Brumbies
• Matt To’omua was my MOTM. I have never seen him have such a good running game as tonight. He had a much better night than Lealiifano playing 12. Nor did Mortlock look that special.
• AAC – rather than write 2 paragraphs, here’s 2 words – sheer class. Add a third: surety.
• Frankie Fainifo looked bloody dangerous every time the Ponies got the ball to him which was not that often because they usually dropped it before it got out there. Once he beat Carter when he got him going the wrong way and he dished it out for AAC to score. He nearly scored a try himself when Carter came out of the line to snuff out an overlap but didn’t get there on time. Fortunately for the Tahs both the pass and catch were inferior. Alfi Mafi was quiet.
• Stephen Hoiles had a brilliant 1st quarter with 2 long runs, one from a scrum palming off Burgess. He had the whole Tahs team going backwards.
• Stephen Moore was class but props Shepherdson and Ma’afu did not impress in any area.
• Mark Chisholm had the angriest, highest work rate for the Ponies, with Moore not far behind.
Waratahs
• Cliffy Palu was hard to handle all night and if he wasn’t running over folks, TPN was, however Tatafu stills needs to work on passing the ball before he goes to ground, or before the tackle, as he’s losing too much pill. Again.
• Cam Jowitt looked very handy in the lineout and was very aggressive in his play. Looks like another Dean Mumm type; so watch this space. Mowen was back to top form when he came off the bench too.
• Chris Thomson had a good game when he came on and once jumped over a ruck with the ball and ran down touch and when challenged grubbered the ball for a good gain. By contrast the form Tah lock of the 1st two trials, Kane Douglas, was quiet. Dud Roodt didn’t have a big stint but a couple of times I watched for him he was moving people around in the ruck. Looked trimmer than the photos.
• Berrick Barnes was nothing special and had a ordinary kicking game for him and was putting the ball out on the full when he shouldn’t have, and not when he should have. Nor was Daniel Halangahu much at 12, though to be fair the Brumbies defence was in his face most of the night. Tom Carter had an ordinary night.
• In the 3rd quarter Peter Betham ran through the Brumbies like a dose of salts. It sparked up the game which was dead in the 2nd quarter after a willing 1st quarter. I thought: wait a minute – Pete must be wearing no 21 not 29 – no that’s Pete over there – checked my list and it’s Ben Seymour – can’t be, it’s a brown lad. Bloody hell, it was Kurtley Beale with a no.2 haircut, playing 12 and he changed the look of the Tahs backs immediately.
• Then the real Pete Betham proved the benefit of the quick line out. They took it 30 metres back from where they could have taken it, in their own quarter. Instead of ping pong the ball was dished wide to Pete and he ran around most of the Ponies and Tahs as though he was in an armchair, beat a few folks and dished to Holmes to score the best try of the night.
That was the kind of play that everybody had being saying was going to happen, but there wasn’t a lot of it. To be fair: although there was a bit of ping pong in parts, the players were trying to dish the ball wide but weren’t good enough. A black mark to the Tahs; once Phil Waugh said to take a penalty kick at goal and Barnes got it, which was surprising because his attempted conversion of the first try was a shocker.
• Nemani Nadolo has shed a bit of weight and looked like a real footie player out there. He even chased a few kicks, which is not like him. Lachie Turner was lacklustre. Sosene Anesi was not as good as AAC but he had a fine game.
• Lachy McCaffrey came on in the 2nd half and made a couple of good runs as though he was playing in club rugby. Is looking the goods.
It was humid and then it was like you were in a cloud and in the last quarter it rained. Nevertheless it did not warrant the amount of dropped ball. There was a bit of whistle for that and for the Brumbies ordinary scrummaging, as discussed.
The Brumbies forwards had better get their act together soon or else they are not going to live up to our expectations of making the final four.
The Tahs scrum forced Valentine to delay the put in a few times, Gregan style, and got free kicked for his trouble. It was a pretty strong tool for the visitors although the Brumbies got a scrum penalty once before half time after they were in danger of a penalty try against them for the resets they caused on their goal line, and got free kicked for.
The Tahs nabbed a few lineouts too, with Jowitt noticeable, and took all their own throws that were catchable with precision, though there were a few not straight and wrong length throws by the Tahs.
The Tahs were generally better around the rucks and with pick and drive too. What was missing was converting that forward superiority into breaks and more tries – plus terrific Brumbies tackling.
The Brumbies made a lot of breaks from turnover ball and were in good position to score 4 more tries by my count but they butchered all of them. It may seem therefore that they were the better team, but one never worried too much that they would actually finish things off – and credit to the Tahs scrambling defence also.
Did the game answer any selection issues?
Brumbies
• 10. To’omua, 12. Giteau is a must if based on that one game of MT’s.
• Googie was sucking in seagulls and he wouldn’t be starting a game on that one showing.
• Props – The most impressive looking prop of the night who was not a Tah was Patricio Noreiga walking around the park. What a neck, and he still has the physique (which is more than what could be said of Jim Williams, who must have had a good Xmas.) Looked like he could have packed down better than some of the players. Let’s hope that he can give the Brumbies scrum a few handy hints.
Ben Alexander will be available in Rd.2 last we heard but Rd 1 won’t be pretty.
Waratahs
• Beale looks the goods at 12. He lifted the backs in the 2nd half, and did a bit of bossing too. Therefore Barnes is 10.
• Carter did not look like a 13. I spoke to a Tahs guy and he said that Horne would be ready to play next week – which was a very cagey answer. Sure. Sidey never got the ball when he came on. Horne can’t be expected to start a game in Rd.1.
• Caldwell was supposed to play at Orange but got a slight hamstring tear. Very slight, said Tah man. He would be ready to play next week. Sure. He couldn’t be expected to start – so who to partner Mumm? Dunno frankly, probably Thompson, who has a S14 contract and played OK. Jowitt definitely a bench candidate to cover lock and 6.. He’s a goer.
• Anesi – almost a certainty at 15 but may be a short term sub at 13. Good footie player.
