Monday’s rugby news Foley’s mind-set, McCaw shattered, Cheika looking ahead and TPN in doubt for the Wallabies.
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Hero Foley explains that goal
NSW five-eighth Bernard Foley has revealed what was going through his head as he approached what would be the match-winning penalty shot on Saturday night. Although the 43-metre kick was right on the brink of his range, Foley asserted that he had no hesitation. “Normally I let ‘KB’ [Kurtley Beale] take the long ones … but I had been kicking them well tonight,” Foley said. “That’s why you kick goals, to take that responsibility.”
NSW coach Michael Chieka had emphasised to the team pre-game of the need to trust their instincts as part of their attacking mentality. The Tahs also benefited from former Crusaders star Andrew Merhtens, whose coaching helped put more length on Foley’s goal-kicking. [/one_half]
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McCaw laments 50-50 penalty
Richie McCaw has admitted that he “should have known better” after conceding the penalty that allowed the Waratahs to defeat the Crusaders 32-30 in the dying seconds of the final. Referee Craig Joubert penalised the All Black great for illegally entering the ruck from the side, a call that McCaw characterised as “50-50.”
“I guess that’s what pressure and those sort of moments come down to, being able to back your D and perhaps I opened the door for the ref to make a decision,” he said. McCaw and his teammates were shattered after rallying from 14-0 down to lead in the closing stages, with the Crusaders now having lost their last nine playoff games on the road. [/one_half]
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Cheika planning for 2015
Michael Cheika seems to be already planning the path to back-to-back Super Rugby titles, emphasising the new challanges that will greet the team next season. The NSW coach said his big task now was to “get the guys interested in a new challenge and sell them a bit of that story.” Cheika added, “I’ve got a bit of time about how we’re going to do that and just be very true to the core values.”
The former Leinster coach also emphasised that he was very much committed to the Waratahs, with a season remaining on his three-year contract. The turnaround of the Tahs has made Cheika widely sought after, with cashed-up French club Toulon reportedly hunting the 47-year-old. [/one_half]
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Tahs win comes with Wallabies cost
Wallaby coach Ewen McKenzie will be sweating over the availability of Tatafu Polota-Nau, with the Waratahs hooker limping off just after halftime during Saturday’s win. While Polota-Nau will have scans today, Tahs coach Michael Cheika suspected the hooker had a medial ligament tear, which could rule him out of the Rugby Championship opener in a fortnight.
With Stephen Moore ruled out for the year with a knee injury, the unavailability of replacement Polota-Nau could thrust two-Test reserve Nathan Charles into the Bledisloe Cup side. Charles and Queensland’s James Hanson are the back-up hookers in McKenzie’s Rugby Championship squad. [/one_half]
