Featured League Update: The What-A-Lad Fellas
Undefeated Streaks, Wooden Spoon Woes, and the Mills Sanerivi Masterclass
Round 5 in the What-a-Lad League mirrored the chaos of Super Rugby Pacific itself. While some managers capitalized on the high-scoring Fijian Drua and Blues fixtures, others were left counting the cost of late scratches and disciplinary meltdowns.
At the top, the hierarchy is beginning to solidify, but in the middle of the pack, the fight for playoff relevance is getting spicy.
To see how the Super Rugby experts play the game (James & Tom Marshall, Tom, Johnny McNicholl, just to name a few), navigate to the leagues menu and select the “What A Lad” League, or click HERE.
Round 5 Matchup Reviews
jakeabernethy14’s Team vs. onit26’s Team
Result: 454 - 411
The league leader stays perfect! Jakeabernethy14 continues his march toward the minor premiership with a clinical 5-0 start. The victory was fueled by an absolute monster performance from Timoci Tavatavanawai (84), who is making a strong case for league MVP. Support from Andy Muirhead (61) ensured that even with a zero from Peter Lakai, the win was never really in doubt.
For onit26, it was a case of “what if.” Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa (71) was massive, but even fielding a full 15, he couldn’t mount a strong enough challenge. He remains stuck at the wrong end of the table with just one win.
What a Lad vs. jmacsmen’s
Result: 570 - 510
In the highest-scoring matchup of the week, the league’s namesake, What a Lad (James Marshall) moved to 4-1. It was a week for the Crusaders’ big guns, with Will Jordan (76) leading the charge. Even with Fainga’anuku coming off the bench, the squad depth was too much to handle.
Jmacsmen’s will feel hard done by. Putting up 510 points would usually secure a win, especially with Sam Darry (85) and Cam Roigard (73) firing. Unfortunately, he just couldn’t score big enough from 1-15 to bag a win in this heavyweight clash.
Tojos Troops vs. Searleytalkssport’s Team
Result: 441 - 306
Tojos Troops moves into 3rd place after a comfortable victory over a struggling searleytalkssport. Dalton Papali’i (62) and Carter Gordon (66) were the standout performers, helping overcome a front row that was missing two starters.
Searleytalkssport continues to search for its first win of the season. At 0-5, the “Wooden Spoon” is looking like a permanent fixture. Despite a solid 48 from Du’Plessis Kirifi, the team was riddled with “zeros” across the board (Scott Barrett, Archie Saunders, and Johnny McNicholl all missing).
qmix02’s Team vs. Rams Nation
Result: 443 - 376
Qmix02 clawed back into the mid-table conversation with a gritty win. Ilaisa Droasese (63) and Marcel Renata (53) provided the spark, but the real story was the bench. Leaving Mills Sanerivi’s 98 points on the pine is enough to give any manager nightmares, luckily, it didn’t cost him the W!
Rams Nation struggled with availability. With the absence of Simon Parker, and Mac Grealy proving that fielding a full 15 is a must. Even a determined Rob Valetini (58) couldn’t stem the tide. They slip to 2-3 on the season.
Round 5 Fantasy Facts
Round MVP: Mills Sanerivi (98 points) – Stuck on qmix02’s bench!
The “Workhorse” Award: Timoci Tavatavanawai (84 points) for jakeabernethy14.
Super Sub: Rivez Reihana (64 points) (JmacsMen’s).
The Bench Nightmare: qmix02 leaving 98 points from Mills Sanerivi and 26 from Ryan Lonergan on the bench.
The Table:
Written by Harrison Dale