Henry Speight, who was deemed “not good enough” for the Chiefs, is proving all wrong

Brumbies excitement machine Henry Speight didn’t just leave the Chiefs lamenting a qualifying finals loss.

He left their coach Dave Rennie ruing the one “that got away” after his side’s dream of a Super Rugby three-peat came to a crashing end at Canberra Stadium.

And the Chiefs only have themselves to blame.

That’s because Speight not only played for Hamilton Boys High School, but went on to represent the Waikato provincial team – the Chiefs’ feeder club.

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But the previous Chiefs coaching staff “didn’t rate” Speight very highly back in 2010-11, according to Rennie, and the Brumbies pounced.

“He got away before I got there, unfortunately,” Rennie said after the 32-30 loss.

“We spoke to him when I first got up to Hamilton about trying to get him back. We were pretty keen.”

“But it’s tough to see him move now.”

Tough indeed. Speight is a loyal character, re-signing with the Brumbies for another two years in May, while he’ll finally be eligible to play for the Wallabies from September 11.

And Rennie has no doubts he’s ready for Test level.

“Oh hell yeah. He’s been ready for a while,” Rennie said.

“You give him the ball, even with two guys in front of him he’s either going to get yardage or skin people.”

“He really troubled us.”

The only blight on Speight’s performance was a 48th minute yellow card for not rolling away from a ruck when the Chiefs were hot on attack.

Despite the Chiefs scoring two of their four tries in his absence, it didn’t draw the ire of Brumbies director of rugby Laurie Fisher.

Fisher was full of praise for Speight post match, admitting his side has probably been guilty of not creating enough space for him in previous matches.

“He just seems absolutely motivated at the moment. He makes things out of nothing,” Fisher said.

With the Sharks beating the Highlanders overnight, that sets up a scintillating showdown between Speight and the Waratahs’ most dangerous weapon Israel Folau at Allianz Stadium next Saturday.

“To play your best two games going into a knockout semi-final is exactly where we want to be,” said Brumbies skipper Ben Mowen.

Joe Roff, himself a try scoring machine for the Brumbies during their best ever period, is of the opinion that Speight can match Israel Folau in the danger stakes.

Code-hopper Israel Folau might be the pin-up boy of the Australian Rugby Union and the Waratahs’ star fullback, but Brumbies legend Joe Roff believes Fijian flyer Henry Speight is such a damaging gamebreaker Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie would be counting down the days to 11 September – the day Speight becomes eligible to play for his adopted country.

The two shape as potential match winners when the Brumbies and Waratahs go head-to-head in a blockbuster Super Rugby semi-final at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday night. Folau has been hailed as the saviour of Australian rugby, with forecasts of doom and gloom if he defects back to rugby league at the end of his contract.

He’s the leading tryscorer in the competition with 12 and has made the Wallabies fullback position his own in just his second season.

But Roff felt Speight was just as dangerous.

The Bro with the Fro was Australia’s leading tryscorer in Super Rugby in 2012-13, but has an injury-interrupted season has restricted him to just two tries this year.

But he was brilliant in the Brumbies’ nailbiting 32-30 qualifying final victory over the Waikato Chiefs on Saturday. The 26-year-old played like a man possessed with his older brother Sam sitting in the stands – it was the first time any of Speight’s siblings had seen him play a Super Rugby game and it brought out one of the performances of his career.

Every time he got the ball it would take two or three Chiefs to bring him down, as he charged his way to 186 metres in the knockout final.

Roff said he was just as damaging as Folau.

“I’ve got no doubt Ewen McKenzie’s waiting and rubbing his hands together for Henry to become eligible,” he said.

“That can’t come quick enough given his current form.”

“With players like that, you can sense the crowd get out of their chair when people like that touch the ball and I really enjoy watching his form at the moment.”

Speight’s performance left everyone with no doubt he will be a damaging player at international level as well.

“His ferocity with ball in hand, he just doesn’t want to be tackled and it’s outstanding,” Fisher said.

“What Henry’s been able to deliver recently is absolutely world class and there’s no reason why he wouldn’t be producing something similar next weekend.”

Fisher said Folau would have an impact on the semi at some point – it was about the Brumbies being prepared to try to minimise the damage.

Roff agreed and said there were world-class players right across the park.

The Brumbies had 14 Wallabies in the 23 that beat the Chiefs, while the Tahs had 13 internationals in their last outing. Roff said there were mouth-watering match-ups everywhere – Matt Toomua v Bernard Foley, Nic White v Nick Phipps, Christian Lealiifano v Kurtley Beale.

He felt it didn’t just point to an enthralling contest, but boded well for the Wallabies’ future as well.

“There are just some really outstanding players and you can’t sit through a game like this on the weekend and not think that Australian rugby has some significant justification to feel optimistic about the Rugby Championship and the team going forward given the form of the Super Rugby sides this year,” Roff said.