Reds v Tahs : Opening game of the season

[Scarfman]

Can I be positive for a minute?

Reds: Link is going to do for them what he did for the Tahs. They will harden up, they will learn how to win. It doesn't happen in one game, though. And you can't get higher than about 6th without a scrum.

Waratahs: very lethargic, very scrappy, but it was the first game of the season and it was very hot, AND they finished by far the best of the two teams. If you only ever watched NSW play QLD you would say every year that they have no chance. I love the new back 3, even though Mitchell is a flake, and I reckon this team will break loose against a few other teams.

P.S. Kiwi teams always put on a lovely show when they play each other. The Tahs are the perfect kind of team to disrupt their flow.

 

[RugbyReg]

well done Tahs. Don't know about the other Reds fans but I could feel it coming. We've done this in the past unfortunately. lead big teams and then fold late. So Link hasn't achieved anything yet. It's same old same old so far.

A few points, albeit I haven't watched it on tv yet.

No one has mentioned Weekes? I know our scrum was rough but I thought he was awesome around the field. Some big hits, including a couple of Baxter I think.

As to our scrum? I'm not overly concerned. Tahs have the best scrum and the best scrum coach in the comp. They were dominant, it wasn't a surprise. I'll judge us more on the Cru and Blu games.

Thought Horwill was excellent. Strong running. Big hits. Very mobile - eg his try.

Thought Genia was slow to deliver - Gregan esque at times.

Tom Carter is a dick. Yapping away with absolutely no ability. You can tell he's frustrated because I am sure he realises he just isn't up to everyone else's standard.

Didn't see what Byrnes did but when I saw Caldwell go to the ref and then the ref go to Byrnes, I expected the worse. Gouge or bite.

Was that pass to Sidey forward? It looked it from the ground.

Cooper's goal kicking surprised. He's obviously been working on it, thus the new style.

Any news on the Barnes injury?

 

[Pfitzy]

It will sound like sour grapes but the forward pass for the Tah's first try really rankles,

Reds' first try was off a forward pass too. Swings and roundabouts.

 

[chief]

Forward passes these days are now becoming a trend. Referees and AR's are missing them quite frequently. What a disappointment.

 

[Pfitzy]

Meh. As long as they're consistently bad at it...

A few other points from the first half:

01:03 First scrum - reds step around the loosehead side. Should have been penalised

12:45 Cooper late shoulder in the air on Barnes after the kick. Should have been yellow-carded

14:45 Reds scrum doesn't pack properly. Should have been penalised. On reset, they step around again and should have been penalised again. Without mentioning incorrect binding by Weekes, or the fact their locks weren't bound to Daley properly

17:50 Carter runs at the line but with the ball in one hand and looking to step. WTF???

20:17 Want to talk forward passes? Have a look at Cooper's effort for Braid's try. At least a metre judging by the tram tracks. Mitchell and Carter awful on defence.

23:28 I know the refs are meant to favour the attacking team, but Waugh is alone on his feet with hands on the ball before being cleaned out half a second later by two Reds. That is a penalty to the Tahs.

23:45 Turner has a good boot.

24:16 Burgess on the ground and Horwill dives on him, leading with forearms. Yellow card please. Joubert is a knob.

24:58 Carter looks ponderous, hesitant, and injured to be honest. He's not running AT the line, just kind of wandering up to it. Davies rushes out of the line to take Anesi without the ball and Anesi gets penalised for taking a swing... Stupid refereeing.

26:05 We have the ball off a Reds lineout, and we've got the fastest winger on the field at this point. Why not run it?

26:25 Finally Mitchell earns his pay with a good kick. And Cooper flakes it.

27:53 Daley cops it from Le Fuse as he realises stepping around to the side isn't an option 5m from your own line.

29:23 That collapse should be a warning to Daley for at least a yellow card.

29:55 Then the Reds are allowed to step around to the side again? WTF?? That is at least a penalty but more likely a yellow card for repeated illegal scrummaging. Again.

30:39 Call against Hynes was marginal. Karma sucks eh?

32:26 After the fluffed restart from QLD, Joubert now wants a word to Daley along the lines of "that last engagement is what I require". Maybe he should have followed that up with "but I'll penalise you for stepping around the side again"

33:30 Caldwell cops a penalty for a nothing incident - are the TJs pro-QLD or what? What about Cooper on Barnes at 12:45? At this point its worth noting that the Tahs are awful running the ball, at restarts, and making a decision in general ...

34:10 MASSIVE balk at the lineout by Hardman. Unpenalised.

34:26 One thing we're going to have massive trouble with in the revised ruck laws is turning the player. It just can't be done any more by this ref's interpretation

38:49 This is exactly the same situation as Waugh at 23:28. Braid is on his feet alone, and on the ball. Waugh arrives half a second later but the guy on the ground MUST release first.

39:01 Horwill takes out Waugh, with no arms, as Burgess breaks through the line. Penalty.

 

[spectator]

It will sound like sour grapes but the forward pass for the Tah's first try really rankles,

Reds' first try was off a forward pass too. Swings and roundabouts.

I've only got one eye Nick...it must have been shut during that passage of play.

 

[Spook]

Turner bombing another try he should have finished off. He's an average finisher.

Bombed the first half one, got dudded on the second. Just happy to see him burn past Ioane. Aust rugby needs some proper pace

Yes his pace was so effective for the Wallabies :

 

[chief]

Should have been a lot more yellow cards.

Penalty Try against the Tahs should have resulted in a yellow card. It is a cynical infringement, professional foul even the fucking law book says a yellow card must follow.

Quade should have gone for a yellow for the late shot on Barnes.

Should have been a yellow for repeated scrummaging infringements against the Reds.

Overall it was a decent attacking game of rugby, would have been a lot more happier if the Reds got a 4th try.

 

[cyclopath]

Turner bombing another try he should have finished off. He's an average finisher.

Bombed the first half one, got dudded on the second. Just happy to see him burn past Ioane. Aust rugby needs some proper pace

Yes his pace was so effective for the Wallabies :

To be sure, Spook, he has not delivered at Test level yet. Well, we can front up a couple of plodders, and all the big teams will go weak at the knees. Not. I think he has some potential - he is clearly fast, can kick well. We'll see. If he could get some of Hynes' application and ticker it would be good.

 

[TOCC]

thats bullshit, as if quade should have been sent off for the shot on Barnes, slightly late but no where near penalty material

 

[Pfitzy]

@ speccy - I've got the screen shots if you can pry that eye open son Like I said: swings and roundabouts.

TOCC - if the cleanout by Mumm on a bloke standing on our side of the breakdown was yellow, then so was Quade's. Consistency is the key.

 

[Scarfman]

Cooper's goal kicking surprised. He's obviously been working on it, thus the new style.

That is an awful, awful, terrible, goal kicking style. You cannot hit the ball straight with that kind of action. Watch for it to go horribly wrong in the next game or two.

 

[Scotty]

It will sound like sour grapes but the forward pass for the Tah's first try really rankles,

Reds' first try was off a forward pass too. Swings and roundabouts.

I've only got one eye Nick...it must have been shut during that passage of play.

So has Nick judging by his notes on the game.

 

[Scotty]

Cooper's goal kicking surprised. He's obviously been working on it, thus the new style.

That is an awful, awful, terrible, goal kicking style. You cannot hit the ball straight with that kind of action. Watch for it to go horribly wrong in the next game or two.

I'd like to coin the term 'The Matador' in describing his pre kick stance.

 

[Scotty]

Nick & Lee,

The incident you are describing that should have been a penalty try for Turner.

I have never ever ever seen anything like that given as a penalty try. Take the eye patches off.

Do you expect when an attacking player is still moving with the ball, just because they have hit the ground, that the defender can't touch them? Bullshit. This happens all the time - particularly from pick and drives close the the line.

 

[Scotty]

Noddy,

Barnes was injured? I thought he was pulled cos he was shit.

Tahs winning? Normally I would think 'here we go again' but I actually believed we would do it that time.

Our Scrum? People seem to be forgetting that it also had some good moments, it was just inconsistent. Daley getting penalised for the incorrect bind when the ball was already coming out to NSW a couple of times was overly technical and not neccessary from the ref in my view.

 

[disco]

I also thought Barnes was dragged for being shit.

Haven't seen the game on TV yet but from what I saw last night I thought the 3 best on ground were Burgess, Genia & Hynes.

Someone mentioned that Ioane was quiet but with two runs he laid the platform for our 1st two tries, I'd prefer to see Ioane at 13.

 

[Biffo]

I thought the 3 best on ground were Burgess, Genia & Hynes.

Agree but I'd add Polota-Nau and make it four.

 

[Bruce Ross]

TOCC - if the cleanout by Mumm on a bloke standing on our side of the breakdown was yellow, then so was Quade's. Consistency is the key.

But, in fairness, Joubert may have taken account of the amount of force generated. Bit like the difference between being run over by a road train and being bumped by an old lady on a mobility scooter.

 

[TOCC]

@ speccy - I've got the screen shots if you can pry that eye open son Like I said: swings and roundabouts.

TOCC - if the cleanout by Mumm on a bloke standing on our side of the breakdown was yellow, then so was Quade's. Consistency is the key.

id have to watch the replay but a shoulder charge to the back is a little different to a quades hit