Former Wallaby great Tim Horan has given his assessment on how the Australian teams will fare against their Kiwi counterparts when Super Rugby Pacific enters the Trans Tasman fixtures later this month.
The two-time World Cup winner believed ‘the real competition’ starts for Aussie clubs in round 10 in Melbourne when all teams will congregate for a Super round.
“We had the Reds and the Brumbies last night, number one and two on the table, I know the Kiwi teams are one or two games behind us but I think the real Super Rugby Pacific will start in round 10 when the New Zealand teams come to Melbourne to see how we can deliver,” Horan told The Breakdown.
“I think the Queensland Reds and the Brumbies have got to the stage now where they can match it, potentially win a couple of games, but the other three teams, the Rebels, Force and Waratahs, have still got a bit to go.
“The Reds were very strong against the Brumbies, who were the only team in Super Rugby Pacific to have not lost a game before Saturday.
On what the Aussie sides need to deliver to earn wins over the Kiwi sides, Horan believed that they have to bring a fast game to the table after improving their skill levels over the last few seasons.
He also said that playing their Australian derbies first may have been a blessing in disguise to allow the sides to improve their match fitness and game skills.
“I think it has to be up tempo,” he said.
“I think playing our six or seven rounds has helped us leading into this round 10, to one, get our fitness level up but two, get our skill level up to a position where we can actually match it with the New Zealand teams.
“I think our skills in the backs have improved a lot in the last two or three years but the forwards with the tip passes, not always going to ground, we are trying to stay up a little bit more, we’ve got a bit to go in that area.”
At the peak of Australian Rugby in 2014, the Waratahs are on the rebuild in 2022 after a disappointing 2021 season. Horan was asked if they are capable of emulating the Reds, who were in a trough and have been transformed into one of Australia’s best sides under Brad Thorn.
“For the Waratahs, I was really impressed. I watched their three trial games this year, they won against the Reds and the Brumbies. I just think they’ve got a good young team coming through,” he said.
“Darren Coleman the new coach, he’s a coach that allows these players to express themselves.
“This young team has been together two maybe three years now so they may need to deliver this year.
“Michael Hooper came back on Friday night for his first game back from a long injury layoff.
“It’s good core of players, young players but also they’re sort of old enough and experienced enough they have to deliver.
“For us in Australia, 62 or 63 per cent of our fan base is in New South Wales. We need them a good New South Wales team, we need them in the top eight, hopefully in a couple of months time.”
