With both sides recording first up wins, this Saturday’s clash will hopefully be one to savour. Dubbed the Festival of Hate by one Green and Gold Rugby member, there’s sure to be little love lost when the two sides renew their fierce rivalry for 2014.
It’s hard to judge the form of the two teams coming into the match. The Waratahs cantered to victory against the Force and would be happy with the six tries they scored. Dropped ball and ill-discipline however were far too frequent and they’ll be hoping for a marked improvement this week. The Reds on the other hand had a much tougher outing in Canberra and were pushed all the way until a late try sealed the game for the men from north of the Tweed.
The Waratahs haven’t beaten the Reds since round 2, 2011 and they will be keen to reverse Queensland’s recent dominance. In that match, Lachie Turner scored a try for the Tahs. This time he’ll be looking to do the same for his new team, the Reds and break a few NSW hearts in the process.
With a ridiculous 31 Wallabies between the two sides, this game boasts more Wallabies than a test match and players will be looking to give Wallabies coach, Ewen McKenzie an early season message that they’re the man for the job come test season.
With that, let’s look at some of the key matchups.
The Backrow
As always, the battle between the two backrows will have a huge impact on who comes away with the chocolates. The Reds backrow of Ed Quirk, Liam Gill and Jake Schatz have been playing together for a while now and are experienced beyond their years.
Stephen Hoiles will be looking to show Quirk that the old stager can still keep up with the young buck despite being a full 10 years older. Given a Super Rugby lifeline after Mitch Chapman ruptured his Achilles, Hoiles will be playing like his life depends on it. Michael Hooper was fairly quiet last week and Liam Gill will be hoping that remains the case tomorrow night.
With Glen Jackson in charge, the players will know that they may have a little bit more leeway at the breakdown and Gill will be looking to push that to extremes. Given the captaincy after Dave Dennis failed to be passed fit, Hooper will be keen to lead from the front in his first Super Rugby game as Waratahs captain. After his best Super Rugby game in recent memory last week, Cliffy Palu will be looking to continue where he left off and show Jake Schatz how to combine a rampaging running game with strong tackling and efficient breakdown work. Schatz is sure to have his work cut out for him.
The Halfbacks
Whilst the man outside them tends to get plenty of the accolades, it’s the halfbacks who have a huge say in how their team plays and how effectively the backline can attack the opposition from quick ruck ball.
Will Genia has been the benchmark for Australian halfbacks in recent years and everyone else has been trying to catch up. After dropping to third choice for the Wallabies in 2013,
Phipps will be keen to use his new Sydney home as a springboard back into Wallaby sides. Strong preseason form means little now and Genia provides a huge challenge for Phipps.
Genia is a constant threat around the breakdown and with Folau at the back for the Tahs, Genia might be looking to put away his kicking game and take on the Tahs with his running game. Phipps will have to be ever alert to shut that down.
The back three
Both sides have pace to burn in the back three and neither side will be keen to give their opposition any space. Aidan Toua showed off a working pair of hamstrings last week and made it painfully obvious to the Brumbies that he knows how to finish off a break.
His opposite number, Israel Folau added a new string to his bow last week as a support player. Being in the right place at the right time netted Folau a hat-trick and showed that he is always a threat, even without ball in hand. Lachie Turner put two years of injury hell behind him with an impressive debut for the Reds. Scoring a try and outmuscling Jesse Mogg to stop another, Turner was back to his vintage best. The former fastest man in Australian football will be looking to show that he still has that pace and make Peter Betham’s life difficult in both attack and defence.
Early season sensation, Alofa Alofa has a tough job against Dom Shipperley. Waratahs fans remember all too well when Shipperley broke their hearts in 2012 with a scintillating try on the buzzer to win the match.
The verdict
It’s hard to split these sides. The Reds have been contenders since winning Super Rugby in 2011 and the Waratahs are on the way up. As with most Aussie local derbies, this game promises to be a bruising encounter in the forwards with barely an inch given.
Look for plenty of aggression at the breakdown led by new Tahs recruit Jacques Potgieter and Reds captain James Horwill. Both backlines are capable of scoring from anywhere and will have to make the most of any opportunities that come their way.
This match is one not to be missed for Australian rugby fans and anyone who can should make their way to Olympic Park at Homebush to support their team. This match deserves a big crowd and hopefully last week’s six try romp will get some of the lazier Tahs fans off the couch and out to the game.
This writer has no idea who’s going to win but one thing is for certain. It’s great that Super Rugby is back
[one_half last=”no”]
Waratahs
1. Benn Robinson
2. Tatafu Polota-Nau
3. Paddy Ryan
4. Jacques Potgieter
5. Kane Douglas
6. Stephen Hoiles
7. Michael Hooper (c)
8. Wycliff Palu
9. Nick Phipps
10. Bernard Foley
11. Peter Betham
12. Kurtley Beale
13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
14. Alofa Alofa
15. Israel Folau
Replacements
16. Tolu Latu
17. Jeremy Tilse
18. Sekope Kepu
19. Will Skelton
20. Pat McCutcheon
21. Brendan McKibbin
22. Rob Horne
23. Matt Carraro
[/one_half]
[one_half last=”yes”]
Reds
1. James Slipper
2. Saia Fainga’a
3. Greg Holmes
4. Rob Simmons
5. James Horwill (c)
6. Eddie Quirk
7. Liam Gill
8. Jake Schatz
9. Will Genia
10. Quade Cooper
11. Dom Shipperley
12. Anthony Fainga’a
13. Ben Tapuai
14. Lachie Turner
15. Aidan Toua
Replacements
16. James Hanson
17. Ben Daley
18. Jono Owen
19. Ed O’Donoghue
20. Beau Robinson
21. Nick Frisby
22. Ben Lucas
23. Chris Feauai-Sautia
[/one_half]
Date: 1 March, 2014
Location: ANZ Stadium (Sydney)
Kick off: 7:40pm (AEDT)
Referee: Glen Jackson
AR1: James Leckie
AR2: Will Houston
TMO: Peter Marshall
