It’s a noteworthy year for Super Rugby. The anticipation around this season is the keenest I’ve felt in a decade and this seems to be mirrored in other punters.
A lot of this stems from the unfortunate folding of the Melbourne Rebels. Justin Marshall recently poked his head out of rugby hibernation to espouse his hope and belief that the Australian sides will perform better as a collective now we’re back to four teams.
We’ve heard this from experts on either side of the ditch for years but the recent overseas departures of Langi Gleason and Tom Hooper likely show the real lay of the land, in that until we figure out a way to grow the pot here, our financials will prevent us from maintaining deep enough squads for any improvement to be more than a sugar hit.
I’ve said elsewhere that the closing of the gap between Australian and New Zealand talent at age group level will eventually translate to Super Rugby. This will never eventuate however if we can’t keep these players in the competition into their late 20s.
Whether we should be trying to fight the tide in that regard is a whole other question, one which has launched a thousand online rugby ships, but continuing that discussion is not the intent behind this series.
Regardless of whether it is a sugar hit or not, there is greater depth in three out of the four Australian teams in 2025 and certain players will need to step up to the mark this year or see their position devalued when roster planning happens and numbers are crunched.
So who are these players at each franchise? Let’s start with the Queensland Reds.
Zane Nonggorr
It might be odd to begin with a Wallaby that featured on the recent Spring Tour but Nonggorr’s position as the next first choice tighthead at the Reds is under threat from the equally large Massimo De Lutiis.
Nonggorr ticks most of the boxes but is yet to show the sort of form at scrum time that makes you think he’s going to have the set piece to win his team competition flags. De Lutiis impressed in his first serious test against a quality England A pack late last year so the pressure is on Nonggorr to keep the younger man at bay. Dominant scrums in 2025 rather than simply winning his own feed will go a long way to doing that.
Zane Nonggorr (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
Ryan Smith/Angus Blyth
The pressure these two are under may be a fleeting thing if Lukhan Salakaia-Loto isn’t inclined to stick around once his original Melbourne Rebels contract expires, but who the Reds select in the second row for crunch games this year will be informative as to the lock pecking order.
Salakaia-Loto and his former Rebels teammate Josh Canham should solve a problem for the Reds as they both provide good punch and gain line success in the middle of the park. The back five of the forwards struggled to make inroads at times there last year, which built pressure on the three quarter line to create spark without front foot ball.
This is a highly undesirable situation for a team that likes to play with as much width as the Reds.
A deep backrow might encourage the coaches to select a versatile Seru Uru as lock cover on the bench, so game time could be at a premium for the locking quartet with performances counting more than usual towards continued selection or roster presence.
Isaac Henry
Few players have had as frustrating a run with injuries as Henry. Sporadic starts over the last few years have offered glimpses of Wallaby potential, so many are hoping the injury woes are finally behind him.
His desperate need for minutes should see him spend much of the first half of the season playing Hospital Cup but will no doubt be first cab off the rank if injury strikes either Hunter Paisami or Josh Flook.
The pressure on Henry comes in the form of young guns Dre Pakeho and Frankie Goldsbrough. There’s a throwback to the Horan/Little days with this Churchie centre pairing now linking up together at the Reds, so if they continue to improve at the rate they have to date, salary pressure might force the Reds to make a call on one of the older centre trio.
