nations Championship games in July. The fact that he will play under Kiss through this Super season is a huge bonus as well.
But the obvious concern is that scrum-half Louis Werchon, and not Gordon, has the goal-kicking responsibility for the Reds. Goal-kicking has long been the knock on Gordon’s game and, for now, it appears he has been told not to worry about it.
Gordon’s Wallabies selection later in the year could be problematic as a result, though one that could be offset by the selection of Brumbies No. 9 Ryan Lonergan, who has started the season superbly for ACT.
However, Lonergan was wide with a couple of attempts himself at the weekend, including one conversion that he would expect to nail more often than not.
Given the fiercely contested Six Nations, where only Wales remains winless — and they have shown improvement in recent weeks too — the first three rounds of the Nations Championship could be incredibly close. Australia will need to take every point on offer in their Tests against Ireland, France and Italy.
Goal-kicking is an issue the Wallabies simply can’t afford.