As the book closes on the regular season of Super Rugby Pacific 2024, it’s an apt time to reflect on how it went for the five Australian sides.
Three of them have made it to the quarter finals, with just one sneaking into the top four.
However, across the board, apart from the NSW Waratahs, there has been a notable lift in quality and results.
While the status quo of New Zealand teams on top remains, there is movement in the right direction, although this has not been entirely reflected in results.
Western Force, 4 wins, 10 losses, points differential -132, regularly season finish 10th
It’s been another year of more of the same; same struggles, same positives, same work-ons.
The two main struggles were evident throughout the season, a lack of X-factor and tight-five depth.
Rarely did opposition defences seem stressed by the Force’s attack, nor did sides fear their strike plays.
They looked most dangerous off-the-cuff in moments of individual brilliance from either Chase Tiatia, Ben Donaldson, Bayley Kuenzle, and most recently Kurtley Beale.
(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
The tight-five was hit heavily with injuries before the season had even begun and this meant Simon Cron was pulling players from outside the squad into the side.
Although front row recruit Harry Hoopert made a positive impact upon his return from a serious injury, it just came too late for it to matter on the table.
Former All Black Atu Moli only played in the pre-season trials and has not been sighted since.
Whether injury or selection has kept him off the pitch, his absence has been noted.
Few teams could go deep in the competition with an injury list as severe and long as the Forces’ and it showed on the paddock.
This resulted in a double-edged sword as far as recruitment was concerned.
On one hand, signings like Beale, Tom Franklin, Sam Carter, Ryan Coxon and Ben Funnell were all great additions to the group and gave a young roster some much needed experience.
On the other hand, it meant Cron was playing catch up all season trying to get the players across the detail.
This massive roster-rotation combined with the lack of X-factor were fatal blows to the Force’s finals chances.
This was evidenced by the team having both the second worst points differential and try scoring record in the competition.
In 2024 the Force have lost the contact zone, been unable to capitalise on a long kicking game, and struggled to put points on the board.
In 2025 they will have a better roster, with more firepower coming in the form of international hooking duo Nic Dolly and Brandon Paenga-Amosa as well as Wallaby-lock Darcy Swain.
These signings, along with a more cohesive and continuous pre-season will help turn the Western Force from a hard-working team into a threatening one.
The skeleton is there, now Cron must find his muscle.
GRADE: C-
NSW Waratahs, 2 wins, 12 losses, PD -128, finished 12th
This season was an unmitigated disaster for Darren Coleman and his men, in what will be the last year of his head coach tenure.
Winning only two matches from 14 games when you are one of the two biggest rugby states in the country is just unacceptable.
It was a season where the Waratahs were in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
While the Melbourne Rebels’ off-field troubles were well documented, the Waratahs were fighting their own battles.
An unprecedented injury toll to their props, along with no general manager, left Coleman in the lurch.
Two highly publicised internal in-season reviews couldn’t have helped either, with Coleman consistently being told to “show us why you deserve to stay on”.
While props were dropping like flies, Coleman was straddling two roles in the absence of General Manager Andrew Blades who departed in 2023.
This was also the first year the Waratahs were under the centralised governance structure of Rugby Australia, which should have brought with it some sort of support.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Although the centralised model is not complete with the other teams resisting the drive, the Waratahs were hardly a glowing example of what “alignment” could do for a club.
However, perhaps the harder truth to swallow is that the Waratahs looked well off the pace before most of these things happened.
They were put to the sword by the Queensland Reds in Roma and handed another loss by the Rebels in pre-season.
A run of close losses in the first six rounds set the tone for the season-real, but that was not all she sang, a lengthy injury list made the season go from bad to worse.
Truly, most aspects of their game were not up to scratch, even though there were pockets of promise.
But credit must be given when and where it’s due and the Waratahs scrum despite its huge turnover and clubland flavour, finished the regular season with a whopping 83 per cent success rate, the fourth best in the competition.
It’s been said many times that you can’t win without a tight five, but to be fair to the front row, this is not an area one could point to as the sole reason for a terrible season.
In 2024 the Waratahs were so close at many stages but also were so very far from where they should be considering their roster and presence in rugby.
2025 will be a another “re-build” storyline, and although it’s getting old, it is highly necessary as a swathe of players and coaches leave the franchise after this season.
Special mention goes to uncovering the talent of hooker Julian Heaven, who shone in his debut season in the absence of injured Wallaby hooker and captain Dave Porecki.
GRADE: F
ACT Brumbies, 12 wins, 2 losses, PD +99, finished 3rd
The men from the capital continue to fly the flag for the Australian teams in terms of standards and competitiveness.
The franchise has always been good at the fundamentals of the game; the ruck, set piece and rugby nous.
While their ethos remained, a marked shift has been seen at the Brumbies.
A heavier focus on attack and counterattack as well as a new defence system under new assistant coach Ben Mowen made them a more volatile side in the early parts of the season.
They started the year with sub-par defensive numbers, tackling at an average of 75 per cent, well below the standard needed to compete in SRP.
Rush defence usually comes with lower tackle percentages because scramble defence and cover tackles are part of the system, but the trade-off is pressure on the attack, hopefully resulting in mistakes. Fifteen rounds into the season and the Brums haven’t fixed this problem entirely, which is a concern heading into finals footy.
A bright spot, however, was the maturity of Noah Lolesio at No.10.
His story over the last 12 months has been well documented but head coach Stephen Larkham’s backing of the Wallaby playmaker paid off in 2024, as he ensured the team was playing rugby in the right parts of the field.
The flyhalf’s connection with strike weapon Tom Wright is a glowing endorsement for squad cohesion and continuity, because as Lolesio controlled the game Wright began to shine for all the right reasons.
Noah Lolesio. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
His decision-making has been the main area of growth, with brain fade moments far and few between, greater physicality in both attack and defence, and a tactical kicking game has allowed those around him to flourish.
Cohesion across the entire squad is really what made the Brumbies a force to be reckoned with in 2024.
The backline had the maturity, power, and speed it needed to threaten sides and score points.
The forward pack had the depth to go the full 80-minutes each week and the x-factor to break teams open.
However, one thing must be said, the Brums finished the regular season with the worst scrums won percentage in the entire comp at just 72 per cent.
Seeing as they boast an Wallaby-laden front row roster this has been a big and new concern for the franchise.
But their ability to churn out Super Rugby ready talent continued this year with Charlie Cale and Harry Vella stepping-up without missing a beat.
Cale had been sighted last year but this year he truly announced himself, even garnering a “Wallabies bolter” title from several pundits.
It speaks to a mature environment and a club which effectively moulds young talent.
In 2024 the Brumbies have been keen on peaking at the right time, but this longsightedness came with short term pain with the heavy losses to both the Chiefs and the Blues.
Their points differential of +99 compared with the top three New Zealand sides who all have above +174, show there is still a lot of improvement needed.
Larkham has said they are building but the time for that is over, although on paper the Brumbies have improved year-on-year recently, anything less than a grand final spot will feel like stagnation for the Brumbies.
GRADE: A-
Queensland Reds, 8 wins, 6 losses, PD +104, finished 5th
The Les Kiss factor cannot be understated, he’s taken Brad Thorn’s gutsy and tough side and augmented it with detail, finesse, and self-confidence.
As a result, the Reds have played some of the most beautiful rugby in the competition.
The multi-layered attack, high work-rate and high ruck speed reeks of Irish rugby, something which former Ireland coach and now new Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt will most certainly enjoy.
Reds’ assistant coaches Jonathan Fisher and Zane Hilton have helped bring Kiss’ vision to life with great lineout work, ruck efficiency, and support-play.
Moreso than any Aussie side, the Reds are truly emblematic of what a team is.
Kiss has imbued the young squad with the confidence they were so clearly lacking in recent years, and has punctuated it by creating a culture of accountability to mitigate the youthful flair of the group.
Being an experienced head coach at premier level has made the world of difference for Kiss, he has trusted his gameplan and found ways to keep working on the strengths of the team while addressing its weaknesses.
High ruck speed is at the core of the Reds’ gameplan and playstyle, without it they are sitting ducks, but rather than plan for the worst, Kiss has encouraged his side to make it such a strength that no side can rob them of it.
The Reds don’t have the biggest pack, but the coaching group has made them one of the most efficient in the comp.
Hilton and Fisher have both worked hard to ensure the breakdown is secured on attack, while the former focused on contacts, the latter has focused on pod structure and the manoeuvrability of the side.
While the assistants did their part, Kiss showed his skill and maturity even before the season began by recruiting All Blacks duo Jeffery Toomaga-Allen and Wallaby-eligible Alex Hodgman.
Simply put, without this experienced duo and Fiji international Peni Ravai, the Reds would not have done as well in 2024.
A stable scrum gave their game a great foundation and gave them another way they could apply/keep the pressure on their opposition.
The recruitment of players and assistants were masterstrokes by Kiss and shows his value as a man manager as well as a tactician.
However, one thing which has detracted from the Reds’ season has been their volatility.
The young roster means they lack the discipline of experience, and this has led to some poor results, most notably against Moana Pasifika, Force, and Fijian Drua.
It has also meant they have lost tight games against the Brumbies, Hurricanes and the Blues where more experienced game managers would have been material to results.
In 2024, regardless of how the finals go, the Reds are a much-improved side in both substance and from a fan perspective, they have truly exceeded expectations in what was tagged to be a “re-build” year.
In 2025 the continued cohesion of the group as well as new opportunities to plug the gaps in their roster should see the Reds be a more complete outfit, one that will challenge for the top of the table should all things continue its current trajectory.
GRADE: B+
Melbourne Rebels, 5 wins, 9 losses, PD -147, finished 8th
For all the off-field noise, for all the financial turmoil and for what it has meant for the players and their families, this Rebels team has overcome it all and become the first Rebels side to make a finals series.
It would be enough to stop writing now, because what they have achieved so far cements them as the greatest Rebels side ever.
Finishing eighth is a fair reflection of how their season has gone, because their numbers are not flattering, however, they have had the quality and mustard to hang tough where previous Rebels sides have fallen away.
First, the work of General Manager Nick Stiles cannot be understated.
His recruitment work to get Taniela Tupou, Filipo Daugunu, and Lukhan Salakai-Loto to the embattled franchise has made a world of difference.
Also, his ability to man manage the entire team alongside head coach Kevin Foote has been tremendously impressive.
The players he recruited brought with them much needed experience as well as x-factor and as a result the Rebels have truly begun playing as a team.
Foote has never shied away from the power of his players, with ball-in-hand the Rebels have been a handful for any opposition.
(Photo by Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
Their carries often made it well over the gainline and with this dominance came penalties which in turn gave them great field position.
The dominance in collisions also meant their defence once set, could deal with most sides.
However, their lack of adaptation on transition defence has been a recurring issue.
Their inability to contain counterattacks and attack from turnover ball is telling in their significant points differential.
Scoring points as quickly as you concede them may look good from an entertainment perspective but from a competitive standpoint it’s kryptonite.
It’s the sort of double-edged sword the power game brings, an unbridled force with seemingly few tools at hand to deal with the ruthless finishing ability of the top sides in transition periods.
Although the side was often going forward due to their bulk, Wallaby flyhalf Carter Gordon was unable to truly capitalise on this.
The young playmaker, who is currently considering a switch to rugby league, wore the scars of the Wallabies World Cup on his sleeve.
A seemingly less confident and gun-shy Gordon struggled with kicks in general play and off the tee.
These struggles hampered his side’s ability to play rugby in the right parts of the field, despite being dominant in contact.
The overall depth of the squad however was much improved, from the young locks who held their own in the absence of injured LSL and the backrow always made their presence felt, regardless of who was in it.
In 2024 this Rebels team became the best Rebels team in history, and this weekend they head into a quarter final against table topping Kiwi side the Hurricanes in Wellington.
They’ve already broken the mould, why stop now?
An all-out offensive in traditional Rebels fashion may just make for some more storylines yet.
GRADE: B-