the number 12 that the waratahs is looking for.

[gladiator]

the inside center that the waratahs is looking for comes by the name of Tony "T-Rex" williams , who is currently playing for manly sea eagles in the nrl , at top speed , he can outrun digby ioane , and is a strong runner with a good offload .
he is also one of the hardest hitters in the nrl . he's only 22 . and is built for rugby union . hopefully someone can lure him to switch code . any thoughts ?

 

[rugbysmartarse]

I youtubed him - he's also a mean drummer

further research didnt turn up anything other than him running through Billy Slater Lomu style, but there are a few articles saying the tongan international rep wants to play league for NZ. not sure if he'd come over.

 

[ACT Crusader]

Bring back the Bus....

 

[gladiator]

theres alot of rugby union players who started out playing league , cant name them , but are going really well after making the switch , but yeah ,come over or not , i still think he would have made an impact playing union.

 

[Joe Mac]

I would like to see the Tah's pick up Mark Gasnier after his Union stint in France

 

[gladiator]

look at SBW , he made the switch , and is more of and impact then tom carter , i dont see why the waratahs cant look else where for a decent 12 .

 

[gladiator]

I would like to see the Tah's pick up Mark Gasnier after his Union stint in France

mark gasnier has past his prime , he's 30 now , i think

 

[fatprop]

With Beale leaving a 2/5 style 12 would be more suitable than a crash ball so we have a second playmaker

 

[barbarian]

I would like to see the Tah's pick up Mark Gasnier after his Union stint in France

You mean the Union stint he finished a year and a half ago?

He is playing for St George in the NRL, and was the centre for the Blues in the Origin last week.

 

[Torn Hammy]

Will he be as successful as Cooper Vuna at inside centre?

 

[gladiator]

With Beale leaving a 2/5 style 12 would be more suitable than a crash ball so we have a second playmaker

another playmaker ? , you mean another player to kick to the ball , this is the BIGGEST problem for the waratahs backline , noone to bust the line to create oportunity outwide , break the tackle and offload , this will create more opportunity's out wide , having another 2/5 style player to play 12 will limit the waratahs backline attack .

 

[gladiator]

Will he be as successful as Cooper Vuna at inside centre?

didnt think vuna was a success at inside centre ,( didnt think he was suited for centre anyways at first ) hence why he was moved to the wing , then from there to bench warming , vuna relies on his speed and needs space , totally different player to Tony.

 

[spectator]

The ideal No. 12 for the Tahs is already in the squad....Rob Horne. If he can get past his injuries he would be a revelation there and a centre pairing of Horne and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) in 2012 would be one of the strongest in the comp.

IMO, with Barnes' ongoing concussion issues 10. is the position of greatest concern in the backs. Admittedly Halangahu had a good game the other night, but back up is thin. Can Holmes be converted into a 10?

 

[DPK]

another playmaker ? , you mean another player to kick to the ball , this is the BIGGEST problem for the waratahs backline , noone to bust the line to create oportunity outwide , break the tackle and offload , this will create more opportunity's out wide , having another 2/5 style player to play 12 will limit the waratahs backline attack .

I'm pretty sure by "second playmaker" he meant "second playmaker". I think one of the main reasons the Tahs kick so much is that when they do run it, their plays are all basically one pass plays. Very very limiting.

Think about it; who in the side is a ball player and not a ball runner? Beale's a bit of both: can be devastating on his feet but has the skills to pass and put his team mates into space.

On the other hand, there's Cross, Carter, Turner, Pakalani, Anesi. All ball runners. Not really that creative, not players you can throw the ball to with nothing on and expect to create something.

 

[gladiator]

your missing my point here mate , my point is , ..... you really need a inside centre who can bulldozers his way through defence , look at the stormers , there defence wins them alot of there games , and when you play against them , you really need guy's in your backline who can break their defence by ploughing through them , at the moment , Tom carter is easy pickings .

theres some player characteristic that is missing from the waratahs backline ...
we do have the ball players = beale
two types of ball runners .. straight = turner , anesi , cross and carter.
.. side stepper = pakalani
and bulldozers = ...noone .....

waratahs need a bulldozer type of a player at 12 , this will give more opportunities out wide .

on that note , ............ who would you prefer to be playing 12? and why ?

 

[DPK]

I'm not really sure who I'd prefer to see at 12 for the Tahs. The injuries now mean that choosing the Tahs backline is like one of those sliding tile puzzles.

Barnes could do it, Hangers could probably do it. One option that's bound to be unpopular is Beale doing it, which I think should have been tried earlier.

But I've got to take exception to the "Bulldozer" theory. I've got two reasons:

1. Running over people shouldn't be encouraged (HEAR ME OUT). I believe players should be taught to run at the spaces in between players rather than at players. This isn't revolutionary, I'm sure they've been doing it for years. This should be encouraged because it is easier to manufacture a clean break by running so that players are forced to tackle with their arms, which are much easier to bust through.
   
2. Players that actually do have the ability to run over people or bash through gaps with strength rather than sleight aren't as easy to come by as people say. Most of these players rely on natural talent, as well as their unique physical attributes, to achieve these busts. If it could be trained into people, it would.

I don't think there are any players that fit the "Bulldozer" description in Club Rugby. There aren't that many running around, to be honest. Maybe they could break the bank to get a leaguie, but that's a high risk venture. I'd rather they break the bank to get someone like Mathieu Bastareud, if anyone.

 

[Gnostic]

another playmaker ? , you mean another player to kick to the ball , this is the BIGGEST problem for the waratahs backline , noone to bust the line to create oportunity outwide , break the tackle and offload , this will create more opportunity's out wide , having another 2/5 style player to play 12 will limit the waratahs backline attack .

No it isn't. Their poor execution is their problem, be it catch pass, running lines, work off the ball or kicking. The Brumbies almost never kick and they worse than the Tahs, the Reds kick more than the Tahs (believe it or not) and they are immensely better than the Tahs simply because they execute their skills to a high level of accuracy and when they do throw a bad pass of poor kick they work immensely hard to make up for it.
Kicking effectively if an essential facet of Rugby, dont perpetuate the myth that the team that doesn't kick is better or desirable.

 

[Gnostic]

Holmes was always abetter 12 than 9. He could play there.

 

[#1 Tah]

No one will manage to knock TC off anyway.

 

[Tangawizi]

At 192cm and 114kgs Williams certainly has the size to make an impact - which is probably why he chose league for the up and down confrontations. Don't think Williams has ever played the XV man game though has he?

Tahs might be better off chasing Joseph Tomane of the Titans who had a strong schoolboy rugby career and I believe is off contract next season. He hasn't quite cracked it as a regular first-grader yet though. I think the Tahs had a crack at signing him when he was 17 but at 21 he's not exactly past it either.