Can he put his injury problems behind him as he chases the next Nonggorr?

This is a remarkable year for Super Rugby. The anticipation for this season is the most I’ve felt in 10 years, and I think that’s reflected in the other players as well.

A lot of this stems from the unfortunate folding of the Melbourne Rebels. Justin Marshall recently emerged from rugby hibernation to espouse hope and belief that the Australian team will perform better as a group. Now we’re back to four teams.

We’ve been hearing this for years from experts on both sides of the ditch, but Langi Gleason and Tom Hooper’s recent departure overseas seems likely to show the true state of the land until we find a way to grow pot here. Due to financial issues we will not be able to maintain a good enough squad to see any improvement beyond the sugar hit.

I’ve said elsewhere that if the gap between Australian and New Zealand talent at age level narrows, it will eventually translate to Super Rugby. But if we can’t get these athletes competing until their late 20s, this will never end.

At that point, whether we should try to fight the tide is a completely different question. It is an issue that has launched thousands of online rugby ships, but it is not the intention of this series to continue that discussion.

Whether it’s a sugar hit or not, three of the four Australian teams in 2025 have greater depth and certain players will need to reach targets this year or have their positions undervalued when roster plans are made and numbers are determined. You need to check that. Crunchy.

So who are the players for each franchise? Let’s start with the Queensland Reds.

Jane Nongor

It may be strange to start with a Wallaby who recently appeared on the Spring Tour, but Nonggorr’s position as the Reds’ next No. 1 tighthead is under threat from the equally big Massimo De Lutiis.

Nonggorr ticks most of the boxes, but has yet to show the kind of form that would make you think he’ll have the set-pieces that will earn the team the competition flag at scrum time. De Lutiis impressed in his first serious test against a quality England A pack late last year, so Nonggorr is under pressure to keep the younger man at bay. Dominating Scrum in 2025, rather than simply acquiring your own feed, will go a long way toward achieving this.

Zane Nonggorr (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Ryan Smith/Angus Blythe

With Lukhan Salakaia-Loto not intending to stick around after the expiry of his original contract at the Melbourne Rebels, the pressure on these two could be temporary, but it will inform who the Reds select for their second row in crunch games this year. no see. Lock picking sequence.

Salakaia-Loto and his former Rebels team-mate Josh Canham should solve the Reds’ problems as they both provide good punch and line success in the middle of the park. The back five of the forwards had trouble getting in there last year, which put pressure on the third quarter line to create a spark without the ball on the front foot.

This is a very undesirable situation for a team that wants to play as wide as the Reds.

A deep back row could encourage coaches to select the versatile Seru Uru as lock cover on the bench, so playing time for the lock quartet could be at a premium as more performance than usual is important for continued selection or roster presence.

Isaac Henry

Few players have had more disappointing performances due to injuries than Henry. Sporadic starts over the past few years have shown glimpses of the Wallaby’s potential, so many are hoping his injury problems will finally take him away.

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He will spend most of the first half of the season in the Hospital Cup as he desperately needs minutes, but he will no doubt be the first-choice taxi if Hunter Paisami or Josh Flook are injured.

Pressure on Henry came in the form of young guns Dre Pakeho and Frankie Goldsbrough. There is a throwback to the Horan/Little days as this pair of Churchie centers now link up with each other at the Reds. So if they continue to improve at the rate they have been, salary pressure may force the Reds to choose between: A trio of older centers.