Reds vs Waratahs - the war before the war

[What2040]

Jeez Hawko I wish we had unbiased Barry Gomersall (if only he was in Rugby) in the centre for all Reds games

 

[Sully]

Who was the Qld ref?

 

[suckerforred]

Heaps of talk on here about how well the Queensland backs will go in the two games this year. But apart from one moment of Cooper brilliance last year the games were primarily forward dominated. In the first one the Waratahs totally dominated the Reds pack, in the second it was a forward battle of attrition for most of the game won by the Reds goal line defence with a little help from the Queensland ref.
.

how well the Queensland backs will go - that is because most of us thnink that is an arguement we can win.

with a little help from the Queensland ref - from my memory of being at the game... Steve Walsh was on the first half, but blew a calf, and I can't remember who was the second half ref. Sure someone can tell us.

 

[p.Tah]

Steve Walsh was on the first half, but blew a calf...

sounds like a mad Monday prank that's gone horribly wrong...

 

[Blue]

Why do the Australian media keep referring to Pretorious as "discarded"?

That Tahs made him an offer and he accepted it.

He was hardly discarded and if he has a cracker season he has every chance of making a Bok squad because Meyer, unlike the clowndecessor will pick on form, regardless of where a guy is playing.

 

[suckerforred]

sounds like a mad Monday prank that's gone horribly wrong...

More like mad Saturday.....

 

[emuarse]

Why do the Australian media keep referring to Pretorious as "discarded"?

Blue, I think he was discarded from the Springbok world cup squad, or so I read somewhere.

 

[Cutter]

The interesting thing for me is how critical all but devout Reds supporters (and then only in the last year or two) are of Saia Fainga'a. Although he's clearly not the athlete or physical force of either Moore or TPN, he consistently out performs. I don't feel particularly safe with him in a Wallabies jumper, but he's a damn good player for the Reds and an important part of the way they play. He may or may not be superceded by Hanson this year, but he's contributed enormously over the last two years.

 

[Sully]

I'm a firm fan of Saia. I haven't seen Hanson out play faingaatwins yet


Sent using Tapatalk on a very old phone

 

[fatprop]

Why do the Australian media keep referring to Pretorious as "discarded"?

It makes for a better story

The rejected, starting again, against the odds, coming through adversity

Then redemption etc etc

 

[What2040]

The interesting thing for me is how critical all but devout Reds supporters (and then only in the last year or two) are of Saia Fainga'a. Although he's clearly not the athlete or physical force of either Moore or TPN, he consistently out performs. I don't feel particularly safe with him in a Wallabies jumper, but he's a damn good player for the Reds and an important part of the way they play. He may or may not be superceded by Hanson this year, but he's contributed enormously over the last two years.

agree Cutter - but think he has always been suspect at scrum time whereas TPN and Moore are great at scrums (and Moore in particular excellant around the field in general). Hanson is an up and comer who is not only good in the loose but brings a little more to the scrum and the Reds need to maximise that front row effort (he seems to bring that little bit of mongrel). Seems like Reds have plenty of depth at 2 with Saaia, Hanson and Anae (can also cover THP and LHP)

 

[Schadenfreude]

Watched the Grand Final again last night - I'm going to have to put Tapuai in my fantasy rugby team.

 

[spectator]

Watched the Grand Final again last night - I'm going to have to put Tapuai in my fantasy rugby team.

He scored an opprtunistic try right at the start of the trial match on the weekend, from his own chargedown I think. Looked quite sharp.

 

[Ruggo]

The whole Reds front row will be a year wiser this year. They have some very knowledgable people keeping the faith in them we need to remember that when we criticise them. People in the know and in positions of power see something in them and that is a plain and simple fact that holds credibility. I think we will see much improvement at scrum time from the Reds front row.

 

[redstragic]

Watched the Grand Final again last night - I'm going to have to put Tapuai in my fantasy rugby team.

That try he scored against the Blues backing up for Quade shows his football brain. Great footwork and a brain. I really enjoy watching him play 12 and Ant play 13.

 

[Schadenfreude]

That try he scored against the Blues backing up for Quade shows his football brain. Great footwork and a brain. I really enjoy watching him play 12 and Ant play 13.

Saw him pick up a couple of similar low passes from Quade, and I'm not entirely sure they weren't deliberate.

 

[emuarse]

Just to get a bit of agro going in the war before the war, and to prove the bookies wrong, I'm sayin here why the Waratahs are going to lose the first of the Super 15 clashes between the two sides.
In the first instance, I see the Reds winning because they will be the better coached side on the night. Lets face it, Foley is untried as a head coach. In fact a newbie is nearer the term. He might learn during the season, but definitely a mark down for this clash.
Secondly, the Reds are going to have more grunt in the forwards. Rubbish you say? Well I have prepared a list of the likely two teams to start below, marking in bold who is likely to be the better player in each position. So why have I marked Daley, who couldn't get a spot in the world cup squad over Robinson, an automatic choice. Because Robinson is a slow starter to the season, which he has proved in the past, regularly. Like a good claret, he improves with the season. Slipper, his opposite scrummager, will come out firing after a less disruptive end-of-year with the Wallabies - also he's getting smarter with experience. The locks Simmons/Horwell v Mumm/Douglas are really no contest (even a die hard Tahs fan would have trouble arguing that), and Palu at eight really seems to be yesterday's player - a croc!
The backs are generally more closely matched but I see the Genea/Tapuai/Ioane Reds combining to run around the Tahs backs. I see Barnes & Harris playing a similiar style of game, with Barnes showing greater experience.


WARATAHS ..........................................REDS

1. Benn Robinson............................. Ben Daley
2. Tatafu Polota-Nau ........................James Hanson
3. Sekope Kepu.................................James Slipper
4. Dean Mumm................................... Rob Simmons
5. Kane Douglas ..............................James Horwill
6. Dave Dennis................................ Scott Higginbotham
7. Pat McCutcheon......................... Ben Robinson
8. Wycliff Palu .................................Jake Schatz
9. Sarel Pretorius............................. Will Genia
10. Berrick Barnes.......................... Mike Harris
11. Brackin Karauria-Henry ...............Digby Ioane
12. Tom Carter ..................................Ben Tapuai
13. Rob Horne................................. Anthony Fainga'a
14. Tom Kingston............................. Dom Shipperley
15. Adam Ashley-Cooper ................Luke Morahan

And finally, the Reds are a younger side with a captain who will inspire them on -I just can't see a true leader amongst the Tahs players.

 

[suckerforred]

Emu your colours didn't work. Or am I colour blind?

 

[emuarse]

Emu your colours didn't work. Or am I colour blind?

The colours did'nt work so I embolded the names instead.

 

[emuarse]

1. Benn Robinson............................. Ben Daley
2. Tatafu Polota-Nau ........................James Hanson
3. Sekope Kepu.................................James Slipper

Also note that the props will be 1 v 3 i.e Robinson v Slipper if you are wondering why Kepu & Slipper are both in bold.