Weeks was good at scrum time fos - though that was obviously in part to him having a superior second row/flank combo - Donkey Campbell (who can push and jump at lineouts but fuck all else) and Mongrel Caldwell (who is the man and carved up for a bloke only 2nd game back from months off) with Mumm and Waugh on the flanks. Kepu had some no-names called Chisholm and Brennan and his flankers probably don't know how to push, being from Randwick. But the Wicks were getting utterly nailed on their feed as Jerry Yanuyanutawa bent whomever they put up against him at will. The scrum for the Wicks got worse when Freier moved to flanker I noted.
Uni were all over them and it made a mockey of the Premier competition that all the lower grades looked to be fairly close while Uni should have cracked 50 and Randwick can be thankful they got into double figures. Spineless stuff by the men in green but what do you expect when they've got guys like Hoiles expected to make yards in traffic? Houston also saved his worst game of the year for last and Randwick looked like they'd had a flashbang let off in their faces while huddled in the change room - complete shellshock. One of the few shining lights was Freier (naturally) and that Froggy sounding openside they've got - Voullaire.
Randwick were stupid from the start, putting guys like Orbell on instead of Fainifo and their midfield pairing of Walsh and Inman were crap. Valentine had a shit game too but his forwards were getting rogered with a glass pineapple from the first minute.
From a Tahs' point of view - sign Yanuyanutawa up now. He has learned how to prop since Round 4 and with real locks behind him is a threat in the scrum. His form on the ball is amazing too and even though that first try was utter bullshit (how many other ways could it have been a knock-on Ayoub you stupid fuck?) he put in a great effort for a big guy in the heat.
Big winger Nasiganiyavi was largely absent from proceedings (and watched like a hawk too) until one of his tries toward the end and the great setup for Turinui's try. That's the sort of thing we need at the Tahs, along with the commitment of guys like Tim Davidson, who ran Ratu down despite it being the last few minutes of the game. He is like Richard Brown for mine without the maniacal intent. Shame he only got a year at the Tahs while Glass Shoulders Palu gets the big bikkies.
I'd still like someone to smash the living shit out of Nick Haydon though. He probably annoys people walking within a 2km radius of him and is clearly the most annoying fucker to ever pull on a #9 jersey - and that is saying something.
Without doubt the highlight of the broadcast was the flashback to the 1996 final between Randwick and the Rats. It featured:
- The SFS
- A crowd of more than 10 men + assorted dogs
- Some decent rugby
- Gregan passing WITHOUT DANCING A FOXTROT FIRST
- Gregan passing FAST
- Gregan PASSING without fucking around talking to the ref
- Chris Latham tearing it up for Randwick before he decided instead of being a comet in a bright galaxy, he'd be a star in a dark nebula aka QLD backline play
- Backs and forwards who could draw, pass, and run almost at the same time.
Those were the days.
