Rebels v Waratahs, rd15 SR2013

[KevinO]

No voice left, the Rebels defense stood up tonight. Gave away to many pen in kicking positions.

Crowd was unreal.

Glad we signed Tom English till 2016

Woodward was great

Thought Hegarty needs a lot of work on his kicking game.

Tahs line out was dreadfull, hookers throw was never straight.

 

[Moono75]

Is it just me or do the Rebels play better without JOC (James O'Connor). The only two games the Rebels have won with JOC (James O'Connor) playing were against us. Goes to show a good team dynamic can outway having stars playing in the team.

 

[mech4bg]

Is it just me or do the Rebels play better without JOC (James O'Connor). The only two games the Rebels have won with JOC (James O'Connor) playing were against us. Goes to show a good team dynamic can outway having stars playing in the team.

Yeah, it seems that way doesn't it... what "big" wins has been involved in? It was KB (Kurtley Beale) playing last year against the Crusaders when we won. I think he's only played 10 in wins against the Force. I just don't think he's great at 10...

 

[USARugger]

Why are some people so quick to credit Timani with the 'Tahs pushing the Rebels scrum back a bit? Are we forgetting that the 'Tahs have the first-choice Wallaby loosehead and one of the Wallaby tightheads in their front row while the Rebels have..Laurie Weeks and Nic Henderson..

No need to repeat the rest, Pfitzy already covered it. Sita looks like Adam Jones at ruck time.

 

[No4918]

No JOC (James O'Connor), no Beale, no worries. Great to see the guys coming together and doing it for each other.

 

[Dan54]

Just saying to my wife how well Rebels played without their 'stars', sign of a good culture in the team!!

 

[Blue]

Non-toxic Rebels.

 

[swingpass]

great win

my favourite moment, some wag in the crowd near us

"release the ranga"

must become a regular chant from now on

 

[convenient wisdom]

Waratahs (Wallaby) pack contained by reasonably by Rebels (except at scrumtime). Hiigginbotham outplayed Palu I think if that was a trial for the wallaby no 8 spot. Douglas was very quiet (maybe concussion not 100% - he did look crook last week. Robinson, Dennis, Kepu also not exactly standing out. Woodward, although he made a couple of mistakes, dare I say it outplayed Folau ................... ??
Note to Michael Hooper - in next post match interview, give some praise / credit to the opposition, not just bang on about how your team did not have the right attitude, lost its shape, didint play to their standards..........................but you are young and we forgive you...also the fox interviewers coulld have given you a hand with the right questions..!!

 

[mech4bg]

Anyone find this Fairfax article strange?

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...bubble-20130524-2k790.html?rand=1369397787079

Maybe it's just me, but it's always bugged me how shamelessly they come off as Waratahs supporters, for what's meant to be national news... you don't see the same thing on the News Ltd sites, e.g. with shamelessly pro Reds Courier Mail stories, or at least not that I've seen.

Maybe I'm just extra bitter after Growden's retarded column every week constantly bagging the "Melbourne Rabble". Thank goodness he's gone.

 

[USARugger]

I'm having a really tough time believing Douglas was anywhere within any concussion guidelines to be playing again. I understand there is a Lions tour coming up but he's risking massive and life-threatening injury playing so soon. Either that or that was the fucking ugliest mild concussion I've ever seen in my entire life. Watching him try to get up after taking George's shoulder to the face had me actually cringing.

 

[gel]

Anyone find this Fairfax article strange?

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...bubble-20130524-2k790.html?rand=1369397787079

Maybe it's just me, but it's always bugged me how shamelessly they come off as Waratahs supporters, for what's meant to be national news. you don't see the same thing on the News Ltd sites, e.g. with shamelessly pro Reds Courier Mail stories, or at least not that I've seen.

Maybe I'm just extra bitter after Growden's retarded column every week constantly bagging the "Melbourne Rabble". Thank goodness he's gone.

Not too strange (to me), it is the "Sydney" morning herald after all (not the "australian").

For a "queenslander", Georgina really does go pretty hard for the tahs, but then that is the paper she writes for so she has to really.

She does an infinitely better job than most other scribes (or I ever could - I would be incredibly biased).

 

[Scooter]

12k is pretty poor?

Blues and Reds should lose not a biggie.

12k is better than last week's 10k, particularly as there was 65k across the road at the G. The 12k made a truck load of noise, the atmosphere was awesome.

Great win by the Rebels, that is the best defense I have seen from us. Their only try came from a terrible Mitchell pass when he should have kicked.

Higgers has grown a leg since given the captaincy, Woodward is very good, great to see English playing so well particularly after copping some criticism on G&GR from some Tahs fans prior to his run on debut. Pyle continued his good form.

Also great foresight from the Rebels and Pete Fairbairn to run the cover story on Tom English in the Rebel Record on the night he scores his first two Super Rugby tries.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

A lower risk game strategy would have won this for that Tahs: what do supporters think of that?
Does Cheika blame the fact that his cattle cant execute his more extravagant game plan?
Will it be different when he has more of the cattle of his choosing?

 

[Athilnaur]

I went away from that game stunned. I had just watched my team play 80 minutes of slug it out gritty rugby. Who were these defensive madmen and what did they do to the rebels team of old that attacked with flair but leaked like a sieve? The defensive play and sheer drive was from a different team. The tahs kept having a crack in the last quarter, only to be shut down every time as if they'd run into a vice.

Motm Woodward was everywhere, chivvying the defense, seizing opportunities. Inman was brutal. Higgenbotham a force that seemed to win every collision. Buried in the bodies, wading their way through, Pyle and Jones and every manjack of the forwards.

Tahs kept their rhythm and patience, rolling out their play and knowing as soon as an opportunity came they would seize it. And it did, with Folau running through. But it didn't come again.

An enthralling game of pressure and grit by both sides.

 

[USARugger]

A lower risk game strategy would have won this for that Tahs: what do supporters think of that?
Does Cheika blame the fact that his cattle cant execute his more extravagant game plan?
Will it be different when he has more of the cattle of his choosing?

They switch to the Reds' attacking pattern later in games as players tire. I was half asleep and didn't tune in until ~15 minutes in but the 'Tahs just looked a bit disorganized on attack and the handling issues really hurt them as well. They simply didn't maintain the shapes and structures that they showed against the Stormers and Brumbies.

It's still their first season under this radically different set of structures and pattern of play. Kepu and Timani flopping at ruck time directly inhibits their system and both need to stop doing it. As a team they really haven't even had an entire month where you can say it's all 'clicked' and begun to come together.

I'm not really a 'Tahs supporter but I'd always rather see a team have a go. That isn't to say I support mindless rugby though.

 

[No4918]

Tell that last statement to Foley. Contrast the Rebels to Force, both weak teams but go about things very differently.

 

[biggsy]

A lower risk game strategy would have won this for that Tahs: what do supporters think of that?
Does Cheika blame the fact that his cattle cant execute his more extravagant game plan?
Will it be different when he has more of the cattle of his choosing?

Cheika can't blame the team, beside the bad handles last night Cheika blew it by taking off Barnes and Lucas in such important game for the tahs to win.
And by the sounds of Hoopers end of game interview Cheika also get quite angry and carrying on a bit in the sheds. I don't know about and I got the feeling hooper doesn't like it to much as well.

 

[USARugger]

Tell that last statement to Foley. Contrast the Rebels to Force, both weak teams but go about things very differently.

Have to agree I was disappointed with his game management.

 

[Sully]

I really don't think Barnes had another 20 minutes in him. He'd better get fit pretty quickly.