Super Rugby Round 9, 2018 - Waratahs vs Reds - Saturday 14 April @ SCG

[Scrubber2050]

Maybe a 5/3 bench in case Perese’s knee gets the wobbles?

That shouldn't be at issue. Play the bloke if he's 100% fit and if he's not he should be in the grandstand.

 

[Braveheart81]

If they played a 6:2 bench Petaia would drop off.

Stewart as the backup 10/12/15, Kerevi as the backup 13, CFS/Toua as the backup winger so it could work.

 

[Zero_Cool]

It will be interesting to see how well Liam Wright stands up to Hooper in the open flanker contest. He will definitely be fresher in that Hooper has played non-stop except for a bye.

I actually think Hooper's been very average this season. Maybe it's just bias but while Hooper has moments of brilliance the last time I through 'fuck he's had a good game' with Hooper was early 2017.
I do really rate Wright, I think he's edging closer to a look in for the Wallabies Squad (both he and ASY (Angus Scott-Young)) and in fact they are each probably the biggest obstacle to their inclusion in the Wallabies. Wright reminds me a lot of a taller Pocock! While ASY (Angus Scott-Young) is more in the George Smith mold.

 

[Zero_Cool]

If they played a 6:2 bench Petaia would drop off.

Stewart as the backup 10/12/15, Kerevi as the backup 13, CFS/Toua as the backup winger so it could work.

That's what I would have done. Then you'd take Hockings/Blyth too. I'm not sure how much Petaia is going to give us, if our backs are touching the ball and it's not from an offload we probably aren't playing as effectively as we should.

 

[Scrubber2050]

I actually think Hooper's been very average this season. Maybe it's just bias but while Hooper has moments of brilliance the last time I through 'fuck he's had a good game' with Hooper was early 2017.
I do really rate Wright, I think he's edging closer to a look in for the Wallabies Squad (both he and ASY (Angus Scott-Young)) and in fact they are each probably the biggest obstacle to their inclusion in the Wallabies. Wright reminds me a lot of a taller Pocock! While ASY (Angus Scott-Young) is more in the George Smith mold.

In respect of your penultimate sentence I say that Liam has a personality

 

[Up the Guts]

Timu going to be defending in a wide channel to help bring down Taqele? Can't really see Tui having the pace or agility to keep up with him and Liam Wright is probably too small currently.

Too bad Thor is out, if he and Taqele met the shockwaves may well have brought down the old SCG Members stand.

 

[Sully]

I actually think Hooper's been very average this season. Maybe it's just bias but while Hooper has moments of brilliance the last time I through 'fuck he's had a good game' with Hooper was early 2017.
I do really rate Wright, I think he's edging closer to a look in for the Wallabies Squad (both he and ASY (Angus Scott-Young)) and in fact they are each probably the biggest obstacle to their inclusion in the Wallabies. Wright reminds me a lot of a taller Pocock! While ASY (Angus Scott-Young) is more in the George Smith mold.

I think you're wrong about Hooper. He's in Good form IMHO

 

[cyclopath]

I think you're wrong about Hooper. He's in Good form IMHO

Hooper's doing fine. He might not do what many think he ought to do (and I don't really want to have that conversation for the hundredth time), but he's doing what Gibson wants him to do and doing it well. He plays lots of minutes, makes a lot of tackles, has forced some turnovers, and makes run metres. I'd prefer a lower YC count, but the one last match looked very much he "sacrificed" himself knowing full well he would get marched (almost started walking before the card appeared), but probably stopping a try. Very Kiwi of him! It worked out, but a bloody risk, and not ideal play at all.

 

[A mutterer]

Hooper's doing fine. He might not do what many think he ought to do (and I don't really want to have that conversation for the hundredth time), but he's doing what Gibson wants him to do and doing it well. He plays lots of minutes, makes a lot of tackles, has forced some turnovers, and makes run metres. I'd prefer a lower YC count, but the one last match looked very much he "sacrificed" himself knowing full well he would get marched (almost started walking before the card appeared), but probably stopping a try. Very Kiwi of him! It worked out, but a bloody risk, and not ideal play at all.

cmon, we all know if he was wearing a black jersey no-one would have even seen him lying there.

 

[dru]

I dont think Hooper is at his usual high standard. Enough to consider opening a WB 7 slot to others. Noting that he is hard to unseat.

That is not suggesting that the guy is not dangerous even if not in form. Still, I thought another Dwyer spray wouldn’t hurt.

Guess I’ll take a closer look this weekend and see if I can pick up whatever I am missing.

 

[Derpus]

Hooper's doing fine. He might not do what many think he ought to do (and I don't really want to have that conversation for the hundredth time), but he's doing what Gibson wants him to do and doing it well. He plays lots of minutes, makes a lot of tackles, has forced some turnovers, and makes run metres. I'd prefer a lower YC count, but the one last match looked very much he "sacrificed" himself knowing full well he would get marched (almost started walking before the card appeared), but probably stopping a try. Very Kiwi of him! It worked out, but a bloody risk, and not ideal play at all.

Living life on the edge

 

[Scrubber2050]

As always Beale is the dangerous man on the field.....

If he can be shut down, at least contained or smashed
relentlessly by CFS and/or Kerevi the Tahs are a 10 point lesser team.

Expect plenty of direct forward play by the Reds and plenty of "get it to the backs"
by the Tahs.

 

[Scrubber2050]

Hooper's doing fine. He might not do what many think he ought to do (and I don't really want to have that conversation for the hundredth time), but he's doing what Gibson wants him to do and doing it well. He plays lots of minutes, makes a lot of tackles, has forced some turnovers, and makes run metres. I'd prefer a lower YC count, but the one last match looked very much he "sacrificed" himself knowing full well he would get marched (almost started walking before the card appeared), but probably stopping a try. Very Kiwi of him! It worked out, but a bloody risk, and not ideal play at all.

Cyclo

I think you will be having that conversation for as long as Hooper plays at 7.

IMO he will be remembered as a very good rugby player but only as the second best 7.

He will never achieve that "God-like" (can I even use those words in the current hateful climate) status of one, David Pocock.
(Personally I think that is probably unfair to Michael but David has been put so high on a pedestal by many, he is untouchable
and cannot be criticised in any way).

 

[cyclopath]

Cyclo

I think you will be having that conversation for as long as Hooper plays at 7.

IMO he will be remembered as a very good rugby player but only as the second best 7.

He will never achieve that "God-like" (can I even use those words in the current hateful climate) status of one, David Pocock.
(Personally I think that is probably unfair to Michael but David has been put so high on a pedestal by many, he is untouchable
and cannot be criticised in any way).

No. Others will have a monologue. It's different.

 

[Brumby Runner]

As always Beale is the dangerous man on the field...

If he can be shut down, at least contained or smashed
relentlessly by CFS and/or Kerevi the Tahs are a 10 point lesser team.

Expect plenty of direct forward play by the Reds and plenty of "get it to the backs"
by the Tahs.

Beale had a shocker in defense against the Sunwolves - missed tackles that directly led to tries on at least two, maybe more, occasions. Reds need to exploit this weakness.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Cyclo

I think you will be having that conversation for as long as Hooper plays at 7.

IMO he will be remembered as a very good rugby player but only as the second best 7.

He will never achieve that "God-like" (can I even use those words in the current hateful climate) status of one, David Pocock.
(Personally I think that is probably unfair to Michael but David has been put so high on a pedestal by many, he is untouchable
and cannot be criticised in any way).

Criticise away Scrubber; free speech and all that. Wasn't it you who implied Pocock had no personality?

 

[Scrubber2050]

Criticise away Scrubber; free speech and all that. Wasn't it you who implied Pocock had no personality?

BUT he's a fucking good football player.

 

[Up the Guts]

Some may say that the Reds will dominate in the forwards with their bigger pack but so far the Waratahs have won comfortably against two sides with big packs in the Rebels and the Brumbies. When the Waratahs have looked at their worst it's been because they put themselves under pressure through mistakes such as against the Jaguares and the 1st half against the Rebels (and a lesser extent the Brumbies). I don't think differences in size between packs counts for as much in Super Rugby as it does in tests because the skill differential in backlines in Super Rugby often means teams with smaller forward packs can still score tries despite not having front foot ball.

If the Waratahs don't make too many mistakes then it'll be pretty hard for the Reds to win imho.

 

[fatprop]

 

[Zero_Cool]

Some may say that the Reds will dominate in the forwards with their bigger pack but so far the Waratahs have won comfortably against two sides with big packs in the Rebels and the Brumbies. When the Waratahs have looked at their worst it's been because they put themselves under pressure through mistakes such as against the Jaguares and the 1st half against the Rebels (and a lesser extent the Brumbies). I don't think differences in size between packs counts for as much in Super Rugby as it does in tests because the skill differential in backlines in Super Rugby often means teams with smaller forward packs can still score tries despite not having front foot ball.

If the Waratahs don't make too many mistakes then it'll be pretty hard for the Reds to win imho.

Conversely, if the Reds don't make too many mistakes it'll be pretty hard for the Waratahs to win... That is to say it's hard to score points without the ball.

I think the difference between the Rebels and the Reds is that the Rebels haven't really shown that fight to get back in a game, whereas the Reds have shown they probably have more fight than tallent.

I think the Waratahs have the edge in terms of the injuries and I expect a Waratahs win, but as RugbyReg said Brad Thorn has never lost two in a row!