The Tahs 2009

[Lee Grant]

This is not poaching as other teams do.

It is strategic recruitment - and redresses some of the shameful pillaging by other teams in recent years.

Oh - you used the fishing icon.

Consider me hooked.

 

[fatprop]

Well, Chris Thomson has one thing you've been calling for in Oz second rowers: height. At 204cm (6'8.5" inches in the old scale) he's not what you'd term a halfling.

Those drpRats. When are they going to stop? :fishing :fishing :fishing

It all depends if he has some heart and a work ethic

 

[RugbyReg]

Hulking Waratahs recruit Ratu Nasiganiyavi admits he is still coming to terms with the daily grind of being a professional footballer, but he certainly isn't complaining.

The Fijian born former night-club bouncer has taken to pounding the pavement - or at least the training paddock - instead of patrolling it these days in preparation for his highly anticipated Super 14 debut.

At 196cm and an imposing 125kg, the Fijian-born winger with speed to burn is a superstar waiting to happen, but the man himself had no idea what lay ahead when he took a chance and made the move to Sydney this year following an unhappy stint in the West.

"Perth wasn't going too good for me with the rugby, I was always getting injured and whatnot," Nasiganiyavi told Sportal when asked of his time with Australian Rugby Championship franchise Perth Spirit.

"This year was a big surprise to me actually, my aim was just to rebuild my rugby playing for a club in Sydney."

"I honestly didn't come down here to try and get a contract I just came down here purely just play my rugby well and get ahead of things."

"A few good games and I've got to a position where I am now which I'm very grateful for and I have to thank a lot of people for getting me here too."

Those 'few good games' for the Galloping Greens - seven to be precise - yielded a staggering 13 tries prompting comparisons with All Blacks legend and 1995 World Cup hero Jonah Lomu.

Understandably, the 20-year-old younger cousin of Lote Tuqiri is quick to shy away from all the hype.

"I don't really talk about it (the Lomu comparison) much ... there are a lot of critics out there that say you're this and you're that but you've just got to play your own footy and let other people judge you," he said.

Asked what words of wisdom 66-Test veteran Tuqiri has offered, Nasiganiyavi revealed: "Just put your head down train hard and sort of just trust what got you here."

"You can write your own story I guess and that's pretty much all he's said - just to go hard."

"It's good that he's also here as well for a bit of guidance."

While most wingers hit the weights room as a matter of necessity, Nasiganiyavi is looking to trim down to a svelte 118kg in time for his debut season in a bid to break in to the Waratahs' highly competitive 22-man squad.

"We've been working hard on bringing the weight down with a lot of cardio (vascular work) and a lot of running," he explained.

"I'm not doing as many weights, I'm only lifting my body weight at the moment so the emphasis is on trying to bring down the body weight and get me at a good playing weight."

"I'm aiming at 118kg, I'm 125 at the moment, so I've got six or seven kilos to go."

he's 125kg? Can we assume he hasn't been doing much work since the end of season?

 

[rugbywhisperer]

Mate, I read that article and as a sprint coach among other things, 125kg winger - and they reckon he has speed to burn, I would need to see it before I believed it.
he is going to have an awful lot of inertia so evasive footwork is going to be at a premium and as far as acceleration is concerned ???
I may be wrong but thats a bit too big for a winger.

 

[Lee Grant]

You can't assume that Nod - because he was that big during the season.

The regime he describes is ideal for him. I thought he had to lose 8-10 kgs.

He fast enough and can run over people, but isn't a sprinter.

He had a dynamite beginning of the season but went over to Tonga to play in a coronation celebration match, was injured and was never quite the same when he came back.

I don't expect to see him starting in the S14 next year because of the weight and the skills he has to learn - but you never know - injuries can change all that thinking.

 

[fatprop]

Randwick were bitching and moaning at the end of the season that the Tahs were caning him and he kept breaking down.

 

[RugbyReg]

Dynamic Australian back-rower Cliffy Palu may opt to miss the 2009 Super 14 season to get his troublesome shoulder operated on.

Palu has been forced to quit the Wallabies' tour of Europe after re-damaging his shoulder and now believes he can no longer ignore the injury.

In a move which would have severe ramifications for NSW's Super 14 campaign next season, the hard-hitting No.8 is set to go under the knife early next year in a bid to be right for Australia's international campaign.

"It's not ideal but I'm prepared to miss next (Super 14) season because I want to get it right," Palu said from Wales on Thursday.

"It's something that's been giving me problems for too long now ? I can never get it 100 per cent."

"I don't want to (miss a season) but one day I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get the shoulder done."

"I'd prefer to do that so then it will never be a problem again.''

Palu missed the first two Tests of Australia's spring tour of Hong Kong and Europe due to a knee injury before coming off the bench against England and starting in the win over France.

While disappointed to be returning early, the 26-year-old forward is delighted with the team's progress under coach Robbie Deans.

The Wallabies went down to the All Blacks in Hong Kong before beating Italy, England and France to set-up a possible clean sweep of the European leg.

"The team has improved with every game and I think we're headed in the right direction," he declared.

"We're in a much better position than we were."

wow, big loss on top of Vickers and Rocky. Step forward Mr Mowen.

 

[formeropenside]

They lost David Lyons too - its always a shame to see a Qld boy in a blue jersey though.

 

[fatprop]

Hickey is looking at a shitty year, hopefully they give him some slack.

A pack of

Robinson
Nau
Baxter
Caldwell
Mumm
Dennis/Coridas
Waugh,
Mowan

doesn't set the world on fire,

Nau may even be used in the back row

 

[RugbyReg]

They lost David Lyons too - its always a shame to see a Qld boy in a blue jersey though.

tell me about it!!! even worse when they are your sons!!! :angryfire: :angryfire:

 

[RugbyReg]

Hickey is looking at a shitty year, hopefully they give him some slack.

A pack of

Robinson
Nau
Baxter
Caldwell
Mumm
Dennis/Coridas
Waugh,
Mowan

doesn't set the world on fire,

Nau may even be used in the back row

actually, I was actually just thinking of that.

Oh and don't forget you have Scott Fava too :snigger:

 

[formeropenside]

Hickey is looking at a shitty year, hopefully they give him some slack.

A pack of

Robinson
Nau
Baxter
Caldwell
Mumm
Dennis/Coridas
Waugh,
Mowan

doesn't set the world on fire,

Nau may even be used in the back row

Don't forget Dunning on the bench, too.

 

[RugbyReg]

maybe Kepu can return to the back of the scrum?

 

[fatprop]

Hickey is looking at a shitty year, hopefully they give him some slack.

A pack of

Robinson
Nau
Baxter
Caldwell
Mumm
Dennis/Coridas
Waugh,
Mowan

doesn't set the world on fire,

Nau may even be used in the back row

actually, I was actually just thinking of that.

Oh and don't forget you have Scott Fava too :snigger:

Fava may be rather important :nta:

 

[Lee Grant]

Wow - that's a blow. Palu, Elsom and Vickerman are big losses all the more because their replacements aren't world beaters and they aren't big hard men either.

To add big Cliffy into that black hole is probably a bridge too far for us now, but other teams have had worse happen to them.

The ironic thing is that we have two sets of Wallaby front rows and only one specialist experienced lock.

Fava may not be much but he has some experience. I expect him to be the starting 8 for his old Eastwood coach, with Mowen at 6 though he didn't have great form in club rugby in the games I saw.

 

[Ash]

With the potential loss of Palu, Quokka thrower extraodinaire Flava Fava suddenly becomes very important indeeed to the Tahs. Probably at number 8.

Who will pack down at 6? With only one S14 quality lock in Caldwell, Mumm will spend nearly all his time at lock.

Options (- my opinion):
Beau Robinson - my pick. Played at 6 in the MARC. May clash with Phil Waugh though.
Ben Mowen - walking injury. Bench if fit.
Dave Dennis - nose picker. Tahs are at desperation point if he gets on the ground. But then, I thought the same about Carter.
Ben Coridas - young, inexperienced and unproven. Probably needs another year or two of development. May get his chance after Ben Mowen dislocates his shoulder while reading.

 

[Moses]

We've been working hard on bringing the weight down with a lot of cardio (vascular work) and a lot of running.

I'm not doing as many weights, I'm only lifting my body weight at the moment so the emphasis is on trying to bring down the body weight and get me at a good playing weight."

I'm 125[kg] at the moment

Wish I could bench 125kg and call it cardio 8)

 

[Ash]

We've been working hard on bringing the weight down with a lot of cardio (vascular work) and a lot of running.

I'm not doing as many weights, I'm only lifting my body weight at the moment so the emphasis is on trying to bring down the body weight and get me at a good playing weight."

I'm 125[kg] at the moment

Wish I could bench 125kg and call it cardio 8)

He's a winger. He's also crazily heavy. Don't quite understand why he should be lifting more than that, instead of working on doing winger-esque stuff?

 

[formeropenside]

He's a winger. He's also crazily heavy. Don't quite understand why he should be lifting more than that, instead of working on doing winger-esque stuff?

What, like standing around in a tutu admiring the cut of his jib in a mirror?

 

[cyclopath]

He's a winger. He's also crazily heavy. Don't quite understand why he should be lifting more than that, instead of working on doing winger-esque stuff?

What, like standing around in a tutu admiring the cut of his jib in a mirror?

That'd be some tutu! At 125 kg there's plenty of arse to cover!