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Miles Davis famously said “It’s not the notes you play, it’s the notes you don’t play”. I only know that he said it due to a quick google search but it is a phrase I’ve heard often throughout my life.
The flash and pomp of skilled musicians and artists can be mind blowing but it doesn’t mean playing every note available on a guitar in a face melting solo, or painting a photographically accurate image of someone makes great art. Sometimes it’s the notes you don’t play.
As I tuned in excitedly to the first two rounds of Super Rugby, this phrase kept entering my head.
I moved to Melbourne several years ago, and had been stoked to still have a Super Rugby team to support.
I attended each Super Round at Allianz Stadium, saw the Wallabies get punished at a packed MCG by the All Blacks (the All Blacks chants were deafening) and the saw Wallabies beat Wales at Allianz just last year which was the first time I had been present at a Wallabies victory, live, in nearly a decade.
Having previously lived in Sydney I had attended a variety of tough losses against New Zealand, Ireland, Argentina, New Zealand and New Zealand again… you get the picture.
When the Rebels were axed I was certainly gutted to no longer have a local team but as a die hard fan, one disappointed constantly with the ARU I felt like it was the right decision.
Throughout the Wallabies matches last year all we had was speculation on the depth and competition that would be created in the remaining four teams but now, two rounds in, I think we can say that it has created the depth we deeply need, not only for injury cover but for competition for positions within teams.
We saw the Waratahs win a match against a Kiwi team that they would have almost certainly bungled in the previous years and waiting in the wings either viewing in a suit or on the bench were the likes of Darby Lancaster, Triston Reilly, Isaac Kailea, Fergus Lee Warner, Teddy Wilson, Mahe Vailanu, Lawson Creighton and the new folk hero Siosofa Amone.
The depth at the Tahs this year is very real and whilst we knew they needed it, the competition it will create, as well as the allowance for load management (“putting the Ferrari in the garage” as Dan McKellar poignantly said) will create a significantly better team than previous years.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii of the Waratahs (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
The Western Force are now two from two with a historic win against the Brumbies in Canberra. In Round 1 they were able to bring Dylan Pietsch off the bench, a proven quantity on the international stage.
In the two rounds their bench and wider squad (injured included) featured Will Harris, Isaak Fines-Leleiwasa, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Max Burey amongst others. All players with lots to offer at Super Rugby level and all players more than capable of starting in a good team.
The Brumbies, whilst suffering a loss to the Force (pretty tough to come back from a three try deficit) showed bravery and trust in their depth in Fiji. A team that recruited the least from the loss of the Rebels, the Brumbies were able to leave Tom Wright, Len Ikitau, Nick Frost, James Slipper, Charlie Cale and Alan Alaalatoa out of the squad and bring Caydern Neville off the bench.
They were able to bring these players back into the fray a week later and start the likes of Declan Meredith, a promising prospect, with Lachlan Lonergan, Blake Schoupp, Rhys Van Nek, Jack Dereczeni and Hudson Creighton coming off the bench and David Feliuai and Rob Valetini still to feature.
Finally the Reds, only starting their run in Round 2 put on an immense display with their depth shining through.
Whilst their injury list is perhaps a concern, their wider squad outside the starting XV of Round 2 features Wallabies Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Liam Wright, Matt Gibbon and Alex Hodgman, one time All Black Jeffery Toomaga-Allen and players the calibre of Matt Faessler, Zane Nonggorr, Angus Blyth, Harry McLaughglin Phillips and Lachie Anderson off their bench.
This article isn’t to simply equate all squad members and bench players as equals, you know I’m taking Rob Valetini over Will Harris any day, but it is to say our teams are finally fielding match day 23s where there are genuine impact players to bring on in the latter stages of games, in case of injury or to preserve players with heavy loads regarding minutes.
There is competition for positions that will force players to lift their game even if they are already performing well. There are promising backrowers, playmakers and wingers galore.
Whilst many players are not secured long, or even short term (get Ikitau signed), for now, Australian rugby and Super Rugby are certainly in a better place and this time it doesn’t feel like a sugar hit. I miss the Rebels but here’s to hoping the foundations for a stronger future have been laid.
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