2020 Super Rugby Round 1 (REDUX): Reds v Waratahs

[Dctarget]

I thought it was a very enjoyable game and bollocks was it much worse standard than NZ. It was a nailbiter with some great hits and silky tries. Yeah a lot to improve but it's the first game back from a long time off. Glad to have some rugby back and even happier the Reds got up.

 

[Hawko]

In the cold light of day that was both encouraging and depressing. It was men against boys except that the men didn't know how to play and the boys just kept going at it. Depressing, because neither team had the necessary skills or strategy to cope with what the five Kiwi teams would have brought to the game, encouraging because some of those on show held out the promise that one day they could be competitive.

The Waratahs:

1. Mark Bell was outclassed in the scrum and in retrospect should have been the bench prop, not starting against a good scrum like that. It was worrying that Penney had him return after his ten minutes rather than let Ainsley stay on - but Bell is a keeper, he just needs a few years to mature. Likewise HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes), though he was good in the loose. While ever Simmons is around Hanigan should be on the bench. They are both too similar in strengths and weaknesses and leave the pack unbalanced. If Tafa is not up to it, and it looks like Penney thinks he isn't, then our poor recruiting of the last five years will have to be reversed by spending big bucks on a proper tight-head lock. Except of course we don't have any big bucks!
2. The backrow was outplayed, though not by much and Swinton had a game to remember. Accuracy at the breakdown was pretty poor and often just slow.
3. Short came up short but Harrison is maturing nicely, albeit from the deep end. Some of the backline attacking, particularly from broken play, had class written all over it. Ramm was both spectacularly good and bad, while Mark N (Nawaqanitawase). needs to be on the bench till he learns defence is also part of a winger's game. He does seem a touch down on speed too. I thought Maddocks was clearly best on ground.

The Reds:

1. Tupou needs to clean up his act. Both times he cleaned up the kicker the ball had long gone and to make it worse the second was a shoulder charge not a tackle. That he was the player chasing the 10 and not the much-vaunted Reds backrow was not a good look.
2. The Reds lineout was awful and kept the Tahs in the game. McReight looked good but Wright and Wilson were relatively quiet. In a game the Reds pack should have dominated, they scarcely more than broke even.
3. The backline attacking with the ball available was pretty clueless. I struggle to remember a clean break through 10/12/13 against a 75kg weakling, a debutante and a skinny, converted winger. Daugunu looked classy up against Mark N (Nawaqanitawase).
4. Getting 50/20's is relatively easy but it does not make up for bad attacking patterns. The backline attacking looked totally untrained.

Rules and Officiating:

1. I think the 50/20 turnover is just a gift to poor attacking teams and will force teams to play their wingers back with one on each sideline. It will discourage attacking back play and encourage interminable kicking duels; of which we get far too many anyway under the old laws.
2. Wasn't happy with the breakdown adjudication - I don't think the Tahs got one ruck penalty and the Reds could do no wrong. In a game of Rugby at the top level that's unusual.

 

[kiap]

I think the 50/20 … will force teams to play their wingers back with one on each sideline. It will discourage attacking back play and encourage interminable kicking duels

Whether in favour of this law variation or not, I'm not sure those two statements can stand together.

The opposite is more likely. The playmaker looks up and, if there is no defender back, can ping for the line. Otherwise, there is an overlap out wide for the backline to attack.

 

[KOB1987]

I thought it was a very enjoyable game and bollocks was it much worse standard than NZ. It was a nailbiter with some great hits and silky tries. Yeah a lot to improve but it's the first game back from a long time off. Glad to have some rugby back and even happier the Reds got up.

Agreed. The Crudaders v whoever game last weekend was shit in terms of good rugby. Good close game but no better in terms of skills.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

I thought it was a very enjoyable game and bollocks was it much worse standard than NZ. It was a nailbiter with some great hits and silky tries. Yeah a lot to improve but it's the first game back from a long time off. Glad to have some rugby back and even happier the Reds got up.

Was it a great game? No. Was it any worse than the Highlanders v Chiefs game? No. Both were still enjoyable for what where essentially teams blowing out the cobwebs.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

So I got ticket, so can go and see some rugby live again!!

As a fellow purist I'm interested in your thoughts on the Law variations in practice as opposed to theory (or to put it another way should I watch the highlights before Clan v CruSadists?)

 

[fatprop]

Thought Maddocks looked dangerous every time he had the ball, kicked well too. Might be a shout of a Wallabies 15 jersey.

Big improvement

 

[fatprop]

Congrats Red, experience got them there in the end, but surprisingly the Tahs weren't totally crap

 

[fatprop]

I like the 50/22 but not the 22/50

I get quite frustrated with the constant rule changes, the game needs to be simpler, not more complicated

 

[RugbyReg]

I don’t understand why many people here follow rugby considering how negative many are.

The whole thing about rugby is it is a complicated game and is open to interpretation. We know this. There will be questionable decisions. Get over it.

As to who played poorly. Who’s not up to it. Give it a rest.

It’s bloody rugby and we haven’t had it for months. The sport is on its knees and I for one loved that game last night. Was awesome to watch.

If you don’t like it. Don’t watch it and sure ask hell don’t post on a rugby forum.

Go and find something you enjoy doing

I just don’t get this thinking.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Bell is ok

Where would you say he is on his curve?

 

[Dan54]

As a fellow purist I'm interested in your thoughts on the Law variations in practice as opposed to theory (or to put it another way should I watch the highlights before Clan v CruSadists?)

To be honest the new law variations didn't seem to come into play a hell of a lot, a couple of 50-22s or whatever they are, not sure if I keen on a team getting such an advantage in what is just a kick. I would suggest just watching the highlights as not really a game that will stick to much in the memory except for one or 2 wrong things. the main one was i was happy to give the players a bit of grace with some of the handling etc as first game back, but what I found pretty unforgivable was the apparent laziness that was on show, or lack of desperation! Was sitting with mates nephews ,and the young one was getting a little frustrated at some of the kicks that the Reds were putting up, the kicks weren't that bad, but the lack of urgency to chase them was. I thought both teams were pretty good at turning their back on the play, and gave up real soft tries because of it. Have a look at McDermott's try from the penalty ,I thought was inexcusable, and one of Tahs, Reds just seemed to be looking other way.
On positive the 15 for Tahs (Maddocks?) looked not bad, and I thought the Red pack looked pretty good, I like the look of the loosies.
Was a funny atmosphere for the first 15-20 minutes with crowd (or what there was of it) spread around the ground in little pockets. And why there were not buses running into Suncorp from suburbs as normal was very strange!

 

[Oldschool]

I don’t understand why many people here follow rugby considering how negative many are.

The whole thing about rugby is it is a complicated game and is open to interpretation. We know this. There will be questionable decisions. Get over it.

As to who played poorly. Who’s not up to it. Give it a rest.

It’s bloody rugby and we haven’t had it for months. The sport is on its knees and I for one loved that game last night. Was awesome to watch.

If you don’t like it. Don’t watch it and sure ask hell don’t post on a rugby forum.

Go and find something you enjoy doing

I just don’t get this thinking.

Sounds like you need a holiday RugbyReg.......won't much of a forum if you stifle half of the debate.

 

[upthereds#!]

Reds poor lineout was going to happen. If anyone watched their gradually released promo/training and iso videos - a montage of lineouts in training were ALL being caught at the chest height of the jumper. Continually. easy pickings!

 

[swingpass]

Where would you say he is on his curve?

Probably within a standard deviation or two.

 

[fairplay]

Agreed. And tupou also got lots of press too early, nobody calls him the Tongan Thor any more.

He was actually issued with a Cease and Desist by Marvel Comics for copywriter infringements and racial appropriation.

 

[fatprop]

Interesting point on the tweeter from Dave Mcduling

Yellow carding an individual when a scrum is just dominated is really stupid. It’s a skill issue and 16 people are involved. Does a winger get sin binned for being too slow? Or a centre for missing a tackle? Don’t ask me for a solution though haven’t figured that out yet

 

[PhilClinton]

Hawko mate that was one of the most depressing over-analysis of a rugby game I’ve read in a long time.

If I hadn’t seen the game and read your post I’d think the score was 0-0 and only Maddocks and Daugunnu played well.

Understand it wasn’t perfect but not a bad crack from two young sides who have just come back from 3 months of no footy.

 

[Up the Guts]

Interesting point on the tweeter from Dave Mcduling

I’m a bit torn on the yellow card, it feels wrong for a young front-rower in a domestic comp where the skill differentials are reasonably high but I know if Tupou was doing that in a Wallaby jersey I’d have been very happily calling for the opposition to be binned.

 

[TSR]

Even though Kearns is a notoriously poor commentator I was surprised he questioned the yellow card. Carding props who are getting done over has been around for a while now. Everyone knows the onus is on the prop to be up to it. Whatever else was happening behind him Bell was getting worked over. That’s the trade off a coach has to allow for when he picks a guy like Bell who is fantastic around the field but not quite there at scrum time.

He’ll be better for it though.