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McKellar has ambitions to challenge the Kiwis. The acquisitions of Angus Crichton and Luke Reimer from next year are two excellent pieces of that bigger picture, and everything the Waratahs have done since the end of last year’s Super Rugby competition – the Lions performance, the successful Super Rugby AU campaign and the strong pre-season before the Reds win – shows they are heading in the right direction.
When you strip back that win against the Reds to the fundamentals – hunger and winning contact – the Waratahs were ahead of the Reds by a noticeable margin.
It was evident in the carries of No. 6 Clem Halaholo, but also in the scrummaging of loosehead Tom Lambert. Lawmakers have done a lot to remove the “hit” from scrummaging, but winning that initial contact is still important, and Lambert was far more explosive and aggressive than his opposite, Zane Nonggorr.
Lambert is a smaller man, but he rarely let the Wallabies tighthead get into a good position and fears of the Waratahs scrum letting them down turned out to be vastly exaggerated.
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So there is a lot to like about the Waratahs – especially if they can raise their ceiling further by finding a Bernard Foley 2.0.
There aren’t many on the market, and it certainly won’t be Reesjan Pasitoa, the former Brumbies and Force playmaker previously tipped by Tim Horan as a Wallabies playmaker in the making.
In an interesting development, Pasitoa has signed a two-year deal with the Highlanders and has switched his eligibility to New Zealand.
“No hard feelings,” Pasitoa told the Herald last month. “That’s what it is. My dad’s Niuean, he’s a New Zealand citizen and I’m in the process of applying for mine. Whether or not I get that, that’s another story, but I’m going to try and apply for my citizenship here. A new chapter really.”
And it was previously reported that Noah Lolesio’s move to Japan was initially for one year only, with the option of a second. After his frightening injury for the Wallabies last year, Lolesio is back playing for Shuttles Aichi in the second tier of Japanese rugby.
In a Rugby World Cup year in 2027, the Waratahs and the Wallabies would both be winners from his return.
