The first Suaalii v Lomax Super Rugby clash was a fizzer. There's reason to believe it'll be a whole lot better in round two

When the Waratahs hosted the Western Force in Sydney at the beginning of the month, anticipation was high pre-kick-off. A fine night in Sydney, Lomax v Suaalii back at the SFS but in rugby not NRL, finals hopes essentially on the line for both. 'All to play for' as they say.

There was a similar vibe in our Stan Sport production meeting where my co-callers were buzzing with expectation, excited at what was to come under Friday night lights. Then kick-off actually came and the dream of a fast-paced, attacking game degenerated into one of the all-time Super slogs.

The stats made for eye-popping reading. The Waratahs failed to carry the ball into the Western Force's 22 for 40 minutes straight, a feat quite impressive in just how inefficient it was. Conversely, the Force managed 16 visits but scored an average of just 0.9pts when they got there. The Waratahs had one line break all game, ONE!

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The reviews read:

"A relative bore fest" - Brittany Mitchell, espn.com.au

"A torrid affair" - Nathan Williamson, rugby.com.au

"The game never rose to moderate heights, let alone great ones" - Sam Worthington, WWOS.com.au

"It was a bit of a tough watch, that one." - Simon Cron, Western Force coach

Thankfully, matches like the above have become a rarity in recent times and unsurprisingly they are extremely tricky to commentate. As broadcasters we are always looking to amplify and promote rugby, it's a game we genuinely love and have spent our lifetimes in. Done right, there's nothing better.

Unfortunately, the polar opposite does exist and getting the balance right between 'revving up' and the reality of what's unfolding is a challenge. Furthermore, rugby people are smart people, they don't want to be told they're being served 9+ wagyu rib-eye when they know it's chuck steak at best.

Fortunately, that SFS slugfest was a glitch in the system and we can now look ahead to the final regular season game of 2026 with plenty of excitement.

With hopes of a finals spot extinguished for both teams, they now have an opportunity to deliver a points-scoring shootout and they've proven they're more than capable of it.

Watch the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season with every match streaming live and on demand on the home of rugby, Stan Sport

The Waratahs ran in 50 against Fiji a couple of weeks back and looked like world beaters in the process. They've also piled points on in Canberra, beating the Brumbies, and were unlucky up in Brisbane earlier in the year. They're looking to win a final regular season game for the first time since 2020.

Ben Donaldson returns for the Force, the same team who whipped the Reds at Suncorp and thundered over the top of the Crusaders in front of a delirious crowd at HBF Park last month. A Force 'W' would make it seven wins this year, their best since 2014.

You throw in excitement machines Jorgenson, Pietsch, Grealy and Suaalii and things are definitely looking more like rib-eye than chuck in Perth for our regular season closer.

BRUMBIES BIG NAME BACK

It's a huge Super Saturday in the final round with the Brumbies kicking off in the much-loved 2.30pm timeslot against Moana Pasifika.

Sadly, it appears this may be Moana's final game in Super Rugby but they certainly made a significant mark over a short period.

There were some big upsets along the way. Christian Lealiifano racing away against the Waratahs in Sydney a few years back was massive, as was their walloping of the Crusaders in Christchurch last year. Their win versus the Blues in North Harbour is arguably the biggest though, with Ardie Savea going superhuman mode in front of a wild crowd to grab an improbable victory. They'll be missed but here's hoping there's space among the other franchises to keep their stars in Super.

Charlie Cale returns for the Brumbies after a long injury lay-off and his comeback could prove significant as the ACT looks to advance to the semi-finals for a fifth straight year.

REDS ROLLING HEAVY

QLD coach Les Kiss has selected a strong line-up to close out their last home game of 2026 against the Drua.

The big names are all there including Lukhan Salakaia-Loto who comes back into the match-day squad after the recent arrival of a newborn.

Fast-footed teenager Treyvon Pritchard gets his first start at fullback and could blow the game open with his devastating change of pace and evasiveness. Kiss has done a terrific job of drip-feeding game time to the 19-year-old in his rookie year and he's delivered time and again for the QLD boss. His finishing ability is extraordinary and with extra room at the back, he could be in for a big night in Brisbane.

KNOW THE NUMBERS THAT MATTER

Brett McKay, Rugby Desperado, ABC broadcaster and creator of 89rugby.substack.com has done all the hard work for you on the final round permutations with the finals make-up in mind. Easy to read and everything you need to know.

HUR 55pts 11wins 60max CRU(a) - locked into 1st

CHI 46pts 10wins 51max BLU(h) - locked into 2nd

BLU 38pts 8wins 43max CHI(a) - will lock in 3rd with win - can drop to 5th with no-BP loss

CRU 36pts 7wins 41max HUR - can get to 3rd with win > HUR + BLU loss - can drop to 6th with no-BP loss + BRU win & RED BP win

BRU 33pts 7wins 38max MOA(h) - can get to 3rd with 39+ BP win + BLU (no-BP) & CRU losses - can drop to 6th with loss & RED win

RED 32pts 7wins 37max DRU - can get to 4th with BP win + CRU no-BP loss & BRU loss - no lower than 6th