The Waratahs put in a dominant performance over the lackluster Reds, winning 32-5 and setting a new record for the largest professional era victory over their Northern rivals.
The Match
Much like last week, the Waratahs wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard, with a try to Israel Folau after just two and a half minutes. The try was set up by a lovely flat pass from Bernard Foley which put Kurtley Beale through a hole, with Beale producing a nice offload to that man Folau. A simple conversion was missed, though, showing a possible Achilles heel for the New South Welshmen this season.
The game ebbed and flowed for the next twenty minutes, with both sides having chances but the Tahs the bulk of possession. The Reds struggled to find a rhythm, with dropped passes and aimless kicking hurting them frequently. Things were looking better for the Waratahs, but ruck security was an issue with brilliant work on the ground from Liam Gill and Ed Quirk resulting in multiple turnovers.
The home side was the next to score, though, thanks to a brilliant team try that went almost 70m and was finished by Folau. It began with Alofa Alofa and went through approximately ten sets of hands, with Tatafu Polota-Nau making a crucial bust and offload in midfield to set it up. The last pass was thrown by Jaques Potgeiter and it was 12-0 Tahs. The men in blue were well and truly on top at this point, and rammed it home further with a try to Peter Betham after a Beale inside ball exposed some lazy defence from the Reds around the fringes. 19-0 Tahs and trouble was brewing for the Reds.
On the stroke of half time they received a piece of luck with Folau receiving a dubious yellow card after deliberately knocking the ball into touch from an Aiden Toua grubber (my view- sloppy not cynical. Penalty only, but the YC call wasn’t a shocker). This was to immediately prove costly for the Waratahs, with Lachie Turner scoring out wide just a minute later after a good rolling maul and simple hands through the backline. The teams went to the sheds at 19-5, but the momentum was firmly with the Reds.
That momentum was quickly halted, though, as the Waratahs had the best of the opening minutes of the second half despite being a man down. Their superior scrum won a couple of valuable penalties, the highlight being a seven-man shove on a Reds feed that saw them win possession. This possession was rewarded with a try to Beale, who took a smart quick tap and barged over from close range, taking the Tahs out to a commanding 26-5 lead.
With Folau back on the field the Reds’ chances looked all but gone, and when a foray deep into Tahs territory was ended with a smart Benn Robinson steal it was curtains. Their big boys lacked punch, and Genia and Cooper couldn’t create chances with no forward momentum. The Tahs had an attempted try disallowed, but converted a penalty to take the lead out to 24 with just 20 minutes to play.
The remaining minutes were more of the same, with the Reds efforts being pretty easily repelled by the Waratahs defense. Genia was off his game and subbed in the 61st minute, while Folau was also subbed soonafter, but for very different reasons. The early breakdown dominance held by the Reds was long gone, with Hoiles and Hooper now the dominant pair. The game lost structure as time elapsed, making for a messy finish, but the Tahs didn’t care.
For the home side it was another complete effort, with every component of the game functioning well, with one exception- the lineout. Dave Dennis was sorely missed here. But elsewhere it was all coming up roses. Cliff Palu and Kane Douglas kept up their good form, while Stephen Hoiles made the most of his return to the starting line-up. Nick Phipps had a great game, as did Kurtley Beale. The scrum was also noteworthy, easily besting the Reds unit.
The Reds had few standouts. Liam Gill was his usual self, causing havoc at every ruck and playing Glen Jackson perfectly. Rob Simmons was good at the lineout, but was culpable for the Reds struggles around the park with a largely anonymous effort. Cooper battled hard but couldn’t make it happen, and Tapuai and Toua had nice moments but didn’t see enough ball to make an impact.
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The Game Changer
The Tahs brilliant second try, which went through 10 sets of hands and set the crowd alight. Broke open a game that had ebbed and flowed to that point, and the Tahs never looked troubled after that.
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The G&GR MOTM
Plenty of contenders, but I am picking Nick Phipps. His fast, accurate service had the Tahs on the front foot all night, and he marshalled the forward runners well. Gets the nod ahead of Kurtley Beale and Stephen Hoiles.
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Wallaby watch
The Reds established stars were very quiet, with the exception of Liam Gill. Plenty of Wallaby potential from the locals, though, with the return to form of Kurtley Beale a definite highlight.
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The Details
Crowd: TBA
Score & Scorers
[one_half last=”no”]Waratahs 32
Tries: Folau 2, Betham, Beale.
Conversions: Foley 3
Penalties: Foley 2
[one_half last=”yes”]Reds 5
Tries: Turner
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Cards & citings
Folau YC (deliberately passing the ball into touch)
