Another round down and we’re one step closer to the finals with some tight derby clashes and some not so exciting match-ups coming into play over the weekend.
While we were treated to a feast for the eyes on Friday in Wellington, Sydneysiders weren’t so lucky with a snoozefest between the Waratahs and Western Force, meanwhile the Reds and Brumbies produced an absolute classic.
Read on as we discuss some of the key talking points from the weekend.
FAR FROM THE SPOTLIGHT, DONALDSON PUSHING FOR WALLABIES RETURN
From the glare of the Sydney spotlight to the relative quiet in Perth, Ben Donaldson has continued to build and revitalise his career since his move west two years ago and after he was unwanted by Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt last year, is making a solid case for his return to the gold jersey in 2026.
Forced to watch on from Australia as the Wallabies tour of nightmares played out in Europe, Donaldson has sent a clear message to Schmidt that he’s ready to take on the daunting task of Australia’s fly-half role.
Donaldson was one of the standouts of the match on Friday night as he dictated terms with his running game coming to the fore. Carrying the ball for 50 metres, including two line breaks and beating three defenders, the 27-year-old wasn’t afraid to take on the line, finding chinks in the relatively strong Waratahs defence.
His line break in the 50th minute was the highlight of his game as he eyed the slow defenders in front of him and sliced through the gap, racing 30 metres downfield before offloading inside for what should have been a try in the same movement, but which eventually came several minutes later for Dylan Pietsch.
“I’m just driving the team, trying to play free, play what’s in front of me and not be too robotic,” Donaldson said after the Force’s win on Friday.
“That was my mindset coming into tonight, touch the ball as much as possible, run at the line, and sometimes I get to go through and make a line break. They are a few of my ‘work-ons’.
“In terms of Joe and the Wallabies, obviously, he wants me to be a director and a loud voice, but he actually wants the 10 touching the ball as well. He wants 10s stepping up and not sitting in the pocket.
“To be honest that’s maybe why I’ve been playing more consistent this year because I haven’t even thought about the Wallabies. I’ve just tried to focus on my day to day, week to week, focus on the process and really drive this team around.”
Meanwhile his accuracy from the tee is another area that provides the playmaker an edge over his rivals. Easily slotting the decisive penalty in the 68th minute, Donaldson holds an 85% success rate from the tee this season, exceeding rivals Harry McLaughlin-Phillips (80%t) and Tane Edmed (75%), while Carter Gordon has yet to take a shot at goal this year.
His kicking game all round is clearly one of his best assets, with the ability to chew big metres downfield with his clearance kicks giving him yet another edge over his competitors. He still has some work to do though, with the No.10 sending a penalty kick dead once again against the Tahs.
But the messaging from Schmidt to Donaldson was clear, his defence is one of his frailties. While he made three from three against the Waratahs, his success rate remains relatively low at 64% for the season. Compare that to Gordon’s at 85% – Gordon has played just five games this season – and it’s the clear area that Donaldson must work on.
Meanwhile the absence of both Gordan and Tom Lynagh has also opened the door for Reds’ unsung hero McLaughlin-Phillips, who has built himself into a more than adequate game manager through the season, grabbing Schmidt’s attention through the year.
After the side’s heartbreaking extra-time loss to the Blues last week at Super Round, McLaughlin-Philips took his game to another level on Saturday in a must-win clash over the Brumbies, kicking five goals, while he let his forward pack muscle up and do the talking, providing the platform for he and his backline to work off.
BLUES’ VICTORY PAPERS CRACKS…
On paper the Blues looked to have run away with a dominant victory. Seven-tries-to-two, 45-19, the side from Auckland solidified their place within the top two, trailing just two points behind competition favourites the Hurricanes.
But dig a little deeper and the cracks appear.
Flat for long passages in the first half, opening the door for Moana to score first – with a nifty midfield lineout from a tap – the Blues were lacklustre and were forced to rely on a Kade Banks try late and the conversion to enter the break 14-12.
They struggled for territory and possession and allowed Moana to remain in the game. It appeared only a lack of execution from Moana was the difference before oranges.
A stern message from Vern Cotter at halftime was the difference. The message must have been blunt with the Blues returning to the pitch firing and captain Patrick Tuipulotu leading the charge, scoring almost immediately after the restart.
It was the trigger that had the Blues cruising to victory in Albany. But they face a much sterner task when they take on the Crusaders under the roof in Christchurch next week – a Crusaders outfit that pushed the Hurricanes to the limit on Friday. The Blues will be acutely aware a slow start next week could spell disaster for their top two hopes with the Chiefs within touching distance on the ladder and the run home featuring all three top four contenders – the Crusaders, Hurricanes and Chiefs.
LARKHAM MUST FIND ANSWERS TO END BRUMBIES’ SLUMP
A week ago, Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham faced the press after his side was blown out by the Hurricanes, acknowledging his team had gone backwards. A week on and his side was consigned to an eight-year first; three straight defeats for the first time since 2018.
It continues the side’s slippery slide down the ladder. From inside the top four, now to just clinging onto their spot in the top six. Six losses in eight games, the slump continues and looks far from over.
While the Reds took their chances when they presented themselves with Fraser McReight, Seru Uru and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto dominating the breakdown and laying the platform for their backs, they also turned away from their usual gameplan, to look for the tryline at every opportunity, and instead took the points when they presented themselves with their three penalty goals proving decisive at the end.
The Brumbies, meanwhile, have struggled to fire in recent weeks and look a pale comparison to the side that piled on 106 points in their opening two matches.
There were definitely improvements on their performance from a week earlier with their malfunctioning lineout in Christchurch finding the mark in Brisbane, routinely picking off the Reds, while David Feliuai was the highlight for the relatively quiet backline, and Rob Valitini looked the best of the forwards with 22 carries.
Otherwise, they hardly pushed the Reds. Its clear Tom Wright is still finding his feet in his return from his ACL injury, while the group appears fatigued after four games on the stretch with several uncharacteristic errors, the same issue that dogged them in their losses to the Hurricanes and Fijian Drua.
With four rounds remaining and just three games in their pocket, Larkham must find an end to the slump quickly. While Larkham is looking ahead to a bye in Round 14, they have a rising Force side to contend with first, which presents a challenge that could spell disaster.
On paper the remaining three matches shouldn’t present much of a challenge with the Force in Canberra, the Waratahs in Sydney before a clash with Moana Pasifika to finish the regular season. But they’ve been shocked by the Waratahs once before this season and one banana skin moment could send the side packing.
