Waratahs waited too long to start youngsters. They deserve another shot

The excellent performances of Easts pair Teddy Wilson and Jack Bowen in the Waratahs’ 50-35 win against the Fijian Drua were bittersweet, as they raised an awkward question: why has it taken until round 14 to give them a crack?

In his post-match interview, captain Matt Philip acknowledged the impact of their “youthful exuberance,” but there was also a lot of discipline in how they played – particularly Bowen. His long kicking game and refusal to overplay his hand were key ingredients as the Waratahs built a huge first-half lead.

The 22-year-old clearly has more foot speed than the well-travelled Jack Debreczeni. At No 9, Jake Gordon has had a quiet season by his standards, and Wilson is averaging just over 20 minutes a game in Super Rugby Pacific this year – he has been underused.

The challenge for Wilson and Bowen now is to back it up, but they have earned another shot in the starting jerseys for the huge game against the Brumbies on Friday.

Lomax defensive quality strengthens Wallabies claim

The Reds will rue a wasteful 10 minutes before halftime during their 19-14 loss to the Force, but cross-code convert yet again showed he is a quick learner. Lomax prevented a certain try with a crucial intercept play that highlighted his soft hands as much as his defensive reading of the game.

Lomax somehow batted the ball up twice with his right hand before grabbing it with his left, a great bit of skill that probably saved him from a yellow card. The Force also used him in the No 10 channel in defence and he used his size well against the hard-running Hunter Paisami – a feat repeated by Dylan Pietsch in the second half.

Lomax’s ability to contest the high ball was evident in Mac Grealy’s try, but the Wallabies selectors will also note that he provides another big body in the defensive line.

He can’t be far away from a July call-up after just a handful of games.

RA’s big conference call

The Reds’ loss in Perth continues a theme identified here in a few weeks ago – the Australian teams are eating each other this year. Only seven competition points separate the top Australian team, the Brumbies, from the bottom team, the Force.

Compare that to the situation in New Zealand, where the Hurricanes are 26 points ahead of the Highlanders. Additionally, the Hurricanes and the second-placed Chiefs will likely finish the season with home-and-away wins against the Highlanders and Moana Pasifika, who effectively operate as a sixth New Zealand team for the draw’s purposes.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, Rugby Australia has a case to lobby for a conference system and guaranteed Australian playoff spots if Super Rugby Pacific moves to a 10-team format next year. That would spark howls of complaint from New Zealand fans, but the ladder tells its own story.

And the messaging coming out of New Zealand Rugby currently indicates they see Australia’s success as beneficial to them, and guaranteed playoff spots for the top Australian teams will help achieve that goal.

One and done for Waratahs two-try hero?

Powerful hooker Ioane Moananu showed a real turn of speed in a two-try performance against the Fijian Drua on Saturday, but the odds of NSW retaining his services don’t look great.

It’s almost inconceivable there won’t be interest in New Zealand for Moananu, and at present only the five New Zealand clubs can offer him a pathway to the All Blacks. The Blues and Highlanders appear to be the two New Zealand clubs that could offer Moananu regular game time to push his test case.

The Highlanders, in particular, need another hooker alongside Jack Taylor, who has carried a huge workload this season. Ethan Dobbins has been great value for the Waratahs this year, but they’ll miss Moananu if he returns to New Zealand: he is a point of difference player.

Reds, Brumbies still in box seat

The race for the final two playoffs spots remains open after the Force’s 19-14 win against the Reds, but the Queenslanders and the Brumbies remain the teams with the greatest control of their own destinies.

The Brumbies might need just one win from their remaining two games, against the Waratahs and Moana Pasifika, while the Reds can also book a spot by beating Moana Pasifika (away) and the Fijian Drua (home).

The Reds badly missed Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Fraser McReight against the Force, but if those two key players are available they should be good enough to beat both Moana Pasifika and the Drua.

At this stage, the Waratahs’ season still looks like one of what-ifs. If they miss out, they will look back on the losses to the Reds in Brisbane and the Highlanders in Dunedin as the games that really hurt – albeit for different reasons.