Who’s hot and who’s not: Those Crusaders, Ronan O’Gara’s apology and a baffling decision

Colin Newboult
Who's hot and who's not

It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.

THEY’RE ON FIRE!

Crusaders go seven in a row: The Scott Robertson dynasty is over, but not before the head coach had guided his troops to yet another Super Rugby title. They have found their form over recent weeks, as evidenced by their 52-15 demolition of the Blues in the semi-finals, and they proved too strong for the Chiefs in the showpiece event. The hosts put in an excellent display, but the Crusaders were just that little bit better on the day. Under Robertson, they have claimed pretty much every big honour, with the 2021 Super Rugby Trans-Tasman trophy the only one which slipped from their grasp. He now goes on to become boss of the All Blacks following the conclusion of the 2023 World Cup.

Ronan O’Gara’s apology: After criticising him last week for his classless comments following La Rochelle’s Top 14 final, it is worth giving credit where it’s due after the former Ireland international star apologised for those words. He offered no excuses, stating that it wasn’t in the ‘heat of the moment’ and that he should have been much more gracious in defeat. In an era where saying sorry seems so difficult for so many people, especially those in powerful positions, it is great to see coach O’Gara taking responsibility for his actions and we applaud him for it.

Wallabies co-captains: Congratulations to Michael Hooper and James Slipper on being named co-captains of Australia for the upcoming Rugby Championship and Rugby World Cup campaigns. The pair were unveiled as part of a 34-man squad announced by head coach Eddie Jones on Sunday. It’s great to see Hooper happy to be back in the leadership fold after his brave decision to step away from the squad last year. Congratulations must also go to the eight uncapped players included in the group, with Rebels fly-half Carter Gordon one to watch.

Antoine Dupont in the Olympics: While he will be missed by the XV-a-side game, both at club and international level, seeing the best player in the sport play Sevens at the Olympics is a great way of growing the game. All eyes around the globe will be on the biggest event in sport and seeing Dupont strutting his stuff in Paris will be great for rugby union. Of course, Sevens is a very different game from XVs and there’s no guarantee that he will be a success, but if one player can transition well, it will be the France scrum-half. He’s sure to be a hit.

Derick Hougaard on the road to recovery: It has been a worrying couple of weeks for his family, with the former Bulls, Springboks and Saracens fly-half in a coma after being diagnosed with respiratory pneumonia. Hougaard was only given a 50 per cent chance of waking up, but thankfully he is now responding to medical staff. There is still a long way to go for the 40-year-old former playmaker but he appears to be on the right track, which is a massive relief for his relatives and everyone connected with South African rugby. Get well soon, Derick!

COLD AS ICE!

Anton Lienert-Brown decision: How this wasn’t upgraded to a red card had us scratching our heads as the Chiefs centre was lucky to return to the action in the Super Rugby Pacific final after his early yellow. The head-on-head clash with Crusaders wing Dallas McLeod saw referee Ben O’Keeffe send him to the sin-bin while passing the matter to the review team. However, we felt it didn’t need the latter and were subsequently astonished to hear the message come down to the pitch that there was a dip into contact which was mitigation to save Lienert-Brown from the full punishment. Furthermore, why was McLeod allowed to continue playing for minutes after before going for his HIA?

More misfortune for Izack Rodda: Sadly the Wallabies lock will miss the Rugby World Cup later this year through injury. Rodda has reaggravated the foot issue which has plagued him for the past 18 months. Fit and at his best, the 26-year-old has the potential to be one of the best second-rows in the world. Australia do not lack for quality locks but Rodda would have certainly been a big asset for head coach Eddie Jones as he plans his assault on the Webb Ellis Cup. Hopefully these injury issues relent and he can be playing Test rugby in 2024.

Marcos Kremer pays price for stupidity: The Argentinian back five forward will miss the whole of the Rugby Championship after being handed a red card while playing for Stade Francais. Kremer received his marching orders for a needless clearout on Racing 92’s Finn Russell, which saw him strike the head of the Scotland fly-half. He has duly been given a five-game suspension and his absence will be keenly felt with Los Pumas. Fortunately for Kremer and Argentina, he’ll still be available for the World Cup later this year, but their preparation has been hit.

Ireland’s World Cup shirt: This hasn’t gone down well on social media, both the look of the new jersey and its rather strange release. Northern Ireland designer JW Anderson – son of former Ireland captain Willie Anderson – donned the new jersey at Milan Fashion Week before Irish Rugby shared the picture saying here is a “sneak peak” of the shirt. But the jersey hasn’t won many admirers at all due to its faded colour while the style of unveiling has also been criticised. While it’s going well on the field, it seems off the field needs some work.

World Cup blow for Emmanuel Meafou: While few expected France to get their wish in terms of being granted permission to select the Australian for their home tournament, there was always still that glimmer of hope for both player and team. That has now been extinguished as World Rugby denied Les Bleus the green light to pick the hulking second-row. The player must be bitterly disappointed to miss the Rugby World Cup but no doubt he will make an impact on the international stage when he becomes eligible in time for the Six Nations next year.

READ MORE: Two Cents Rugby’s five takeaways from the Super Rugby Pacific Final from an All Blacks perspective