Well I've watched the match again, this time with less fury (although the pain is not yet dulled).
Lawrence was very consistent and persistent. Maybe you could point to the Stormers being offside but never penalised as being inconsistent, but overall I agreed with the penalties he gave. I didn't agree with some of the penalties he didn't give, but he was consistent in that too. At the breakdown the Stormers played right on the edge of the laws (as interpreted by Lawrence), so managed to slow the ball (and even slyly steal some) without getting greedy (or unsubtle or stupid) and going for the steal every time (as the Waratahs did). In another game, with another ref, they might have been penalised, but in this Lawrence was very consistent. The problem for the Waratahs is that they didn't adjust. The other problemfor the Waratahs was that often the Stomers contested possession successfully, wholly within the laws, because of their superior tactics, technique, aggression size and strength at the breakdown.
The Waratahs had a chance right up until about the 60th minute (the score still being 13-6), but from then on they didn't really pose the right questions of the Stormers defence. There were plenty of 'what ifs?', as the Waratahs did manage a few very promising line breaks, but they broke down due to poor skills and decision making. One such break - Beale to TPN (running with the ball in two hands, and delivering a great pass) to Carter (carrying the ball in one hand and duely caught and dispossessed) is a case in point.
Phil Waugh had a good game, doing all the work he has done all season. Playing at 1st receiver?! Only when there was nothing else on - he certainly didn't break up any sweeping back line plays as seems to have been suggested. I don't have a problem with him being replaced - BUT ONLY BY SOMEONE WHO WOULD DO A BETTER JOB (do the Waratahs have such a player?). Many of the penalties were against the tackler not releasing rather than Waugh doing something wrong (there were too many of those though).
The size of the Waratahs pack as oppposed to the Stormers pack need not have been a problem. The scrum was solid to dominating (technique being the main deciding factor), and the lineout was also largely fine. The area where there was a problem was the difficulty the Waratahs had in disrupting the Stormers defensive line close to the ruck. If you are fitter and more mobile (but lighter) you can't try to smash through close to the ruck. Some other options include pick and drive, multiple running options at once (so no one runner can be 'lined up', even having options coming inside the crabbing Burgess would work. There is a reason players like Burger or Thorne (for the Crusaders) have had problems with head high tackles - when a faster opponent evades them with a clever pass or running line, they are unable to adjust the position of their hulking frames so throw out an arm. If, on the other hand, you try to go through them you'd want to be big and have a couple of buddies along for the ride. So for me the options are either bulk up or adjust the tactics.
The De jong try was some brilliance on his part and some very poor defending. I was very disappointed with Beale's miss - when someone makes a break like that the defender must close the distance quickly and commit to the tackle...Beale did neither.
The Waratah backs didn't get great ball, and as the game progressed they overplayed their hand out of desperation. which is understandable.
All in all, very disappointing but not utterly disasterous. The Stormers are a very strong team, and they were playing in Cape Town.
Congratulations and good luck (you'll need it) for next week.
