Author: Hawko

Its not just me lauding the Waratahs performance last weekend! Bob Dwyer called it the best Waratah performance since the beginning of Super Rugby. Other journalists have expressed similar sentiments. The crowd on Sunday thought it was championship winning form and yelled their lungs out in appreciation. So that means the Waratahs are trophy certainties, right? Well, it just might be but lets pour a bit of cold water on that; I know Michael Cheika is already chilling the water as we speak. It was a good win but…. #451755256 / gettyimages.com 1.  Taking the foot off the throat: The…

With their win over the Highlanders, the Waratahs now have first place guaranteed in Super Rugby 2014

Everything on the line. Brumbies had to win to stay in contention, the Waratahs had to win to get first spot and the all-important home final. The Match The game started with the Brumbies playing like the Brumbies do – winning the kicking duels and slowing the breakdown with hands on the ball. The Tahs changed their strategy for this game, looking to go forward first rather than going wide. They also kicked much more than usual but although most of the kicks were good the Brumbies replies were even better. It was a high energy arm wrestle with no…

This game was potentially the key game of the season for both teams. For the Chiefs, a loss would certainly keep them out of top four (home semi) and maybe miss the finals completely. For the Waratahs, a loss would kill off any claim to the top spot and realistically, the hope for a home semi-final. Both teams had a lot riding on the result. #494796317 / gettyimages.com The Match The match started badly for the Waratahs with a penalty to the Chiefs shortly after the kick-off for what looked like a legitimate Palu cleanout. Cruden kicked the goal and…

The Eden Park hoodoo struck again with the Blues beating the Waratahs 21-13. It was a huge game, with the season outcome on the line. The Blues had to win to re-establish their season after two bad games. The Waratahs needed to win to stay in the race for the top two. It was a great game to watch because of the intensity of the confrontation and both teams positive play; both teams putting in a huge effort. Jerome Kaino was back to his 2012 world’s best form. The Waratah’s handling skills let them down too many times to count.…

Half time in the 2014 Super rugby tournament is a chance to review how each team is going and what the prospects are for the teams this year.  At this stage it is still very open and I think any of thirteen teams can still make the play-offs if they can just string a few wins together. Someone stringing five wins on the trot as the Force have done already will certainly insert themselves into the six. Because the competition is so even, I suspect that you might still make the six with seven losses providing you regularly picked up…

The great news for the Waratahs this week is the return of their lucky charm, Israel Folau, after being held back because of rugby politics last week.  Will his return inspire the Waratahs after the disappointments from their road trip? It’s a real crunch game coming up on Saturday night. A must-win game for the Bulls because they have only 18 points on the ladder after eight games and they sit nine points behind their conference leaders, the Sharks. It’s a must-win game for the Waratahs also because in this comp you must win your home games, accumulate bonus points…

I dropped in on the Waratah’s presser and training session today. Given the importance of Saturday’s clash, I thought it might be worthwhile recording some of the minutiae and impressions I had: 1. At the conference Michael Cheika brought Israel Folau and Ben Robinson with him. I am sure Izzy was brought for his star rating rather than anything new he would bring – he’s shy and reserved when he is interviewed and although he answers questions well I am sure he gets sick of the same-old questions. Better journalist’s questions would help to shed more light. Georgina Robinson was impressive, but…

In Part 1 I suggested that the way of thinking about the total squad has to change to a more European model to preserve fitness and improve team performance and durability. And a key positional change is needed to cover the loss of Beale.  In this part we’ll look at three in-game issues: 1.     Playing a much more running/passing game in the backline, with backs close to the advantage line: For simplicity and because I was around in their golden period, I’ll call this the ‘3 Ellas’ mode of backline play. Anyone who saw them will know instantly what I mean. Short…

2011 was a disappointing year for most Waratahs fans. Not just for the Cheetahs game, nor the completely predictable disaster of the fan forum, but mainly because after the Round 2 shellacking we gave the Reds there was real hope that we had the form and the team to go all the way.  The Reds were never beaten as badly again in the whole competition. But injuries seemed to pop up with such regularity, and almost always to key players, that most fair-minded commentators thought that making the semis was a pretty good result. The last time we had such…

The new Super format and how it will play out for teams in all three countries is one of the real unknowns this year.  There are just so many scenarios.  One possibility is that one team in one country is really dominant (eg. the Crusaders).  If it wins all its local games, most with bonus points, then it is likely to get an armchair ride to the finals and play the Grand Final at home if the other two countries’ teams are fairly even and the game results are tight. Given the line-up the Crusaders have assembled and the relative…