{"id":587384,"date":"2026-04-05T16:35:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T16:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/587384\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T16:35:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T16:35:16","slug":"mad-monday-with-brisneyland-local-103-well-my-tipping-certainly-went-out-the-window","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/587384\/","title":{"rendered":"Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #103: Well my Tipping certainly went out the window!"},"content":{"rendered":"

G\u2019day G&GRs, hope you are all having a great and relaxing Easter with you and yours. And I hope that you have all had a bucket load of chocolate, hot cross buns, and whisky. I know I have. A split round this weekend, with only three games. And thank god for that, because I don\u2019t know about you, GAGRs, but my tipping isn\u2019t going so well this season! With only three games, this will be an abridged version, so pour yourself a piccolo of that wonderful stuff \u2615, slam it down and enjoy.<\/p>\n

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Super Rugby Pacific 2026 \u2013 Round 7<\/p>\n

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Crusaders 69 defeated Fiji Drua 26<\/p>\n

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Well, that was less a farewell party and more a full-blown demolition job. The Crusaders didn\u2019t just say goodbye to Apollo Projects Stadium\u2014they nuked it from orbit with a 69-26 pasting of the Fijian Drua, bringing up a tidy 100 wins at the venue in the process. Four titles, a century of victories, and now one last absolute flogging for the highlight reel. Not a bad rental agreement. And if you were scripting the night, you couldn\u2019t have written a better headliner than Codie Taylor. The club stalwart marked his 150th cap by barging over four times\u2014because apparently one try in a milestone game is for amateurs.<\/p>\n

From the outset, this had \u201clong night for the Drua\u201d written all over it. Inside three minutes, Chay Fihaki sliced through off an inside ball, and when Will Jordan started throwing no-look loopers, you knew the hosts had come to party. Sevu Reece finished it off, and the floodgates creaked open. Moments later, Leicester Fainga\u2019anuku crashed over, and then came the Taylor maul specials\u2014two carbon-copy efforts that had the Drua pack going backwards faster than a dodgy Uber rating.<\/p>\n

At 31-0 after just 23 minutes (thanks to Reece bagging a second off a clever Fainga\u2019anuku kick), this thing was already drifting into cricket score territory. To their credit, the Drua showed some fight. Joseva Tamani got them on the board, and a yellow to Johnny Lee opened the door for Elia Canakaivata to add another. At 38-12 at oranges, it wasn\u2019t pretty\u2014but it wasn\u2019t a total write-off either.<\/p>\n

Then Taylor came back out and decided he wasn\u2019t done collecting meat pies. Ninety seconds into the second half\u2014bang, hat-trick. Not long after\u2014bang again. Four tries, milestone match, crowd going off. Cue standing ovation and probably a few tears into plastic cups of mid-strength. The Drua kept swinging. Canakaivata grabbed a second, and former Crusader Manasa Matabele dotted down for a nice \u201chello again\u201d moment. But every time they looked like they were building something, the Crusaders just hit fast-forward.<\/p>\n

Corey Kellow and Fihaki added late icing, pushing the score out to a number that probably flattered the visitors just for sticking around. Next stop: the shiny new digs at One NZ Stadium, with a date booked against the NSW Waratahs during Super Round. But before that, a cheeky Aussie road trip\u2014hello Queensland Reds and Western Force. Pack your sunscreen, lads.<\/p>\n

Three Things We Learned<\/p>\n

Codie Taylor still runs the show \u2013 Four tries in your 150th isn\u2019t normal\u2014it\u2019s ridiculous. The Crusaders\u2019 maul remains a weapon of mass destruction, and Taylor is still the bloke pressing the red button.<\/p>\n

The Crusaders don\u2019t do quiet farewells \u2013 Some teams ease into a goodbye. Not this mob. 69 points, relentless tempo, and zero interest in sentimentality once the whistle blew.<\/p>\n

Drua\u2019s defence needs a serious tune-up on the road \u2013 We know they\u2019re dangerous with the ball in hand\u2014but conceding nearly 70 is a reminder that travel still hurts. Fix that, and they\u2019re a genuine threat. Leave it, and it\u2019s going to be a long season away from home.<\/p>\n

Chiefs 42 defeated Waratahs 14<\/p>\n

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Well, that went pear-shaped quickly. One week you\u2019re popping champagne in Canberra, the next you\u2019re stuck in Hamilton, wondering where it all went wrong. The NSW Waratahs got a brutal reality check, going down 42\u201314 to a clinical Chiefs outfit that doesn\u2019t forgive mistakes \u2014 and the Tahs made plenty. Coming off that drought-breaking win over the ACT Brumbies, there was a whiff of \u201cmaybe they\u2019ve turned a corner.\u201d Instead, it\u2019s the same old story: flashes of promise, undermined by execution that would make a Colts coach wince.<\/p>\n

Same script, different week \u2013 To be fair, the Tahs didn\u2019t start horribly. They had moments. They even had opportunities. But as skipper Matt Philip all but admitted post-match, opportunities mean nothing if you butcher them. Dropped ball here. Misread there. Poor kick choices everywhere. Case in point: when Charlie Gamble did the hard work to win a turnover, only for Jack Debreczeni to immediately hand it back with a nothing kick. That\u2019s not just a mistake \u2014 that\u2019s a momentum killer. Against the Chiefs, that\u2019s basically a try invitation.<\/p>\n

Chiefs do Chiefs things \u2013 And surprise, surprise \u2014 the Chiefs accepted. It started with a bit of chaos at the back, as Xavier Roe put in a probing kick that exposed young fullback Sid Harvey. Enter Kyren Taumoefolau, who happily cleaned up the scraps. From there, it was rinse and repeat. Josh Jacomb kept the scoreboard ticking, while the big men \u2014 Samisoni Taukei\u2019aho and Quinn Tupaea \u2014 punched holes through a Tahs defence that spent far too long camped in its own 22.<\/p>\n

By halftime, it was 24\u20137 and, realistically, curtains. Brief flicker, then lights out<\/p>\n

There was a hint of a response when Harvey finished off a nice move sparked by Max Jorgensen, but that was about as good as it got. Throwing on Jake Gordon and Folau Fainga\u2019a after the break didn\u2019t change the narrative. The Chiefs just shifted up another gear. Tupaea grabbed a second, Samipeni Finau crashed over to seal the bonus point, and the result was done and dusted long before the final whistle. A late consolation from Pete Samu did little more than tidy up the scoreboard before Taumoefolau added the final insult. <\/p>\n

The big picture \u2013 This is the Waratahs in a nutshell right now: capable of knocking over anyone on their day, but just as capable of falling in a heap the week after. The Chiefs, meanwhile, look every bit like a side that knows exactly who they are. Clinical, physical, and ruthless when you let them into your half, which the Tahs did far too often.<\/p>\n

Three things we learned<\/p>\n

Field position still rules everything \u2013 You cannot invite a side like the Chiefs into your 22 and expect to survive. The Tahs played far too much footy in their own end, and the scoreboard reflects exactly what happens when you do that.<\/p>\n

Effort isn\u2019t the issue \u2014 execution is \u2013 No one\u2019s questioning the work rate. But at this level, effort without polish is just wasted energy. The dropped balls and poor decisions are killing any momentum they build.<\/p>\n

The Tahs are still a rollercoaster \u2013 Beat the Brumbies one week, blown off the park the next. Until the Waratahs string together complete 80-minute performances, they\u2019ll stay stuck in that frustrating middle ground \u2014 dangerous, but not dependable.<\/p>\n

Western Force 42 defeated Queensland Reds 19<\/p>\n

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The Twiggy Forrest All Stars get the Jobe done, whilst the Reds positively Screw the Pooch \u2013 Well, well, well\u2026 just when you thought the Queensland Reds were building something resembling momentum, along come the Western Force to tip over the esky, nick the last cold one, and stroll out of Suncorp Stadium with a bonus-point win.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not beat around the bush: this was a proper ambush. The Force rocked into Brisbane without Zac Lomax (scratched late with hammy tightness) and with a road record that would make even the most optimistic punter wince. Eleven losses from their last twelve away games? Twenty-two from twenty-four? That\u2019s not a stat, that\u2019s a cry for help.<\/p>\n

And yet\u2026 here we are. Instead of folding like a cheap camping chair\u2014as they\u2019ve done a few times this season after promising starts\u2014the Force actually finished the job. Novel concept. At the centre of it all was Ben Donaldson, who outplayed his opposite, Carter Gordon, in a tidy little Wallabies audition. Donaldson ran straight, kicked smart, and\u2014crucially\u2014kept the scoreboard ticking. It wasn\u2019t flashy, but it was effective. Very effective.<\/p>\n

Up front, Franco \u2018FISM\u2019 Molina decided he quite liked scoring tries, bagging a first-half double and then adding a third after the siren just to rub a bit of salt into Queensland\u2019s wounds. With Jeremy Williams out, Molina didn\u2019t just fill the gap\u2014he parked a truck in it. Former Red Mac Grealy chimed in with a try of his own, because of course he did. You just knew that was coming. Meanwhile, Jock Campbell and plenty of his mates had nights they\u2019d rather forget.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t all smooth sailing for the Force\u2014injuries to Tom Robertson and Darby Lancaster took some gloss off proceedings\u2014but they kept their composure when it mattered. Even when Filipo Daugunu streaked away for a late length-of-the-field effort that threatened to ruin the party, the Force had the final say. Cue Molina again, crashing over after the hooter to lock away a bonus point and send the Reds faithful trudging toward Caxton Street, wondering what on earth just happened.<\/p>\n

For the Reds, it\u2019s back-to-back losses and a missed opportunity to climb the ladder. For the Force, it\u2019s proof that maybe\u2014just maybe\u2014they can turn \u201cpromising\u201d into \u201cprofitable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three things we learned<\/p>\n

1. The Force can actually finish games (who knew?) \u2013 We\u2019ve seen this movie before: strong start, halftime lead, second-half fade. Not this time. The Force stayed composed, kept executing, and iced the game. It\u2019s amazing what happens when you play for 80 minutes.<\/p>\n

2. Donaldson is making the No.10 jersey a real conversation \u2013 Outplaying a direct rival in Carter Gordon won\u2019t go unnoticed. Ben Donaldson is building a compelling case with his control, kicking game, and willingness to take the line on.<\/p>\n

3. The Reds\u2019 consistency is still MIA \u2013 Beat a rival one week, fall in a heap the next. The Queensland Reds have the cattle, but their execution\u2014and at times their accuracy under pressure\u2014just isn\u2019t where it needs to be. If they\u2019re serious about finals, these are the games they simply have to win.<\/p>\n

The Super Rugby Pacific ladder<\/p>\n

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This split round has really had some moves to the Ladder. The Reds, after their appalling performance for the second week in a row, have slipped down to just keep themselves in the top 6. The Chiefs have consolidated themselves in third. There are still only 4 points differentiating 3rd to 6th position on the ladder. And the season only gets harder from here. As one of my old military colleauges used to say, \u201cThere is no easy day! The Easy day was yesterday!\u201d<\/p>\n

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Next week has some really interesting match-ups. But one thing is guaranteed, that is that the Tahs won\u2019t lose courtesy of the bye. Anyway, GAGRs, time I love you and left you, as I write this on Easter Sunday afternoon, there is a very large Laphroaig and more Easter Eggs calling me. Over to you, GAGRs! Have at it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"G\u2019day G&GRs, hope you are all having a great and relaxing Easter with you and yours. And I…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":587385,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,44,1721,228,760,85,29898],"class_list":{"0":"post-587384","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-opinion","12":"tag-review","13":"tag-rugby","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-super-rugby"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=587384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/587385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=587384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=587384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=587384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}