Brumbies v Waratahs, round 12, Friday 1 May

[A mutterer]

well i think some questions about the wb makeup have been answered tonight:

• both ben's are out of contention
• beale has had a run of poor form and hasn't done anything to deserve the gold, poor decision making and passing is unforgivable
• pocock v hooper = 2 different styles, both masters at what they do. both should be there.
• lilo pipped foley tonight, but i think beale is cruelling foley atm with his poor performances. i'd like to see beale pull his head in - he isn't as devastating as he thinks he is
• moore > tpn
• kuridrani should be the inside centre, even though he was quiet for most of the game
• horne is definitely shaping as a contender

 

[A mutterer]

Brumbies would have won with Nic White fit.

i would have loved white to be there with our counter rucking.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Bam Bam playing under old rules with a counter ruck - not supporting his own weight. Result Penalty to the Tahs, and Foley misses the PK shot at goal. Ponies 10 - Tahs 7 after 35 minutes.

Agree the penalty was warranted but later in the game the Tahs did exactly the same on at least two occasions when the Brumbies were in good field position but were allowed to continue and win the turnover. Consistency by the ref was terrible.

 

[FrankLind]

No byes, will be very tough.

Kudos to the Tahs to be in the position they are in.
But your run home is easy (ish). I'd be pretty confident from here if I was you. At least of topping the Aussie conference. (the Brumbies still have to play the top two SA sides the Stormers and the Bulls)

Your last four games are against (as it stands right now) against the 8th, 9th , 12th, 14th, 15th placed teams.

 

[Sword of Justice]

I thought most of that game was in the Brumbies hands and that it was theirs to lose - which they did. Fardy and Pocock controlled the breakdown but the team structure was horrendous.

Tahs deserved the win due to the tenacity shown which forced the little errors.

Not taking the points throughout the game was pretty surprising from the Brumbies and it cost them.

Pocock added more value to his pack (tight runs, breakdown work, tonnes of tackles) then Hooper and I'd rather see him represent Australia.

 

[Slim 293]

Brumbies scrum munted all game as well. Jackson preferred to opt out

Brumbies scrimmaged strongly towards the end........

Not surprisingly after Ala'alatoa replaced JP Smith.

Hopefully one of the Brumbies coaches notices this recurring trend.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

IF the 'tahs win without a BP they could stay 7th & only improve if the Clan and/ or Bulls lose (both at home); get the BP, though, they're potentially 3rd or even 2nd if the Stormers lose (away)... unless the Brumbies get a BP of their own in which case the 'tahs stay somewhere between 5th & 7th.

In summary: 'tahs need to win & win big, Brumbies just need to win or at least not lose big. Given they're at home I'd be backing the Brumbies to end the weekend still in the top 3, even if only on PD & by virtue of having more BP

Et voila, 'tahs win & go provisionally 6th but could still remain 7th if the Bulls win, Brumbies lose but stay 2nd & at worst 3rd if Stormers win.

 

[Slim 293]

Can't split Pocock and Hioper tonight. Both dominated in their respective ways.........

 

[qwerty51]

No Brumbies fans want to comment about not going for the draw?

 

[Slim 293]

No Brumbies fans want to comment about not going for the draw?

I already did!

They weren't going to win it off a maul......... The Tahs (and the Brumbies too) have excellent maul defense.

 

[qwerty51]

Axed Jackson could breathe with that Waratahs dick so far down his throat

 

[Merrow]

Brumbies outmuscled

I call bullshit

 

[#1 Tah]

I call bullshit

Wouldn't say "outmuscled". Tahs played very smart rugby despite not being able to hold the ball. Brumbies decision making let them down at crucial times.

Awesome, brutal game. Classic Aussie Derby.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Brumbies were the better team tonight, but couldn't finish off their moves when in try scoring positions. The game could and probably should have been won with the rolling maul towards the end when Ben Robinson and another Tahs player both came around the side to tie up Pocock at the back. Obvious indiscretions that went unchallenged by the ref.

Otherwise, Ita Vaea was best forward on the ground imo, followed by Pocock and Fardy for the Brumbies and Hooper and Skelton for the Tahs. Tahs front row outmuscled the Brumbies in the scrum but that's to be expected with JP starting. Scott Sio can't return soon enough.

Moggy not too bad again and put in some very good kicks for territory. What the Wallabies could do with a boot that good.

TK still not near his best. Still suffering his shoulder injury I think but his defense was a bit improved. Henry surprisingly starved of the ball. Folau again a big threat to the Brumbies' defense.

A very tight game where I think the wrong team won.

 

[Dave Beat]

Can't split Pocock and Hioper tonight. Both dominated in their respective ways...

Yep spot on, and I'm sticker with the incumbent rule - done nothing to be dropped.

 

[oarsome]

well i think some questions about the wb makeup have been answered tonight:

• both ben's are out of contention
• beale has had a run of poor form and hasn't done anything to deserve the gold, poor decision making and passing is unforgivable
• pocock v hooper = 2 different styles, both masters at what they do. both should be there.
• lilo pipped foley tonight, but i think beale is cruelling foley atm with his poor performances. i'd like to see beale pull his head in - he isn't as devastating as he thinks he is
• moore > tpn
• kuridrani should be the inside centre, even though he was quiet for most of the game
• horne is definitely shaping as a contender

I agree with most of this. However few points of contention:

• Beale broke the line on several occasions, showing his capability to turn a game. However his decision making overshadows this.
• Very tough to judge Moore better than TPN when TPN was off so early in the game with a head knock.

 

[barbarian]

A very tight game where I think the wrong team won.

I find this hard to take.

Brumbies had countless chances, including ten minutes late in the game against 14. If you can't win with that advantage, then you aren't 'the better team', plain and simple.
.

 

[oarsome]

I think that the battle between Hooper and Pocock was simply superb. Showing off each of their own styles of rugby. However, I do think that the way Pocock handled the breakdown is simply too hard to refuse a starting spot in the Australian side. Hooper to come off the bench, replacing the 6. in the Aus. team to finish with two number 7's. Similar to how the rebels are playing at the moment. The thought of these two players wearing Green and Gold makes me so excited

 

[Gnostic]

Latu has shown all year that there is little difference in the Tahs when TPN isn't available. Latu has really stepped up this year and I think he is pushing to be third ranked hooker. He beats Charles, Fainga'a and Hanson IMO simply because he is very dominant in defence, a great runner with the ball, dominant in the scrum with his one weakness being the lineout, which he has improved markedly on last year.

The Brumbies lost that game. Plain and simple. Massive dominance for long sections in terms of territory and possession. Waratahs doing their best to knock on every ball they got, and to top it off played with 14. Yet the Brumbies attack remains pretty toothless, relying totally on one out runners. Even with the Waratahs dropping nearly every ball they tried far more in attack actually passing the ball more than once off the ruck.

I truly hope Larkham has something far more than this crap (that looks much like the Macqueen constant recycle plan from 1998-2002) for the Wallabies.

 

[Gnostic]

Hooper/Pocock will come down to the game plan I think, and the opposition.