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          Super -- Not So Super -- Rd11: Lolesio, Gordon throw down gauntlet

          • Brittany Mitchell, ESPN Assistant EditorMay 8, 2023, 12:11 AM
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              Brittany Mitchell has been a sports fan from an early age, with a keen interest in netball, cricket and rugby. Brittany interned at Rugby Magazine and the Australian Rugby Union before joining ESPN.
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          A rare Sunday afternoon of footy hasn't disappointed in Round 11 with one of the most exciting games of the round playing out in Melbourne.

          There was plenty of passion on display as Noah Lolesio sent a statement to Eddie Jones while Carter Gordon quietly went about his business, meanwhile Moana came within a whisker of claiming their first win of the season and the Waratahs earned their first win over the Reds in four matches in Townsville.

          Read on as we review some of the Super -- and Not So Super -- action from the weekend.

          Super

          The race for World Cup places has been heating up lately and it appears some of the pressure has taken its toll on Brumbies fly-half Noah Lolesio. But instead of crumbling or going into his shell, the playmaker made sure to show exactly what he could do when he faced off with his rival Carter Gordon on Sunday afternoon. Even better, it was all in front of Wallabies coach Eddie Jones.

          Plenty of discussion has taken place over the last few months on who should take on the Wallabies playmaker role at this year's World Cup, with much of the chatter centering on the rising star of Gordon who's taken his game to a new level in 2023. Named in Eddie's first Wallabies squad last month ahead of Lolesio, it appeared the Rebels fly-half was in the box seat, but Lolesio made sure to get his point across before he was taken off early after a knock.

          Staring down the camera, shrugging his shoulders and screaming 'Carter Gordon?' after scoring his second try for the game in the 20th minute - finishing off a sensational line-break from Tom Wright - Lolesio made a huge statement to Jones in the stands and to the rest of Australian rugby - he won't be going away.

          It came just minutes after his first try where the passion burst forth as he slapped his chest and screamed at the camera.

          It was a rare show of emotion from the often cool and collected 23-year-old and it had the commentators speculating as to what had the playmaker so fired up.

          "It's a bit personal this game, but I'll keep it on the field," Lolesio told Stan Sport commentator Drew Mitchell as he left the field at halftime.

          Lolesio was potent throughout the contest, his presence was immense, and he was determined to take control of a hugely important match, not just for himself personally but for his side who reclaimed second spot on the ladder following their win.

          While he didn't snatch the headlines like Lolesio, Gordon played his most complete game of the year.

          Quietly going about his business and letting his opposite number's jibes roll off his shoulders, the Rebels fly-half was huge both in attack, and defensively - unafraid to take on the dirty work that has escaped Lolesio's game in the past.

          From the get-go the Rebels were unafraid to send the ball flying despite the conditions that left the ball greasy. Gordon was quick to send the ball wide putting Lachie Anderson just metres from the line in the opening minutes before Monty Ioane was a in a similar position minutes later. His left-to-right passes to send Anderson over the line twice were moments of beauty. He was masterful and made a statement of his own.

          Looking unfazed and playing flat, he wore several hard hits, bouncing up almost immediately and getting back to business. Flattened by Rob Valetini and on one occasion his ribs looked like they'd been rearranged by Tamati Tua, but he refused to stay down, quickly getting back up and getting back into the action wearing a busted lip for much of the match.

          From a match that on paper had little to be excited about, the level of ruthlessness was captivating as both sides played fast and furious rugby with many of the game's tries coming off the back of first-phase, counter-attacking.

          Let's hope the trend continues as we close in on the playoffs.

          DRUA CONTINUE TO PROVE THEIR PLACE IN SUPER RUGBY

          Downing the Crusaders was no fluke. The Fijian Drua are a team to fear when travelling to Fiji and they proved it all over again on Saturday when they stunned the Hurricanes to claim their fourth win of the season and climb back into play-off contention.

          Providing more entertainment for a competition that has been left stagnant for so long, the Drua have proven exactly why they deserve a place in Super Rugby and why powerbrokers had been wrong for keeping them locked out for so long.

          In front of yet another large and raucous crowd, the Drua played their usual abrasive, highly entertaining game style, popping off-loads, busting through tackles while making hard and damaging hits of their own. It had the crowd making plenty of noise, and rightly so after the home side got on the board first after 18-minutes.

          While the Crusaders travelled to Fiji without many of their stars, including Richie Mo'unga, you couldn't say the same of the Hurricanes who named one of their strongest teams. It meant fans in Suva were treated to an absolute spectacle and another nail-biting finish.

          Like weeks earlier it all came down Kemu Valetini to kick the winning points just as he did against the Crusaders. First, he levelled the scores in the 76th minute before he kicked the team ahead a minute before halftime.

          While the scoreboard will reflect the intensity of the match it must be noted that the Drua left plenty of points on the pitch in the opening half and should have had a much larger buffer as they came off the pitch instead of just two-points.

          Dropping just one game at home so far this year - last week's loss to the Blues also a tight affair - a trip to Fiji is no longer the holiday many would have seen it as previously.

          TAHS FIND THEIR MOJO

          A top four finish is out of reach, but back-to-back victories have put the Waratahs in the box seat to secure a top 8 spot with the potential to finish at sixth after they downed the Reds for the first time in four games.

          It wasn't the perfect game from the Waratahs with bouts of scrappiness creeping into the match, but they still showed their attacking potency with some highly entertaining game play - Lalakai Foketi's try off a Max Jorgensen line-break up there for try of the season -- while it was perhaps Ben Donaldson's best game in several weeks.

          The battle of the flankers had stolen the headlines in the lead up and it certainly lived up to expectations with Michael Hooper and Fraser McReight making strong cases for Eddie Jones, McReight shading the old bull, but just a touch, with his presence over the ball. He won at least four breakdown turnovers, while his work rate was immense.

          Like usual, Hooper left it all on the park leaving nothing in the tank as he led his side to victory. His massive defensive effort can't be overlooked making 14 tackles, while his dominance in his hits often gave his teammates Langi Gleeson and Taleni Seu the opportunity to make steals of their own.

          The run home - bar the Crusaders in Christchurch - appears an easy one for the Waratahs with the Rebels, Drua and Moana all at Allianz. While no game is a gimme, it should be three from three at home to finish the season and a hot run into the finals.

          Not So Super

          Yet again Australia's record in New Zealand has been abysmal. Eleven rounds in and not one Australian team has travelled to the ditch and come home victorious with a 0-8 record that will no doubt grow even larger by season's end.

          Travelling to Christchurch is never an easy journey and not many teams (even those in New Zealand) come away victorious, but for the Western Force to come so close to conceding the half-century is not a good look for Australian rugby.

          It must be acknowledged the Force have one of the hardest draws in the competition as the only team that goes through a three-week tour which saw them leave New Zealand after Round 6 0-3. But at least those losses came with some fight - pushing their rivals for the full 80. The same can't be said about this weekend.

          Injuries played their part yet again with Simon Cron forced to turn to another new fly-half, this time Super Rugby debutant and Aussie sevens rising star Max Burey to handle the reins. Playing in Sydney's Shute Shield just a week earlier, Burey was thrown into the fire pit and while his work with the boot put his side ahead briefly in the opening minutes, he had little to offer the struggling side.

          But there's not much Burey can do for a side behind a forward pack that's getting little go ahead while their set-piece was falling to absolute pieces.

          With four rounds left there's four more chances for Australian sides to secure a win across the Tasman, but with the Reds playing in two of them - their record in New Zealand is abysmal - you shouldn't hold your breath.

          HEARTBREAK FOR MOANA

          Just one less minute and this write off would have headlined the Super section. Instead, a decimated scrum after the final hooter and a penalty try means Moana remain winless and soul searching once again after they came within a hair of their first win of the season.

          Yes, it wasn't a full-strength Blues side with Beauden Barrett a late scratching, but it was still a team full of fire power and based on previous weeks should have made easy work of Moana. Instead, Christian Lealiifano led an incredible fight back that had Moana six points up as the hooter sounded.

          Continuing his breakout season Miracle Faiilagi had another impressive game, Lealiifano and William Havilli had the backline humming while their forward pack kept the side in the contest with a huge maul try to finish the first half and dominated the opening minutes of the second half.

          Pushing their lead out to six points with 13 minutes left on the clock, Fine Inisi's try was an example of just how entertaining Moana can be and how important their inclusion is in the competition. The off-loading was eye-catching as Inisi opening the movement with a linebreak, only to finish off the move two passes later as the ball was kept alive and he crashed over in the corner.

          Unfortunately, it all came to naught after the buzzer. Technically the correct call, the fact the match was determined by a penalty try from a scrum penalty is heartbreaking to watch and had all the air leave the stadium.

          With four rounds left, Moana still have a chance to get the elusive win, but it feels very much like they let their best chance go begging.