Semi 2: Stormers vs Tahs

[rustycruiser]

What a snoozefest, aside from Juan de Jongh's fantastic individual try:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btDuZ94TDqY

 

[Scarfman]

I would have been pretty excited about the Stomers's tackling if I was a supporter.

 

[rugbywhisperer]

This may seem a tad glib, but for a winger and a running back who has played so well this year, Mitchell sure liked to kick a bit in this game.
I must do a replay and use some analysis but it appeared to me that he was happier to kick away posession than to retain and/or run the ball, sometimes with support around him, so the urgency wasn't there.
I really do hate to see good posession kicked away indiscriminately and it appeared to me that the Tahs, after two or three good weeks of running the ball decided they didn't like running and went back to their old tricks.

 

[#1 Tah]

Well done Paarl, your boys didn't let you down and were the better team on the day. just watch out next year when you have to play in front of 45 thousand screaming Tahs fans next year!

 

[RugbyFuture]

Well done Paarl, your boys didn't let you down and were the better team on the day. just watch out next year when you have to play in front of 45 thousand screaming Tahs fans next year!

80 thousand

 

[Moses]

Well done Paarl, hope you smash the Brutes in Soweto next week. Are you taking the oxwagon up north?

I've put up a brief match review and some video
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/gutted/

 

[mark_s]

Well done stormers. Very convincing performance. The bulls will need their power game to be at its best to bust you guys open. Will be a tight final but my money will be on the stormers.

Overall, it was a good season for the tahs and you exceeded my expectations espcially given the injuries to palu and fat cat. More consistency and adventure is needed to win this comp but I think its possible with this player group. IMO, this has been our best season for some time (I put it above 2008) even though we didn't make the final.

 

[Scarfman]

Hmmm. Maybe. I'm still not sure what the Tahs' game plan is.

 

[TheRiddler]

Hmmm. Maybe. I'm still not sure what the Tahs' game plan is.

Puts you in the same club as Hickey and Barnes. I think that Waugh may be the only one that knows and hasnt shared it with anyone else.

 

[naza]

Not a lot of chat on the game. Not just because it was a demoralising loss. But because the problems seen on the park are deja vu to weary Tahs supporters.

Turnovers killed us. Hard to make a case for "expansive rugby" when handling skills are so poor. Or is the arguement that because the Tahs' attack is so predictable, defensive pressure is greater, leading to more errors ?

We were outmuscled everywhere. Most glaring was the 103kgs Carter getting belted repeatedly by their midget 12.
Just the overall lack of intensity and fire at times...

Poor tactics. eg: Aplon and Pieterson are Hobbit sized yet we didn't exploit them in the air. Our defenders' obsession with pilfering at the ruck instead of cleaning out. Barnes set deep and kick happy. Again.

Phil Waugh. Its not so much the bonehead penalties that bothers me. Its the control freak in him that posseses him to derail the Tahs attack by constantly injecting himself into first receiver. The Tahs can't take the next step with Waugh holding them back.

One thing about the game - why no neutral ref ? Aussie Stu Dickinson worked the Bulls vs Saders so why a Saffer for the Stormers vs Tahs ?

 

[#1 Tah]

Not a lot of chat on the game. Not just because it was a demoralising loss. But because the problems seen on the park are deja vu to weary Tahs supporters.

Turnovers killed us. Hard to make a case for "expansive rugby" when handling skills are so poor. Or is the arguement that because the Tahs' attack is so predictable, defensive pressure is greater, leading to more errors ?

We were outmuscled everywhere. Most glaring was the 103kgs Carter getting belted repeatedly by their midget 12.
Just the overall lack of intensity and fire at times...

Poor tactics. eg: Aplon and Pieterson are Hobbit sized yet we didn't exploit them in the air. Our defenders' obsession with pilfering at the ruck instead of cleaning out. Barnes set deep and kick happy. Again.

Phil Waugh. Its not so much the bonehead penalties that bothers me. Its the control freak in him that posseses him to derail the Tahs attack by constantly injecting himself into first receiver. The Tahs can't take the next step with Waugh holding them back.

One thing about the game - why no neutral ref ? Aussie Stu Dickinson worked the Bulls vs Saders so why a Saffer for the Stormers vs Tahs ?

How they had a saffa ref and 2 saffa touchies is beyond me.

 

[PaarlBok]

Thanks Manne. All still feel a bit unreal for having the Stormers finally in the S14 final for the first time. Please forgive my last post, should know better to post after having a bit to much charge office coffees and all emotional.

Like most of you lot qouted the Stormers defense was incredible and so were the Newlands faithfull. I almost feel soory for the Tahs before kick off, the noise and emotions from the crowd, probably the most intimidating venue in the world.

Also very proud of Duvenhage who did not had a dominating pack last night but still deliver a very good service and putting his body on the line in brave defense.

Like my oldest son told me after the game, good defense is the best offense and Rusty, myself thought it was very hard and physical out there.

The final isnt a dream for us anymore, its a reality and probably Mount Everest to climb but this Stormer team will know what they need to do. On their day they'll beat any team no matter where.

 

[PaarlBok]

Oh one last thing, those critizing Lawrense get a grip man. I thought he was more leniant to the Tahs then the Stormers. He was no way one sided and even the flagmans, thought they were excellent , better then anything Aus or NZ can produce at this very moment. Dickenson the closest.

 

[Thomond78]

Oh, and while I didn't see this, I will see this to the Tahs fans who I was at the game with; for all that you feel you're cocking up the same way - you're doing it in the semis, at least, lads. And against a very, very, very good team.

You're making progress. You had a good season. Keep the faith. :thumb

 

[topo]

Oh one last thing, those critizing Lawrense get a grip man. I thought he was more leniant to the Tahs then the Stormers. He was no way one sided and even the flagmans, thought they were excellent , better then anything Aus or NZ can produce at this very moment. Dickenson the closest.

Have to agree with you there PB. I mightn't have agreed with all his decisions but he was pretty clear to the players and most importantly he was consistent. Certainly better than the other referee Lawrence and less controversial than skid Marks and Steve "tough stickers" Walsh.

Your boys thoroughly deserved their win. All the best for next week, PB.

 

[fatprop]

Not a lot of chat on the game. Not just because it was a demoralising loss. But because the problems seen on the park are deja vu to weary Tahs supporters.

Turnovers killed us. Hard to make a case for "expansive rugby" when handling skills are so poor. Or is the arguement that because the Tahs' attack is so predictable, defensive pressure is greater, leading to more errors ?

We were outmuscled everywhere. Most glaring was the 103kgs Carter getting belted repeatedly by their midget 12.
Just the overall lack of intensity and fire at times...

Poor tactics. eg: Aplon and Pieterson are Hobbit sized yet we didn't exploit them in the air. Our defenders' obsession with pilfering at the ruck instead of cleaning out. Barnes set deep and kick happy. Again.

We were stopped from getting any go forward around the ruck. So we started to throw 20/80 passes to make yards and the turnovers ramped up. Without that go forward we couldn't exploit their small men out wide.

My concern with the Tahs pack was that they didn't adapt and move to pods and have the runner attached to a driver on his hip to try to get yards that way. It was too one out.

The only forward getting forward momentum was Nau, the rest of the pack was being monstered in the tackle as they are about workrate and mobility. I expect to see Hickey trolling the world for some running forwards to support/develop below Palu.

 

[Lindommer]

One thing about the game - why no neutral ref? Aussie Stu Dickinson worked the Bulls v Saders so why a Saffer for the Stormers v Tahs?

The offside lines could've been managed a LOT better by the TJ/ARs. Teams get away with what they can and to my eye the Stormers infringed mightily here, which had the effect of making their defence look better than it should. For the life of me I don't understand why TJ/ARs don't stand on the line of offside and inform the ref of transgressions. Especially if they're miked, as Super refs and TJ/ARs are.

 

[Scarfman]

Yeah - agree Lindo. They really were too far offside and weren't called for it once, IIRC. Very poor, but of course, the Stormers were very impressive and desreved the win.

 

[cyclopath]

Oh, and while I didn't see this, I will see this to the Tahs fans who I was at the game with; for all that you feel you're cocking up the same way - you're doing it in the semis, at least, lads. And against a very, very, very good team.

You're making progress. You had a good season. Keep the faith. :thumb

A very good point, Thomo.
This Stormers team will be the hardest nut to crack - defensively they are extremely efficient. The Tahs got some good go forward in the second half, but just didn't have the back up to convert to points, and as fatprop noted, resorted to some low percentage play to try and overcome it.
The Bulls will need to go up a gear to score the points. That said, they have a greater capacity to score them than the Stormers in some ways.
Should be a great final.

 

[Scotty]

From memory the Tahs were pinged 2 or 3 times for being offside, but the Stormers not once, which was ridiculous considering they were 1m in front of the line a lot of the time. Hell, I don't remember seeing Burger behind the last feet once! The Tahs still would have lost, so it had no bearing, but it is hard to swallow that there are no penalties against the Stormers for being offside. The refing of the offside line and at the breakdown (where he allowed tacklers to hold onto the tackled player on the ground) is what slowed this game down a lot, and blunted both sides attack.

Oh one last thing, those critizing Lawrense get a grip man. I thought he was more leniant to the Tahs then the Stormers. He was no way one sided and even the flagmans, thought they were excellent , better then anything Aus or NZ can produce at this very moment. Dickenson the closest.

I have only watched the first half of the Saders vs Bulls game so far, but I reckon the performances of Dickenson was the best 40minute refing I have seen this season so far. He had confidence, good communication, good positioning and had the guts to call tries himself without the need to go to the video ref (he called one that the video ref probably wouldn't have seen, because he was in the best position). He isn't always that good, but that first half performance was right up there with the best.