Reds vs Waratahs, 2011R10

[Sully]

Hangers and Barnes both play for
Uni don't they? where do they play there?

 

[waratahjesus]

Hangers and Barnes both play for
Uni don't they? where do they play there?

hangers plays 10, barnes plays for the wallabies

 

[Sully]

Got it!

 

[qwerty51]

I'd love to see Mowen at lock. I think he's capable, but let's be honest; Mumm ain't gunna be dropped to the bench.

 

[#1 Tah]

If Waugh is back, they will win. If not, they should get him to run the water just to get that leadership.

 

[Tangawizi]

Lets have a quick look at the respective runs home to highlight just how much of a crucial clash this weekend is:

Reds: Tahs(H), Hurricanes(A), Rebels(A), Blues(H), Bye, Crusaders(H), Brumbies(H), Force(A), Chiefs(A) - 4 Home, 4 Away - 4 Oz Opponents, 4 Kiwis
Tahs: Reds(A), Rebels(H), Force(H), Bye, Lions(H), Sharks(A), Bulls(A), Highlanders(H), Brumbies(H) - 5 Home, 3 Away - 4 Oz Opponents, 1 Kiwi, 3 Saffa

Now disregarding Reds v Tahs match:
Reds - on current form and injuries, the Reds are probably clear favourites to win all remaining matches except against the Crusaders and Blues and those games could go either way. But the Reds have not played any New Zealand opposition yet which might cause a few headaches as they traditionally struggle against Kiwi opposition.

Tahs - Have an extra Home game remaining in comparison to the Reds and should win all those matches. The South African trip is tough though but if Tahs get their top side back together this weekend, there's enough matches before it to regain the form that saw them looking like worldbeaters in Week 2. They also have Dan Vickerman about to turn up and reinforce the already formidable pack. So not out of the realms of possibility that Tahs win all remaining games or only drop 1.

Which leaves us all to speculate that this weekend's match probably will decide the OZ Conference winner one way or the other. 10-12 points is too far to come back from as can't see Reds dropping more than 2 other matches, but 3-4 points is not.

Bring it on I say. Looking forward to Suncorp buzzing with the biggest SuperRugby crowd ever seen in Australia! That record of 42,237 was set on the 8th of May, 2004 which coincidentally, was the last time the Reds beat the Tahs. It's time to break the crowd record, and break the Tahs streak of wins over the Reds!

 

[Cutter]

If Waugh is back, they will win. If not, they should get him to run the water just to get that leadership.

If it's his calf rather than bicep keeping him out there might be a good reason (Matt Burke having the job not being a good reason) he hasn't done that already.

 

[Penguin]

I don't reckon we'll see any crowd records broken at Easter time Tangawizi, any other time it would have been a shoe in. Mind you the Crusaders game should see a very good turnout, plenty of Kiwis to flesh out the numbers. I expect Reds fans to outnumber them now though unlike recent years! :angryfire:

 

[TOCC]

I expect Samo to shift to the bench or be dropped out of the 22 altogether, he was looking pretty lethargic in the Bulls game and was replaced after 45min.. Maybe bring Houston back into the starting side and Shatz onto the bench.

I have a feeling we could see the locks rotate as well, i wouldnt be surprised to see Van brought into the squad and Simmons rested.

As noted yesterday, Davies has a slight knee injury and Slipper is nursing a collarbone injury..
If Davies is out i expect to see Lucas start at 15 and Morahan shift to the wing, If Slipper is out then i guess the next best THP would have to be Shepherdson?

 

[Hawko]

I expect Samo to shift to the bench or be dropped out of the 22 altogether, he was looking pretty lethargic in the Bulls game and was replaced after 45min.. Maybe bring Houston back into the starting side and Shatz onto the bench.

I have a feeling we could see the locks rotate as well, i wouldnt be surprised to see Van brought into the squad and Simmons rested.

As noted yesterday, Davies has a slight knee injury and Slipper is nursing a collarbone injury..
If Davies is out i expect to see Lucas start at 15 and Morahan shift to the wing, If Slipper is out then i guess the next best THP would have to be Shepherdson?

It would be a shame if Slipper was out. The front row battle is not only going to be epic but will also go a long way towards deciding places in the world cup front row squad.

 

[drewprint]

Agreed. I'm also hoping Waugh, Palu and Barnes will be fit - always more fun when both teams are close to full strength.

 

[TheTruth]

It would be a shame if Slipper was out. The front row battle is not only going to be epic but will also go a long way towards deciding places in the world cup front row squad.

Agree Hawko - will be interesting to see Reds Front Roiw this week. Assuming Slipper out then Daley at LHP (is a given) and Shep at THP and Holmes to cover both sides from the bench or Holmes at THP and Shep on bench. Shep is a test player so not too much would be lost either way although Slipper has pretty much dominated at 3 all year.

IMO Samo brings something indefinable to the team and would like to see him start again.

 

[Ruggo]

Would love to see the battle between Robinson and Slipper but if Slipper is not right please rest him. Robinson is class against a taller and bigger opponant but I was looking forward to seeing him go against an opponant with a similar build. I don't think either will get the upper hand but it will be a great battle. I think Horwill and Simmons have been putting a good power base from beind into the Reds scrum and they can take a lot of credit for the improvement. Rotate the bench option but I would like to see these two start again. I hope Waugh is fit because the battle between him and Beau would be epic. The balence of the Reds back row is much better this time around. The Tahs coaches must be scratching their heads as how to form a game plame plan to combat the various different styles thje Reds have been able to play and play well. Two things stick out for me. The first being work off the ball to limit the space of the Reds counter attack. Carter and Turner are some of the best players in Australia at working off the ball. Second is to put the ball into the crowd when every time when kicking for touch. They have to face the Reds lineout. I'm not saying the reds lineout is a weakness because it isn't but it will slow the game down a bit which is something the Tahs will need as they need to find a way to dictate the pace of this game.

 

[Jets]

I think Waugh will be a big difference for the Tah's. He would be named in the team if he was dead and still be close to best on ground. If Mumm was in charge then I think the Reds would win but Phil lives for this game.

 

[spectator]

It's funny how much influence Waugh seems to have on the team, despite the fact that he is an ageing warrior. Doesn't say that much about the rest of the leadership team.

Never, ever confident going up against the Tah's. I hope form is the best indicator and the Reds rumble them, but the Tah's have a habit of grinding the Reds down.

 

[El Gamba]

How well has Adam Wallace-Harrison been playing late in the game?

 

[Scotty]

The Tahs are definately going to try and slow the game down a bit. Reds only play better the faster it gets.

 

[darkhorse]

As noted yesterday, Davies has a slight knee injury and Slipper is nursing a collarbone injury..
If Davies is out i expect to see Lucas start at 15 and Morahan shift to the wing

For the tahs sake I hope so, because Lucas is an average fullback.

 

[08umema]

for an average fullback i think he has handled himself quite well

 

[Gnostic]

If Slipper is out I think the Reds Scrum could be in trouble. I hope they keep Kepu at TH, he has been a revelation to me in that spot at this level. A massive improvement of my assessment of him as a servicable THP and a very good LHP.