Author: PeterK

The Chiefs put paid to any spluttering hopes the Waratahs may have had to win the Australian Conference when they when they scored 18 points in the first 30 minutes in Hamilton. The scoring was even in the second half as the Waratahs played their regulation good 40-minute period, but again, it was too late. First half The Chiefs shell-shocked the sleepy Waratahs from the outset. One team was playing, the other was watching them making breaking breaks at will out wide. They were prepared for the Waratahs’ narrow defence and shifted the ball out quickly. They often outflanked the…

Will the Waratahs be the first Australian team to beat a New Zealand team this year? That is main point of interest for Waratahs’ fans and they won’t care how they do it because it will give them and outsider’s chance of nudging ahead of the Brumbies before the fat lady sings . In many ways that is a shame because I expect both teams to play an exciting attacking brand of rugby in a cracking game. The contest against the Highlanders was of high quality, with good skills on display, and I expect more of the same from this…

There can be only one. The Super Rugby tournament is more difficult for the Australian teams in 2017 than it was last year because they are playing against the sides of the stronger South African Conference. This means that it will even easier for three NZ teams to make the finals and more difficult for a second Aussie team to go through. Moreover the standard of teams within the Australian Conference are closer to each other than ever, with the Brumbies and Waratahs weaker than last year and the others stronger. The Aussies Conference derbies will become even more important…

If you thought last year was a struggle for Australian teams then be prepared for it to get worse. This year the Australian teams play against the teams in the harder Africa 2 Conference which comprises the Lions, Sharks, Jaguares and Kings, whilst the New Zealand teams play the easier Africa 1 Conference which has the Stormers, Bulls, Cheetahs and Sunwolves in it. Last year it was possible for two Australian teams to make the final and that remained a possibility up to the final rounds. I believe it is more unlikely for two Australian teams to finish ahead of…

Einstein must have been a keen follower of the Waratahs when he said “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used that created them”. The Waratahs have not addressed persistent weaknesses in their team and despite a large number of personnel leaving and the opportunity to do so, they have not. The weaknesses that come to mind are the weak set pieces, lack of pace, lack of a kicking game, and lack of creativity, flexibility, and adaptability. They play one way whether it is working or not. Therefore Waratahs’ fans should expect highs and lows throughout the…