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

[Strewthcobber]

Tom Decent tweeting a crowd figure of 15,648

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[Derpus]

pretty decent (hah).

 

[Hawko]

People may be confused by the following, because for a while my name was on the match report on the front page (now corrected).

I watched the game after seeing the Highlanders/Brumbies game. That game was very high quality and I thought the Brumbies only deserved to lose by less than seven. But the Highlanders took EVERY single half chance and scored with it. It turned a very close match into a rout! For fairness sake, the Brumbies came back late pretty well.

Then I watched the Tahs/Reds game. The Reds had no attack plan at all except one pass crash ball. It was so easy for the Tahs to nullify it. The Waratahs scored off about 10% of their chances and blew the other 90%. God help them if the team last night came from Dunedin rather than Brisbane. It would have been a slaughter. The contrast to my eyes was stark.

Foley looked OK for most of the game only because of the quality of the opposition. He's making way too many basic skill errors - its as though his mental read on the game is just like it was but he is not on the same wavelength with his physical skills any more. I hope this is temporary. Big T started to do some of the things he needs to, like inside running off 10. But his finishing skills seemed to drop as he began to grow into the game I would like to see him play. His aerial skills are not like Folau's that's for sure, so we need to cut out the bomb to his wing, it needs to go to Newsome's wing instead. Rona was outstanding for mine, he's using the fact that everyone is waiting for the ball to go to Taqele to make some huge runs in midfield. He looks to be another real possibility to replace Kuridrani along with Hodge. (Kerevi does not play 13 well).

It was a measure of the level of our game that shortly after Lance forward-passed straight to Big T so he could score we felt so sorry for the Reds that we did the same to Daugunu. Its enough to make you weep. Can anyone remember any of the four good Kiwi teams doing that even once this season? My guess that any Kiwi perpetrator would die of shame the moment it happened.

The forwards were OK, just. I do have to eat my words about Wells though, he is playing way above his weight this year. Him at 6 and a big boppa at 8 is just a dream, but its a dream I would love to spill pixie dust on. Naisirani, Timu or Mafi, I don't care which.

Next week the Lions will be a huge step up. Their forwards are big, like the Reds, but fast like the Kiwis. Unless we learn not to try to score on every phase and instead build pressure, even at the expense of a turnover or two, we will get crushed. The number of turnovers we made through our mistakes was frightening.

We have just three weeks to take a huge step up in our play. Lions, bye, Blues is all the preparation time we will get before the blitzkreig! We have Highlanders, Crusaders and Chiefs in successive weeks. Two of those are away. Those three games will define our season.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

People may be confused by the following, because for a while my name was on the match report on the front page (now corrected).

I watched the game after seeing the Highlanders/Brumbies game. That game was very high quality and I thought the Brumbies only deserved to lose by less than seven. But the Highlanders took EVERY single half chance and scored with it. It turned a very close match into a rout! For fairness sake, the Brumbies came back late pretty well.

Then I watched the Tahs/Reds game. The Reds had no attack plan at all except one pass crash ball. It was so easy for the Tahs to nullify it. The Waratahs scored off about 10% of their chances and blew the other 90%. God help them if the team last night came from Dunedin rather than Brisbane. It would have been a slaughter. The contrast to my eyes was stark.

Foley looked OK for most of the game only because of the quality of the opposition. He's making way too many basic skill errors - its as though his mental read on the game is just like it was but he is not on the same wavelength with his physical skills any more. I hope this is temporary. Big T started to do some of the things he needs to, like inside running off 10. But his finishing skills seemed to drop as he began to grow into the game I would like to see him play. His aerial skills are not like Folau's that's for sure, so we need to cut out the bomb to his wing, it needs to go to Newsome's wing instead. Rona was outstanding for mine, he's using the fact that everyone is waiting for the ball to go to Taqele to make some huge runs in midfield. He looks to be another real possibility to replace Kuridrani along with Hodge. (Kerevi does not play 13 well).

It was a measure of the level of our game that shortly after Lance forward-passed straight to Big T so he could score we felt so sorry for the Reds that we did the same to Daugunu. Its enough to make you weep. Can anyone remember any of the four good Kiwi teams doing that even once this season? My guess that any Kiwi perpetrator would die of shame the moment it happened.

The forwards were OK, just. I do have to eat my words about Wells though, he is playing way above his weight this year. Him at 6 and a big boppa at 8 is just a dream, but its a dream I would love to spill pixie dust on. Naisirani, Timu or Mafi, I don't care which.

Next week the Lions will be a huge step up. Their forwards are big, like the Reds, but fast like the Kiwis. Unless we learn not to try to score on every phase and instead build pressure, even at the expense of a turnover or two, we will get crushed. The number of turnovers we made through our mistakes was frightening.

We have just three weeks to take a huge step up in our play. Lions, bye, Blues is all the preparation time we will get before the blitzkreig! We have Highlanders, Crusaders and Chiefs in successive weeks. Two of those are away. Those three games will define our season.

Your 4 good kiwi teams got me thinking.
Is it merely coincidence that the kiwi city most like an oz city is their worst team?

 

[Scrubber2050]

Congrats to the Tahs.

Kerevi's defence still shit, directly leading to first try.. The Smith boys ????? Get Sef back in there.

Jonno needs to be flatter.

Time to give Ready a shot. Mafi's 3 consecutive (i think) lineout throws just plain unacceptable.

A couple of blokes digging in every week, others need a BT kick up the arse.

 

[Ruggo]

Tahs look bloody good. Gibson clearly has a plan and it would make great reading going back through the tons of shit dumped on him by Tahs fans befor the season started.

They clearly won the physical battle despite the size difference, they were agile and they picked the Reds off at will. That pack might be small but technically they look well drilled and they clearly won the game up front.

Simmons was outstanding and I think his performance was a big fuck you to the Reds.

The Reds are a total disgrace. I was a supporter of Thorn and he has brought some good qualities to this side but overall I was wrong about him. He is an absolute fucking meat-head who couldn't find his arse from a hole in the ground. This childish, pigheaded bullshit over Quade has come at the cost of the Reds on-field performance and for a coach to refuse to work with any player without trying is piss weak on his part.

Quade Cooper is far from perfect but it is very clear after 9 rounds he has a far superior rugby brain than the sum of the Big Fucking Meat-Head and Totality Tony.

Be a man Brad, show you "care". Bring him back into the fold.

Simple fact is the Reds are tactically inept and were shown up big time by a side that was well drilled and played to an intelligent game plan.

Without vast improvement, the rest of the season is going to be very ugly.

Yours Truly
Pissed Off Reds Fan.

 

[fatprop]

Congrats to the Tahs.

Kerevi's defence still shit, directly leading to first try.. The Smith boys ????? Get Sef back in there.

Jonno needs to be flatter.

Time to give Ready a shot. Mafi's 3 consecutive (i think) lineout throws just plain unacceptable.

A couple of blokes digging in every week, others need a BT kick up the arse.

I still think the Reds need another play maker somewhere to take some of the pressure off Lance.

Paia'Aua is the logical choice, but that takes Kerevi's 12 spot pushing him to 13 where he is average.

The other option is Stewart from 15 or in better times Hunt

The other challenge is the Reds movement in attack, or lack of it. There is too much pass the parcel and hope that someone can break a one on one tackle. No second lines, no inside lines. Just not enough units in motion making to make defenders second guess

 

[Derpus]

Hunt never showed much in the way of distributing/playmaking.

Could Paia'aua play 15?

 

[fatprop]

Hunt never showed much in the way of distributing/playmaking.

Could Paia'aua play 15?

Disagree, he may not have the kicking game, but the rest is there

 

[Zero_Cool]

Hunt never showed much in the way of distributing/playmaking.

Could Paia'aua play 15?

Nah, I don't think Paia'aua is a good choice at 15, when he played 15 last year (I think just the one time) he was quite average, he doesn't inject himself enough and besides the real problem is with 10 not with 15 (not that Toua is ideal in any event). What you could do is Paia'aua at 10, Lance to 15 and stick with the SK-CFS centers, but if you're doing that it might be better to go with Stewart at 10.

 

[emuarse]

The player the Reds missed the most was 'Tongan Thor'.
His role in anchoring the scrum and making it a monster pack cannot be under estimated.
It is this ability that gives the Reds forwards dominance against their opponents.
Without TT, they are just an ordinary pack as the Waratahs forwards discovered.

 

[dru]

Quade Cooper is far from perfect but it is very clear after 9 rounds he has a far superior rugby brain than the sum of the Big Fucking Meat-Head and Totality Tony.

Be a man Brad, show you "care". Bring him back into the fold.

I see the issue being that Quade in coaching terms is a natural leader. You can see this in the way Souths are playing. This a) means Brad would have to either control or work with Quade in the squad; b) that a possible future coaching staffer on the squad is a possible future threat.

I dont see Brad changing mind and bringing in Quade when the team is doing poorly. Too much proof of the pudding. And of course there is no reason to bring in Quade if the team is going adequately. Catch 22.

Quade will need to look elsewhere for a Super gig, or look to support from QRU HQ don't have a wonderful record in treating the bloke with respect.

Summary: it's not happening without something monumental impacting the scenario.

 

[Ruggo]

Thorn is too pig-headed to bring Cooper back. As I said, the rest of the season is likely to be very ugly.

Reds are playing the most un-intelligent rugby in the com.

 

[Braveheart81]

I thought Phipps looked pretty sharp in his return. Had a good stint off the bench.

Gordon is in great form so Phipps won't be starting anytime soon but it is great to have his pace off the bench and taking some pressure off the minutes Gordon needs to play.

Pretty much the whole pack had good games. Simmons was excellent and Hanigan got through a ton of work (topped the tackle count).

 

[fatprop]

I thought Phipps looked pretty sharp in his return. Had a good stint off the bench.

Gordon is in great form so Phipps won't be starting anytime soon but it is great to have his pace off the bench and taking some pressure off the minutes Gordon needs to play.

Pretty much the whole pack had good games. Simmons was excellent and Hanigan got through a ton of work (topped the tackle count).

Phipps is rather good at driving the pigs at the back end of games

 

[Braveheart81]

Phipps is rather good at driving the pigs at the back end of games

I think that's also why he's highly likely to remain the bench option for the Wallabies. He's better at providing an impact role at halfback than the other contenders. I think Jake Gordon will be in the Wallaby squad though.

 

[fatprop]

I think that's also why he's highly likely to remain the bench option for the Wallabies. He's better at providing an impact role at halfback than the other contenders. I think Jake Gordon will be in the Wallaby squad though.

And won't that cause some consternation around these parts

 

[Pfitzy]

Can't be arsed reading ten pages of blather. Good guys won, that's all that matters.

Saw the score, thought Higgers must have been out there for the Reds. After all, they haven't won with him on the park this year. As it turns out, it was just a lack of ability to tackle Taqele. No shame in that: he's in some rare fitness at the moment and hard to bring down.

Watched the replay - Tahs flooded the Reds at every opportunity and didn't take any shit at the set piece. That's basically what it came down to.

Couple of nice ruck turnovers by that NSW #7 who isn't a real openside, too.

I see on social media people aren't saying "Quade" but they're saying "Jono has done a great job but we need a second playmaker"

I'd suggest maybe the problem is further out - these young gun kids that keep coming through the Reds system are sooooo young and Lance can't provide leadership to all of them.

Got some great forwards in Rodda, Timu, and Douglas, but that is a BIG pack and unless you keep it narrow, you're going to get buggered.

That's the irony of this Reds side: plenty of quality grunt, and plenty of quality backs. The trick is tying them together so that the backs can play while not forcing the forwards to run all over the park.

Every time I see Will Miller run, snarling, into contact, I get a smile on my face. What a player.

Nice try by HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes) there at the end, too. Bonus point, baby!

 

[Derpus]

^^^^
Wouldn't have thought keeping it tight would have been too much of an issue given their centers are Kerevi and CFS, neither being world renowned passers of the ball.

 

[Hawko]

And won't that cause some consternation around these parts

Yes, it probably will but it definitely shouldn't. Gordon has been a class above all the Australian halfbacks this year except Genia. Powell is not a guaranteed starter at the Brumbies for a reason, Tuttle is light years away from rep honours, Ruru is very raw and therefore inconsistent.

The Wallaby halfback pecking order should be:

1. Genia
2. Gordon
3. Phipps
4. Powell
5. Toss a coin. You could argue Short has looked better than the others in his time on the field.

Although Gordon is the best choice if Genia gets injured, I would not be surprised to find Phipps as the selected Wallaby finisher because of the energy he brings to the last quarter hour. I think Cheiks and co will spend about a minute discussing halfbacks and hours discussing other positions.