Reds vs Waratahs, 2011R10

[Richo]

Fantastic defensive effort from the Reds. They earned their 4 points tonight through sheer guts and heart.

Tahs lacked imagination and it cost them. Cross was an atrocity and cost the Tahs big time, not just the three points at the end that put the game out of reach. Should have had points from all that pressure, but can't blame the ref for that. With so much strength through the forwards, we should have kicked 3 and backs ourselves to win back the ball at the next set piece.

Second half ref was confusing at times. Don't get the scrum feed to the Reds on the no try or the horrifically not straight throw that led to the final penalty. But hey, the Refs fans have been whining about the early hits and I don't want to sound like them.

Biggest loser of the game: Drew Mitchell and the Wallabies. Love to see another replay, but from the looks of the one they showed on Fox it sure looked like Higgers owes Australia an apology for being a fuckwit.

 

[drewprint]

One early engage, one hand on the ground, one incorrect bind and you're done.

I totally understand that, but the way the scrums were going, with all power and momentum coming from the 'Tahs, it's far more likely that a call would go against the Reds. Which, in my mind, make's it a higher percentage play than usual.

 

[drewprint]

I think Carter spent more energy yelling and backslapping than he did playing actual footy.

 

[Swarley]

Not exactly gracious is Phil Waugh.

Phil Waugh is an arrogant, disrespectful and extremely bitter cretin. He cannot and will not concede that the Waratahs fall to pieces under pressure and that the Reds are clearly the superior Australian franchise. Watching his interview has eliminated any respect I had for him, his dismissive and pathetic attitude was extremely off-putting. Well done the Reds on a well deserved win.

 

[TOCC]

Biggest loser of the game: Drew Mitchell and the Wallabies. Love to see another replay, but from the looks of the one they showed on Fox it sure looked like Higgers owes Australia an apology for being a fuckwit.

get your hand off it buddy, every team does it in every game, it was pure bad luck that Mitchell got injured like he did

 

[cyclopath]

Just to throw another thought out there.
With the RWC coming, it was interesting to see how a team with all the attacking bling in the world can be stymied by one hell bent on an old-fashioned arm-wrestle that's uglier than Susan Boyle with a hangover. Not that I really want to see that style of play being propagated, but it is interesting how brutally effective it can be, and how, with a team that was slightly better able to exploit it, it might well have won.
Full credit to the Reds for having the spine to bludgeon it out defensively in that last 20 minutes.

 

[Bullrush]

He ruled it hadn't definitely crossed the line, was a maul held up therefore turnover. The reasoning seems logical, if the interpretation of the actual situation seems completely wrong - I mean 5 or 6 Tahs players were over the line. I agree 5m scrum to Tahs, but the way he explained it, it was correct, if you see what I mean?

carter was called to have been short not held-up. If he called that he was short then it's the Tahs 5m scrum....if he called held-up (which it wasn't at all) then it's the Reds ball.

 

[Spewn]

Carter is about the only player in the Tahs backline (bar Mitchell) who you would expect to make the gain line more often than not.

Big deal. Go and play league if you think crash ball is all you need at 12.

 

[vidiot]

every team does it in every game, it was pure bad luck that Mitchell got injured like he did

He definitely ran a line in front of Mitchell to block his run. Thats it. Just one of those things.

 

[daz]

Ah, what the hell. I may as well get this out of the way first:

Dear non-Reds supporters. Cop that.

 

[Gnostic]

Just to throw another thought out there.
With the RWC coming, it was interesting to see how a team with all the attacking bling in the world can be stymied by one hell bent on an old-fashioned arm-wrestle that's uglier than Susan Boyle with a hangover. Not that I really want to see that style of play being propagated, but it is interesting how brutally effective it can be, and how, with a team that was slightly better able to exploit it, it might well have won.
Full credit to the Reds for having the spine to bludgeon it out defensively in that last 20 minutes.

Cyclo only when the referee doesn't ref the breakdown properly or the set piece. Virtually all the lineouts in the 2nd half were crooked and few people rolled away from the tackle, especially in the first half with Walsh - who is RWC ref this year.

 

[minorbird]

Big deal. Go and play league if you think crash ball is all you need at 12.

If you think that is all that Tom Carter offers the Tahs, you must not be watching the same player I am.

 

[cyclopath]

get your hand off it buddy, every team does it in every game, it was pure bad luck that Mitchell got injured like he did

It was bad luck, but Higgers moved across when he ought not have. It was in no way malicious at all. Very hard to see how Drew managed to dork himself so badly even so - normally you would just crash into the other guy and go for a Hollywood penalty.
Just horrible luck all round.

 

[Richo]

get your hand off it buddy, every team does it in every game, it was pure bad luck that Mitchell got injured like he did

Not sure who puts their hand on it for something like that but you do as you please, champ.

 

[cyclopath]

Cyclo only when the referee doesn't ref the breakdown properly or the set piece. Virtually all the lineouts in the 2nd half were crooked and few people rolled away from the tackle, especially in the first half with Walsh - who is RWC ref this year.

Gnostic, I am not sure how that statement is relevant to what I posted?

 

[daz]

Just to throw another thought out there.
With the RWC coming, it was interesting to see how a team with all the attacking bling in the world can be stymied by one hell bent on an old-fashioned arm-wrestle that's uglier than Susan Boyle with a hangover. Not that I really want to see that style of play being propagated, but it is interesting how brutally effective it can be.

Just think; the muppets in the NH put up with that "old-fashioned arm-wrestle" for 80 minutes, week in week out. They call it rugby, too....

 

[Hawko]

yep, fair enough. I'm just not a huge fan of repeatedly going for the penalty try from a 5 metre scrum.

It's such a low percentage play.

Only because referees are so afraid to award penalty tries when the dominant scrum is collapsed repeatedly. On tonight's game you'd say the rule was 4 collapses = a warning and you need at least 3 more to get a try. Disgraceful refereeing.

And to add insult to injury Carter's try was ruled inconclusive by the TMO. The referee ruled that "I couldn't see" = must have been short. That's a nonsense. Then he ruled that it was a collapsed maul and therefore a turnover. No thought as to why it collapsed on the line when it had stayed up for 15 metres. So the dominant team is penalised because the TMO couldn't see and the magical cause of the collapse must have been the Waratahs. If you believe in fairies.....

 

[GC]

Reds in the clear on top of the table, aren't they? I like that. I like it a lot.

 

[TOCC]

Not sure who puts their hand on it for something like that but you do as you please, champ.

ha, ah yep..

Open your eyes, even NSW players do it every week, every team does it, it was hardly malicious, just unlucky in the way that Mitchell fell

 

[cyclopath]

Big deal. Go and play league if you think crash ball is all you need at 12.

I'm pretty sure that wasn't what he was saying. The point was Carter on a short ball would have been a good option that close.
Harris and Fainga'a crashed it up well too, I noticed. They must have been doing it in a "better", more Rugby-like way, I guess.