If South Africa can be characterized as the Bulls (strong setpiece, brutal physicality, hoof the ball into orbit) and NZ as the Crusaders (brilliant in pretty much every facet of the game), then Australia are undoubtedly the Queensland Reds (brittle upfront, majestic backs).

After 10 weeks, the Reds stood proudly on top of the Super XV with a 8-1 record. However, there was a huge caveat – they had played no Kiwi teams. In the last 7 games of the season, the Reds had 4 games against NZ teams – the Hurricanes, Blues, Crusaders & Chiefs. The Blues and Crusaders are among the favourites for the overall title, but the other 2 are also-rans.

Last week (Week 11), they lost 28-26 to the Hurricanes after a horrible first half, and a botched end-game. They are still odds-on to win the Aussie conference, but arguably more important is banking some results and performances against NZ outfits.

This could be a very important portent of things to come, for both the Reds and the Wallabies, and the Reds progress is worth keeping an eye on.