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Round Two of Super Rugby for 2020 sees the Brumbies at home for the second week in a row, playing against the Melbourne Rebels after their narrow win over the Queensland Reds last week. Cadeyrn Neville replaces the injured Darcy Swain in the Brumbies' starting lineup, with Nick Frost named on the bench for a possible Super Rugby debut alongside Bayley Kuenzle, while the Rebels also have a potential debutant second rower in Gideon Koegelenberg.
The NSW Waratahs came out second best against the Crusaders in Nelson last week as Tetera Faulkner celebrated 100 Super Rugby caps, but they have a golden opportunity to hit back against Kiwi opposition as they host the Blues in Newcastle this week, while the Queensland Reds are on tour in the Republic where they will do battle with the Lions five minutes after midnight (AEDT) on Saturday.
As always, FOX Sports and KAYO Sports have all the action LIVE and exclusive; now, without further ado, here’s what has been making news.
1. Local boy ready to rumble
Harry Johnson-Holmes played his opening 33 games of Super Rugby for the Waratahs at loosehead, culminating with a Wallabies debut against the Springboks at Ellis Park last July, however for his first appearace of the season (he missed Round One with illness) in front of his local crowd in Newcastle, he has switched to the other side of the 'Tahs scrum.
"It was a conversation that started at the end of last season," Johnson-Holmes told the Newcastle Herald's James Gardiner. "We did the calculations and worked out that we were going to have a pretty strong loose contingent and we might struggle having lost a few tightheads, especially Sekope Kepu.
"I wouldn't say knowing early made the job any easier. I had put in so much effort around my set piece at loose head and getting consistency there. There have been a lot of tough days at the office for me. It has been a battle scrummaging at training some days. Just learning new roles. Even the lineout, working at the back, was a bit new to me. It was frustrating at times but I was able to work on some different problem-solving aspects.
"I have a better feel on where things are going wrong and what I have to fix up. That is the benefit of having good loosehead stocks. I was going up against talent every day. I'm definitely ready and pretty excited for the challenge."
A Wanderers junior, it will be the second time Johnson-Holmes has played for the Tahs on home soil.
"We put so much importance on this game because it is our first home game," he said. "We want to put an emphasis on relishing our opportunities to play home games. We would like to think we will have a pretty passionate supporter group in Newcastle. We treasure these home games because we are taking them on the road. We want to utilise the fact we are going to places where they don't get a regular amount of Super Rugby games. Hopefully people get behind us. The responsibility is on us to treasure those home games and get the job done."
Though proud to be playing at home and assume the job of tour leader, the Merewether High graduate said it will be strictly business on game day.
"I'm not too concerned on who is in the stands or anything like that," he said. "I am focused on getting my job done. Apart from the boys getting stuck into me about copping media attention when we go to Newcastle once a year, it is not about me, it is about the team."
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2. Joe focuses on good footy in Canberra
He has four Test caps but scrumhalf Joe Powell hasn't played for the Wallabies since 2018. With a new Head Coach in Dave Rennie, and Will Genia retiring from Test Rugby after the Rugby World Cup, it would be only natural for Powell to be thinking about the gold jersey again - but as he explained to Fox Sports' Sam Worthington, his focus is entirely on winning a Super Rugby title with the Brumbies.
"It (wanting to play Test Rugby) is definitely there, you can’t say it’s not, but for me it’s just about playing consistently good footy for the Brumbies, firstly, and if I do that then hopefully higher honours come. But at the forefront of my mind is just playing good footy for the Brumbies.
"I was definitely happy with how I played for the Brumbies in 2019. You can always do more but I was pleased with how I’ve played throughout the year and hopefully I can continue to develop."
Life in Canberra is markedly different in 2020, without the likes of Christian Leali’ifano and David Pocock around the traps, and with their departure has come an opportunity for Powell to have a greater influence from a leadership perspective.
"It’s definitely a bit weird not having those huge personalities like that around the group but that’s how footy works. Every year you have a different team and people fill the void that’s left. It’s been different but still really enjoyable. Dan (McKellar) hasn’t necessarily asked me (to step up as a leader), it’s just gradually expected of me to step up a little bit more there with the inexperienced 10s but we’ve still got a very experienced backline there with Banksy (Tom Banks) and Tevita (Kuridrani). So it’s not solely going to rely on me, there’s plenty of experience in the backline and it’s nice playing behind a really good pack as well."
The Brumbies are the hunted team again in the Australian conference, on the back of topping it for the last two seasons, but Powell said it is not something which they are focusing on.
"It’s something we don’t really think about, what happened last year is in the past and we want to make a name for ourselves this year. Everyone’s kind of looking at us as being the best from Australia last year, hopefully we can continue that form. We’ve got a few tough Aussie derbies at home which is good."
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3. JOC reflects and looks forward
James O'Connor's return to Australian Rugby, which started with being selected for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and will now play out for the Queensland Reds, is one of the most exciting stories in Australian Rugby at the moment. In a no-holds-barred chat with the Gold Coast Bulletin's Nic Darveniza, O'Connor talked abou his journey since signing his first professional contract at the age of seventeen.
What kind of pressure did signing a professional contract at 17 place on you as a young man?
None at that age. It’s your passion, you want to follow that passion. It’s more when you get to the top and you achieve things that you think are going to define you. You play in a World Cup, and think ‘once I achieve that I’ll be at peace’. When I was around the age of 22 or 23 I’d experienced all these things I thought I’d get fulfilment from but there was nothing. There was nothing there. I had to go back to the drawing board and think, s---, without rugby, who am I? That was a big question for me.
Was the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand that tipping point for you?
I’d achieved everything I’d ever dreamt of but there was something missing. Nothing externally can fill you up, you have to turn inwards. Which was something that I didn’t do often because I was around people at the time where it was all about going out (partying). There was constant gratification, pleasure here, pleasure there. It’s not until you stop that you realise how jumbled your mind can be.
Can you tell me about your new worldview on masculinity?
I’ve been on quite a journey in the last five years. The biggest difference for me was I met a group of men in the UK, Saviour World, and they helped me transition from being a boy to a man. Everything we do from a physical, mental, spiritual perspective is to raise your vibration and start creating your own reality. Scientists have proven we’re not actually dense, we’re atoms vibrating at difference frequencies. We want to raise our vibration through training, diet, meditation and breathing to reach an equilibrium point.
Have you fought your way back to the top, or is there still some fighting to do?
You’re always growing. I’ve got so much to go but that’s part of the journey. Every time you hit a new level you get more knowledge. That’s the whole point of this reality.
What are you most looking forward to in your return to Australian rugby this season?
I’m looking forward to playing Super Rugby again. The French competition is quite slow. There are exciting parts in it but it’s slower rugby and the UK competition is a lot more forward-dominated. I’m looking forward to playing free-flowing rugby. I’ve missed it.
Is there the talent in this Reds squad to go on and win Super Rugby in the coming years?
For sure. If we get the culture right, which it feels like they already have, the talent is definitely there. There’s a lot of young energy to work with. It feels like we’ve got a couple of level heads in the team so let’s see what happens. We have guys that work hard, some big ballcarriers like Lukhan (Salakaia-Loto) and Izack Rodda, but also our on-ballers are great and they’re enthusiastic.
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4. Magnay brothers making mark in different sports
Melbourne Rebels centre Campbell Magnay has long been considered a Wallabies prospect but he might be beaten to he punch by younger brother, Will, when it comes to national sporting glory. Basketball player Will, 21,has grabbed headlines with his performances in the NBL for the Brisbane Bullets and the NBA buzz around him seems to be growing with each week.
“We played a lot of spot and a lot of video games but there were a lot of fights as you can imagine, plenty of fights so Mum and Dad sometimes had to keep us a bit separate,” Campbell told Rugby.com.au's Beth Newman. “Back in the day, would've been Call of Duty that we played most. He was much better than me, much more skillful - I'd never let him know, it was always the controller's fault.”
When Will broke his collarbone playing rugby at Brisbane’s Nudgee College, the basketball coach saw an opportunity to pounce on the promising and the younger Magnay has never looked back.
“We played rugby league together, he was two years below me, but played a lot of rugby league and then in about year nine he broke his collarbone and the basketball coach picked him up and then he's gone on from there,” Campbell recalled. “When he first crossed over I just thought he didn't like the contact in rugby but it was definitely a very good move from him,” he recalled. “Over the last few years, he's really improved and it's very entertaining to watch.”
Based in Melbourne, Campbell tries to watch Will whenever the Bullets are in town and is one of his biggest supporters. Will’s form was rewarded recently with selection in his first Boomers squad and he is considered a high prospect of being picked in the NBA summer league. Campbell is hoping to launch his own international bid with an injury-free season at the Rebels after some unfortunate setbacks in recent years. The centre had offseason ankle surgery to finally fix a niggling problem he picked up in Japan and has his sights set on a starting spot in Super Rugby in 2020. He stayed in Australia while the Rebels played their first round clash against the Sunwolves but has been named on the bench Friday night’s clash with the Brumbies.
“I had a major injury when I was in Japan and I just needed it fixed and this was the perfect time to do it so hopefully I’m good to go and no more injuries. I’m just looking for a bit of consistency this year. The starting XV is the main goal for the Rebels and then just a consistent, injury-free year is definitely the target.”
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5. Dane takes unusual path to the top
Less than three years after he failed to make his school First XV, Dane Zander has packed down in Super Rugby, holding his own against a veteran Wallabies prop.
Plenty of Queensland Reds players have progressed through renowned rugby nursery Nudgee College and on to Super Rugby. But Zander was not among the best front-rowers when at school, missing the firsts and even turning out occasionally in the thirds for Nudgee. His love of rugby kept him in the game though and after playing colts for Norths straight out of school, Zander made his Premier Rugby debut in 2018 before playing a full season in the top grade last year and progressing to NRC where he caught the eye of Queensland scrum doctor Cameron Lillicrap.
"After NRC I had a meeting with Thorny and Crapper and they said, you have an opportunity, but they just wanted me to drop a bit of weight," Zander told Rugby.com.au's Emma Greenwood. "Same sort of thing as Feao (Fotuaika). They used that as an example, they said: 'This happened to Feao, he came in and did the hard work and that's what could happen to you if you do the hard work.'
"Thorny was just like, 'You've got the talent, we just want to fix some things' and that's when I just wanted to put my head down and do the best I could and get my opportunity. They were giving me an opportunity, so I didn't really want to waste it.
"It's always been my dream since I've been a little kid," Zander said of being a Red. "I still remember coming to the games when I was only five or six and I always wanted to be a Red, so it's an amazing feeling."
The 20-year-old has dropped almost 10kg since the end of the NRC season and came off the bench for his debut against the Brumbies on Friday night at 121kg. With JP Smith having undergone pre-season surgery and missing both trials and fellow loosehead Harry Hoopert out with a back injury, Zander had played 60 minutes in each of the Reds' pre-season fixtures against the Rebels and Waratahs and headed into his debut high on confidence.
"It was definitely a dream come true. For me to run out on that field and get my first cap was amazing," said Zander, whose parents Gordon and Chris watched from the stands in a sweltering GIO Stadium. "It was really good that JP (Smith) and Nela (Tupou) set the benchmark. They dominated our scrum from the start and me and (Fotuaika) came on we just tried to do our part and our job."
For a player who only completed his first full season in the Brisbane Premier grade less than a year ago, it's still a little surreal.
"It's been quick. It has surprised me a little bit. But I'm so stoked to be here," Zander said. "If you don't play First XV or Australian Schoolboys, it doesn't matter. As long as you just try and keep chipping away, you never know what can happen."
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