Super Rugby Pacific Round Two delivered exactly what we hoped for in the preview: statement wins, moral victories, and a couple of games that already feel like they’ll matter in May. The final fixture of the round between the Crusaders and Brumbies may be a sign of who claims top spot on the ladder come finals time.
Super Rugby Pacific Round Two delivered exactly what we hoped for in the preview: statement wins, moral victories, and a couple of games that already feel like they’ll matter in May. The final fixture of the round between the Crusaders and Brumbies may be a sign of who claims top spot on the ladder come finals time.
Across Dunedin, Joondalup, Christchurch, Sydney and Wellington we got late drama, attacking clinics and a few blokes quietly planting an early flag for Team of the Season, all of it setting the stage beautifully for two of the competition’s most ruthless organisers to swing in later and try to reassert old hierarchies.
In Forsyth Barr, the Chiefs survived a Highlanders surge that had the roof shaking, leaning on Etene Nanai-Seturo’s 132 metres and Kaylum Boshier’s 15 tackles to drag a 26–23 win out of a game they never fully controlled. Out west, Ben Donaldson turned Joondalup into his personal audition tape with 17 points, only for Stephen Perofeta to match him with 17 of his own as the Blues’ bench finished the job in a 42–32 track meet. In Sydney, Max Jorgensen lit up Allianz with 102 metres and a double, while the Waratahs pack quietly owned the night with 59% possession and a flawless set-piece in a 36–13 dismantling of the Drua. And in Wellington, Fehi Fineanganofo and Josh Moorby turned Sky Stadium into a highlight reel, combining for five tries and 330 metres in a 52–10 Hurricanes demolition that felt like a line in the sand for the rest of the competition.
We review the all the action from Round Two of Super Rugby Pacific below.
The scoreline says blowout, but the detail says blueprint; the Hurricanes didn’t just beat Moana Pasifika, they laid out a game model that will scare everyone else in the comp. It started with tempo. Possession and territory were split almost down the middle (50–50 and 47–53), yet the Canes turned that into 1,108 running metres, 34 tackle busts and 18 line breaks, while Moana were held to 564 metres and just six breaks. Every time the Canes got decent ball, they either bent the line or broke it completely.
The first half was all about stretching the field. Moana actually struck first through Tuna Tuitama, but once Fehi Fineanganofo punched back on 12 minutes, the Hurricanes found their rhythm. Josh Moorby dotted down twice before the break, Fineanganofo grabbed his second, and by half-time it was 24–5 with the Canes already past 500 running metres. 34 missed tackles told the story for the visitors.
Individually, Fineanganofo’s performance sits in the “frame it and hang it up” category: 14 carries, 190 metres, six line breaks and five defenders beaten, plus two tries that came off pure timing and angle running.
For Moana, there were flickers. Faletoi Peni (65 metres, nine tackles, two defenders beaten) and Dominic Ropeti (13 carries, 52 metres) kept punching, while Patrick Pellegrini tried to manufacture something from 10 with 47 metres, seven kicks and a try. But four lost lineouts, 11 turnovers, and 34 missed tackles meant every positive was followed by two punches in the mouth the other way.
As a Round Two marker, this was loud. The Hurricanes showed they can combine structure and chaos: clean set piece, low penalty count, then unleash the back three and Fineanganofo from everywhere.
Fineanganofo (11', 24'), Moorby (16', 28', 43'), Iose (61', 73'), Proctor (78')
Tries
Tuitama (6'), Pellegrini (66')
Cameron (12'), Barrett (29', 44', 62', 74', 78')
Conversions
If Round One was about the Waratahs thumping the Reds, Round Two was about proving that wasn’t a one-off. The scoreline will say 36–13, but Allianz will remember this one as the night Max Jorgensen turned a solid Waratahs win into a genuine “we might be onto something here” performance.
You can see why Rugby Australia were desperate to keep the Waratahs winger. Jorgensen clearly put an exclamation mark on why the hype is growing louder: 14 carries, 102 metres, two tries, three offloads and a constant sense that he was one step away from a highlights reel every time he touched it. Up front, Matt Philip (12 carries, 11 tackles) and Pete Samu (9 carries, 68 metres, two offloads) gave Lawson Creighton the platform to run the show, and Creighton calmly banked 11 points off the tee. Defensively, they missed only 15 tackles all night and didn’t lose a scrum or lineout on their own ball.
Jorgensen’s first try, just before the break, was the moment the game tilted. Off structured play, the Waratahs shifted to width, and Jorgensen hit the ball at pace, straightened, then used his footwork to burn the last defender and slide over; classic “nothing on, now everything’s on” fullback play.
The Drua had their moments with Taniela Rakuro’s early try, Isikeli Rabitu’s 89 running metres, and Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula’s 10 points kept them in touch to 50 minutes. But the numbers tell you how hard it was. They missed 22 tackles, lost two lineouts, and coughed up 13 turnovers, and every time they blinked, the Waratahs’ pack walked them back another five metres.
As a matchup, this felt less like a shootout and more like a statement of intent from NSW. They can still play the pretty stuff, but now it sits on top of a functioning set-piece and a fullback who looks comfortable being the main man under lights in Sydney.
Gamble (9'), Jorgensen (36', 79'), Moananu (49', 71'), Blyth (58')
Tries
Rakuro (13')
Creighton (10', 37', 50')
Conversions
Armstrong-Ravula (14')
Penalties
Armstrong-Ravula (33', 44')
If the Hurricanes game was a demolition and the Waratahs game was a strangling, Highlanders v Chiefs was a fist fight that went the full 80 and was decided on two or three moments of quality and composure. The Chiefs edged it 26–23 under the roof, but the numbers say both sides walked out knowing they’d been in a proper contest: possession basically split (49–51), territory a shade Highlanders (52–48), carries 124–135 and even tackle breaks dead even at 20 apiece.
The Highlanders actually landed the first punch. Folau Fakatava tapped into his usual chaos, and Jona Nareki finished a sharp early movement to put them 7–0 up inside five minutes. From there, though, the Chiefs leaned into their strengths. Samisoni Taukei’aho powered over from close range on eight minutes, the first of his two tries, and Josh Jacomb’s boot kept turning the Highlanders around and forcing them to attack from deep.
For the Chiefs, the back three and loose forwards were the difference between “close loss” and “ugly win”. Etene Nanai-Seturo ran for 132 metres from 14 carries, beat three defenders and constantly dragged the Highlanders’ backfield out of shape. Leroy Carter backed up his try with 93 metres from 10 carries, three defenders beaten and a line break.
The finish summed the night up. Trailing 26–18, the Highlanders refused to die, with Veveni Lasaqa coming on and grabbing an 81st-minute try that turned stoppage time into pure chaos. But two missed conversions – one on Caleb Tangitau’s 75th-minute try, another on Lasaqa’s at the death – left three points out there. Add in 11 penalties and 17 turnovers conceded and you have the story of a team doing a lot right between the 22s, but not quite nailing the small details that separate top-four contenders from “brave, but beaten” against Kiwi opposition.
Nareki (2'), Tangitau (74'), Lasaqa (82')
Tries
Taukei'aho (7', 61'), Carter (32'), Boshier (67')
Millar (3')
Conversions
Jacomb (8', 33', 62')
Millar (41', 44')
Penalties
If you’re a Force fan, you walked out of Joondalup feeling two things at once: proud of the punch, furious at the polish. The Force had more ball (53–47), more territory (58–42), more carries (145–98) and even more metres (841–690) and still conceded 42 points. That is the most “we’ve just played a New Zealand side” stat line you’ll see all season.?? It was the most Super Rugby way possible to lose: better for long stretches, punished brutally in the moments that mattered.
Ben Donaldson quietly put together a genuine playmaker’s performance: 17 points, a try, three conversions, two penalties, 95 running metres and five kicks in play, plus he led the Force backs in carries. Around him, Carlo Tizzano did Carlo Tizzano things with 14 carries, 14 tackles and a try.
Where it went wrong was transition and discipline. The Force missed 21 tackles, lost four lineouts, conceded 11 penalties and coughed up 11 turnovers from 333 balls played. The Blues didn’t need a second invitation.
Stephen Perofeta turned clinical in the second half, finishing with 17 points as the Blues went 6/6 off the tee.
For a side that once struggled to fire a shot against Kiwi opposition, the Force will take heart from the fact that they created enough to win this game. Three line breaks, multiple long-range forays, and a backline that looked genuinely dangerous. But against a team as ruthless as the Blues, 16 turnovers and a wobbly lineout are a death sentence, and Perth learned again that in this competition, “almost” doesn’t buy you anything on the ladder.
Johnson-Holmes (11'), Tizzano (40+1'), Kuenzle (66'), Donaldson (79')
Tries
Fusitu'a (5'), Perofeta (20'), Sullivan (41'), Barnes (52'), Forbes (59'), Beehre (69')
Donaldson (12', 40+2', 67')
Conversions
Perofeta (6', 21', 42', 53', 60', 69')
Donaldson (27', 46')
Penalties
The Brumbies didn’t walked into Apollo Projects Stadium and tore up the script, running in seven tries in a 50–24 statement win that will echo deep into the season. It was ruthless, organised, and exactly the kind of performance you expect from a side with genuine title intentions,especially away from home.
You couldn’t script a better milestone night for James Slipper either: starting loosehead in his 200th game, crashing over for a first-half try and finally walking out of Christchurch with a win in Brumbies colours after a 26-year drought for the club at the venue. It was the perfect emblem for what this result means a veteran Wallaby prop getting his flowers while leading a pack that went into the Crusaders’ house and did what generations of Brumbies sides before them couldn’t.
The tone was set up front and in the middle third. The Brumbies owned the ball and the park, finishing with 57% possession, 63% territory, 162 carries to 136 and 823 metres to 753. They played more rugby (346 balls played to 314) but did it on their terms – direct, accurate, and happy to go multi-phase until the dam wall cracked. The Crusaders actually broke more tackles (34 to 30) and made more line breaks (7 to 8), yet they were constantly coming out of their own end, spilling six lineouts, and trying to build from a shaky platform against a pack that smelled blood.
Individually, the Brumbies’ back row produced one of the great combined shifts you’ll see this year. Rob Valetini was everywhere: 19 carries, 14 tackles, four defenders beaten and a late try that summed up his night.
Beside him, Charlie Cale was devastating with 15 carries, 65 metres, 16 tackles and a double, punching holes all evening and hitting breakdowns with equal venom. Rory Scott quietly added 15 carries and nine tackles of his own, and together that loose trio turned Crusaders ball into a scrap while giving their own halves a dream platform.
The 9–10 axis was as clinical as it needed to be. Ryan Lonergan steered the ship early, kicking two conversions and probing with eight kicks from hand, before Tane Edmed came on to close the show, nailing three conversions and adding a line break of his own as the Brumbies pulled clear. Between them, they took what the pack gave them and refused to overplay, content to turn the Crusaders and back their defence and set-piece. Discipline helped too: just five penalties conceded and 11 turnovers across 80 high-tempo minutes is elite in this competition.
For the Crusaders, there were flashes but nowhere near enough control. Will Jordan did everything he could, clocking 118 metres from 13 carries and constantly threatening in the backfield, while Sevu Reece added 63 metres and a try. But you can’t lose six lineouts, concede nine penalties, and spend 63% of the night without territorial control and expect to live with a Brumbies side this accurate.
As a headline, “Brumbies 50 in Christchurch” does plenty of work on its own. But when you add in the dominance up front, the milestone try for a 200-game Wallaby and seven tries away to the Crusaders, it feels less like an upset and more like a clear warning shot fired at the rest of the competition.
Havili (8'), Bell (23'), Reece (56'), Fainga'anuku (67')
Tries
Muirhead (18'), Slipper (29'), Cale (36', 58'), Pritchard (53'), Bowron (72'), Valetini (76'), Toole (78')
Kemara (9', 23')
Conversions
Lonergan (19', 30'), Edmed (59', 77', 79')
