Super Rugby Round 2: Waratahs v Stormers
- Thread starter Hawko
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Well, the defence was better than last year, and we still managed to score tries. The carries were not bad, ran a few good mauls, but our ruck ball security was really poor. So, some things better than 2017, some the same. Plenty to work on. I get the impression the Tahs will score enough points to generally be competitive, but the stronger teams will test them more severely in set piece and breakdown. The real concern is the scrum will be an identified liability by opponents and refs alike, so it could be a loooong season. Players like Kepu, Latu and Dempsey for starters will be a boost.
Equally the Stormers handed the game to the Tahs - i’m not sure the Sharks will that forgiving this week.
The Tahs were clearly unbelievably lucky to win that game. It should have ended up with a draw. Kudos to the Tahs though for scoring the try following the Stormers stuffing up their lineout. To execute in those phases with the game on the line is not something the Tahs have done for a few years. Particularly pleasing when that involved players like young debutant Harry Johnson-Holmes having to catch, draw a man and pass in a short space etc.
The scrum was diabolical and they have to improve that. Kepu is still a couple of weeks away and won't turn it around entirely on his own. It was bad enough that it should have cost them the game but somehow they did enough good things elsewhere to come up with the win.
The breakdown needs improvement. They got driven off their own ball a few times.
The exits were shocking and cost the Tahs two of the three tries they conceded. Failing to exit after scoring points has been a killer for the Waratahs (and Wallabies) for a couple of years. It simply has to improve.
The lineout was good and needs to continue that way. It helps make up a tiny bit relative to getting smashed in the scrums.
Wells needs to improve. He made too many errors and didn't make up for it with his workrate.
Staniforth is ineffective in attack but he topped the tackle count easily. He runs the ball into contact often without denting the defence but has been good ensuring the Tahs control possession. He is somewhat suffering from an expectation that he should be a big barnstorming ball runner which he isn't.
I think having him take into contact and recycle possession without really trying to get through the defence is somewhat of a tactic. If you watch the Tahs playmakers, it is often about just trying to shift the phase of attack across the field so they can pull in a different set of defenders and then shift the next attacking phase to somewhere where they think they have an advantage or mismatch. Beale, Foley and Folau combined very well on numerous occasions to turn pretty innocuous looking situations into huge metres out wide.
If the Tahs scrum had been stronger and they hadn't botched their exits so badly they would have won that game easily. In general play they had the measure of the Stormers pretty comfortably.
The scrum was diabolical and they have to improve that. Kepu is still a couple of weeks away and won't turn it around entirely on his own. It was bad enough that it should have cost them the game but somehow they did enough good things elsewhere to come up with the win.
The breakdown needs improvement. They got driven off their own ball a few times.
The exits were shocking and cost the Tahs two of the three tries they conceded. Failing to exit after scoring points has been a killer for the Waratahs (and Wallabies) for a couple of years. It simply has to improve.
The lineout was good and needs to continue that way. It helps make up a tiny bit relative to getting smashed in the scrums.
Wells needs to improve. He made too many errors and didn't make up for it with his workrate.
Staniforth is ineffective in attack but he topped the tackle count easily. He runs the ball into contact often without denting the defence but has been good ensuring the Tahs control possession. He is somewhat suffering from an expectation that he should be a big barnstorming ball runner which he isn't.
I think having him take into contact and recycle possession without really trying to get through the defence is somewhat of a tactic. If you watch the Tahs playmakers, it is often about just trying to shift the phase of attack across the field so they can pull in a different set of defenders and then shift the next attacking phase to somewhere where they think they have an advantage or mismatch. Beale, Foley and Folau combined very well on numerous occasions to turn pretty innocuous looking situations into huge metres out wide.
If the Tahs scrum had been stronger and they hadn't botched their exits so badly they would have won that game easily. In general play they had the measure of the Stormers pretty comfortably.
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Reminds me of some of my best work on the offload stakes: "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS OVAL SHAPED THING? WHY DO I HAVE IT? CAN SOMEONE ELSE TAKE IT?" followed by a magnificently adequate shovelling action to give it to someone hopefully standing right next to me.
Right, thoughts on the game:
Second row were poo. Simmons is as Simmons does. Keep him the fuck away from the ball and we might be OK, but the guy who helped our scrum stand up at International level seems to have given up on the anaerobic bits. And the yellow card was just - well, expected. Staniforth wasn't much better, TBH. Coming up against teams who will have some serious grunt in the donkey department, we're in some trouble.
Front row were mostly poo. But we didn't do ourselves any favours by not pointing out to AFG how wrong he was at scrum time. Yes we got snapped most of the night, but jeez when it was their THP collapsing, shoulders-down, as Robertson towelled him, we didn't say boo!
Paddy Ryan is so fucking lazy. At one point a ruck formed 3m from him and we were getting outnumbered. He had a look, then stopped, and watched as we got driven off it. FFS.
Forwards in general got dominated around the ruck so that is something to work on.
Backs were OK in terms of execution. Gordon still step-passing a bit too much for my liking.
Tactically though we've got it all wrong - going wiiiiiiiiiiiiide like that all the time is going to get us killed, or produce magnificence.
I'm betting on the former unless our forwards start absolutely fisting the opposition.
Blackadder
Desmond Connor (43)
We needed to recruit big enforcing players to complement our workers but the mantra under Gibson is mobile forwards the same dumb idea that he wanted last year and look what happened then. Mix mobility with enforcers.
Paddy Ryan should never see the match squad again but we didn't buy experience. Hopefully the Fiji prop (Don't know anything about him but he looks like a monster) gets a run and does well.
Wells was rubbish and is not an 8.
Tom Robertson looks too light and funny thing is he has apparently put on weight. He really has gone a bit backwards but hopefully he will improve.
Too many times we were pushed off the ball by bigger players and it looked at times kids vs giants.
The young props came on and they really put their hands up to say we are going to give it a go.
No simmons, kepu or Dempsey is going to kill. Kepu should be on the plane we will need him.
Paddy Ryan should never see the match squad again but we didn't buy experience. Hopefully the Fiji prop (Don't know anything about him but he looks like a monster) gets a run and does well.
Wells was rubbish and is not an 8.
Tom Robertson looks too light and funny thing is he has apparently put on weight. He really has gone a bit backwards but hopefully he will improve.
Too many times we were pushed off the ball by bigger players and it looked at times kids vs giants.
The young props came on and they really put their hands up to say we are going to give it a go.
No simmons, kepu or Dempsey is going to kill. Kepu should be on the plane we will need him.
pissedoffihavetoregister
Alfred Walker (16)
Simmons didn't get on the plane due to a bad leg muscle. It might be a rough couple of weeks.
Scrubber2050
Mark Ella (57)
Tom Robertson had the most forgettable night of his life. He was just poor and not to Tah standard let alone Wallaby
Simmo was just OK but that was it.
Impressed with Damian Fitzy. He is class !
Beale did what Beale does and I love that "X" about the bloke.
Folau was just a class of his own - bloody awesome !
Fortunate to win but hey, a win is a win.
Simmo was just OK but that was it.
Impressed with Damian Fitzy. He is class !
Beale did what Beale does and I love that "X" about the bloke.
Folau was just a class of his own - bloody awesome !
Fortunate to win but hey, a win is a win.
Brumby Runner
Jason Little (69)
Absolutely described his playing style to a tee, BH. He is not the line breaker the Tahs are probably needing, but would at least be equal in most aspects to his partner (when he's on the field, that is).
For a bench that looked pretty light on, the Tahs got plenty of impact from it last night.
This is probably why Holloway will remain on the bench and Wells will start (at least for now). Holloway was an important part of that late punch as was Hugh Roach.
Nick Palmer and the two young props did a solid job too.
Those guys stepped up when the Tahs were down to 14 men and then got them home at the end. There is no doubt at all that Wells needs to improve and didn't do the job last night, but I think Holloway is an important part of the Tahs bench right now to provide impact in the last 30 minutes.
This is probably why Holloway will remain on the bench and Wells will start (at least for now). Holloway was an important part of that late punch as was Hugh Roach.
Nick Palmer and the two young props did a solid job too.
Those guys stepped up when the Tahs were down to 14 men and then got them home at the end. There is no doubt at all that Wells needs to improve and didn't do the job last night, but I think Holloway is an important part of the Tahs bench right now to provide impact in the last 30 minutes.
Scrubber2050
Mark Ella (57)
Strictly speaking you are correct.
But again, what a shithouse rule. The team that throws a shitty pass, one CAPABLE of being intercepted, receives a penalty and the other team is down one man for 10 minutes for taking advantage of shit play from the passer.
Downright F------g stupid. The bloke who throws the shit pass should get the yellow from his own coach.
Hawko
Tony Shaw (54)
I understood Kepu's suspension finished after round one. Three games meant two trials plus the first round. Do you have any better information? You understand my desperation!
Agree with the rest.
The suspension was one trial game plus the opening two Super Rugby games. http://www.news.com.au/sport/rugby/...n/news-story/9194f729411ba7894890178c2aec823b
Hawko
Tony Shaw (54)
I've read the article and still don't understand. How can the judiciary say one trial game is significant but not two? Given that SBW got to count his half-arsed trial in his suspension it seems that there are no rules as to what counts.
That is part of the problem with suspension being from all forms of the game. They can't just make it tests or Super Rugby games and let you play any other comp but then they've now decided that byes don't count as a week of suspension and that test players aren't going to play every trial/club game available.
There's also the problem that with there being a subjective judgement of which games count for the suspension that the quirks of each individual judiciary officer come into play.
Derpus
Nathan Sharpe (72)
It would make a thousand more sense to allow them to play club rugby and ban them from the competition within which the offense was committed and higher (including test).
formerflanker
Ken Catchpole (46)
One of the tiny (110kgs) back rowers crashed through a tackler to score the winning try.
Ironic, eh bro.
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