The Tahs

[Lee Grant]

Lee, never call Wagga Wagga Wagga. Very touchy about that they are.

Yeah somebody told me that once but I forgot.

He said that people from Wagga Wagga don't call Wagga Wagga, Wagga they call Wagga Wagga, Wagga Wagga.

I hear it's the same at Woy Woy and Curl Curl.

Now we are lucky to get anything resembling decent rugby and a bunch of clods who occasionally threaten to break out into something good, but then go back into their shells because one dotard with no sense of player capability is likely to kick their arse for it...

Have to agree with this. I was a big supporter of Hickey for coach when Link got the chop, something I didn't agree with at the time. I didn't see anything with his Eastwood team that would suppose that the Tahs would be stumble bums on attack.

The Tahs under Link's last 2 years were no joy to watch at the ground but the one season and one game of Hickey's tenure have been excruciating for a Tahs fan fronting up for every home game - even the early games in 2009 when we won. The members were booing last week and one old codger was yelling in the 2nd half "Don't give it to the backs" after they were kicking so much. A lot of people agreed with me too.

The thing I don't get is that the plan against the Bulls to run them off their feet was a good one until they ran out of puff at altitude, and they executed well. Against the Sharks instead of running for territory they kicked for it. That wasn't all that sinful if the kicking was good but so many times they kicked straight to a guy in a black jersey - and far too often to Terblanche, a terrific kicker from hand.

Now, against the Lions, I bet he'll play them at their own game: offloading and dishing the ball out in all situations. The lads from JHB are the kind of team that can be beaten taking the ball up around the ruck and getting the backs to run off them on the burst rather than dishing it wide early.

It will be a poor crowd at the SFS. Firstly it's on Friday night, secondly it's a South African team that doesn't get as many Kiwis attending, third it's a weak SA team and 4th - though the track record of the Tahs as a team to entertain has never been that great it is a lot worse now than I can remember in the last decade.

You know who I am missing? Matt Rogers - the one early in his Tah years.

 

[Hawko]

Lee, me too. Watching him sweep into the backline from fullback and just cut some teams to shreds, it had me cheering delirously. He was seriously quick, with great vision for a gap.

But I saw enough last year to think that Turner from fullback had some of those same skills. We have the players....

 

[naza]

Naza - since you started contributing to any rugby forum I've been on your bleating & bitching about "we don't have the cattle" at both state and national level is all you've ever contributed. Yeah you like to play devil's advocate, but you have not ever offered up an alternative suggestion or anything remotely constructive.

You criticised Link for his style and now your shining hero Hickey is serving up the absolute same bullshit but with far less in the way of success - what's your excuse now?

I didn't realising fixing Australian rugby was my job.

I'd counter all that by pointing out that suggestions are piss easy, ie: the Tahs just need quick go forward ball/backs work better as a unit. Execution is the hard part. Let's not bullshit ourselves that calling for a different 10/12 combination on an internet forum is going to make any difference.

 

[TheRiddler]

Let's not bullshit ourselves that calling for a different 10/12 combination on an internet forum is going to make any difference.

It's not? Holy Shit Naza, do you realise how many people's hopes and dreams you've just dashed with that one simple comment?

Now, Naza and NTA, play nicely. You're may two favorite posters, cant have you falling out.

 

[Pfitzy]

Let's not bullshit ourselves either, that kicking the ball from your own 40m line is going to produce results. Which seems to be what the players are currently directed to do.

 

[naza]

Let's not bullshit ourselves either, that kicking the ball from your own 40m line is going to produce results. Which seems to be what the players are currently directed to do.

I just think they played to the conditions against the Sharks.

“This competition has shown that no matter what team you’re playing, you’re going to have to grind out the odd win,” Barnes said.

“No matter what it looked like the other night, it was like playing with a cake of soap out there.

Then again Barnes does love the drop goal option to bits, so may not be the best source.


One of the things that seems to really drive rugby fans is up and unders. I just gotta say that the whole reason up and unders are back in fashion is because it works. Blokes just can't friggin' catch.

 

[Pfitzy]

They can't catch - which is weird given they're paid to do fuck all else.

"Grind out win" is the same phrase used by Barnes and Waugh and Hickey. So that appears to have been the game plan from the first minute.

 

[steiner]

Definitely, the main reason the Tahs haven't played expansively this year is because of the conditions. i.e humidity and slippery ball against the Reds, jet-lag against the Stormers, both humidity and jet-lag against the Sharks. The one game they had neither, against the Bulls, they ran it more. That will be Hickey's thinking anyway, rightly or wrongly.
So with the temp. droppng a bit the Tahs should put the ball through the hands more this week, and with what should be a dominant forward pack, creating room for the backs, the Lions could be in trouble.

Still a bit disappointing not to see Horne in the starting line-up. Carter's solid as most people predicted, but no better. Seems little point in going playmaker - playmaker - solid. If you're going to have two playmakers behind a mostly dominant pack then you want the best attacking combo outside them, and that means Horne and Beale. The new rule interpretation and need to score 4 tries further emphasise that. Simple common sense!

Common sense is fairly uncommon at the Waratahs though.

 

[Langthorne]

If the performance of the Waratahs continues in the same vein in the coming weeks, there will be more excuses given - be it humidity, jet lag, cold, wind, heat...

My main issue with the performance of the Tahs so far this season is not that they failed to 'throw the ball around' it is that they have failed to keep the ball in hand (the way the teams ranked higher than 10th in the competition have been) - they are not the same thing.

If the ball stays in the forwards the whole time I won't mind (grind away!), as long as they win and score 4 tries (to win the competition both are important).

The reality is that to score 4 tries it can help to have 15 players who are making a contribution, and maybe, occasionally, for the backs to pass it around with skill, creativity, accuracy, purpose and penetration....most onlookers can see that there are many possible reasons why this hasn't been happening, but the big two seem to be selection and tactics.

 

[Hawko]

People who haven't travelled a lot tend to think every long trip causes jet lag. The problem is huge travelling west to east and minor travelling east to west. Remember two years ago Link took the Tah's to Africa, arriving Thursday and they still performed well. Blaming the Tah's loss to the Stormers on jet lag is misdirected; as we've now begun to see the Stormers are a fearsome unit with very good defensive patterns.

Jet lag going west to east is really tough, as someone who used to travel a lot for work can attest. Chiefs, Brumbies and Tah's do have SOME excuse, though they all had three days recovery which should be close to enough. But it does mean the preparation for the match is disrupted badly due to fatigue. We will see this week how much travel was an issue, the Brumbies/Sharks game should be the best indicator.

For this reason I think the Brumbies are specials in the last round. The Crusaders play the Bulls at altitude, which is very tiring, and then fly back to Christchurch, which is a three leg trip. If the Brumbies are smart they'll cross the ditch early so they are fully acclimatised and lie in ambush.

 

[en_force_er]

What the waratahs should do with their backline (in my opinion):

OPTION 1:

9. Holmes
10. Halangahu
12. Barnes
13. Carter
11. Horne
14. Turner
15. Mitchell

OPTION 2:

9. Holmes
10. Halangahu
12. Carter
13. Horne
11. Mitchell
14. Turner
15. Beale

Honestly I'd prefer McKibbon to Holmes but that isn't going to happen. Burgess needs to be dropped, even If it's just as a wake up call.

 

[fatprop]

9. Burgess
10. Halangahu
12. Barnes
13. Horne
11. Mitchell
14. Turner
15. Beale

would be my preference

 

[Pfitzy]

What he said.

 

[Biffo]

I'm with the wise Prop

 

[naza]

Nobody seems to like Anesi much. Not sure what's he done that's been so terrible. He's a solid player.

I just cannot stomach the idea of that fat lazy flake Beale at 15.

 

[cyclopath]

Nobody seems to like Anesi much. Not sure what's he done that's been so terrible. He's a solid player.

I just cannot stomach the idea of that fat lazy flake Beale at 15.

He's pretty fit this year, naza.
But yes, recently he's looked threatening at the end running at tired, disjointed oppo, but still not sure he could do a whole solid game at 15. To be honest Mitchell might be better, and get someone else in on the wing - ? Betham, ? Nadolo

 

[fatprop]

Nobody seems to like Anesi much. Not sure what's he done that's been so terrible. He's a solid player.

I just cannot stomach the idea of that fat lazy flake Beale at 15.

It is more "What has Anesi done?"

Beale has look dangerous in his cameos

 

[Lee Grant]

I like to see Beale start in a game to see how he goes as a fullback starter. One change in a settled team should not be here nor there in the interest of: what if Anesi goes down. I've never seen him start at 15 except in an U20 warm up game. He was great but it doesn't really signify much.

If only one guy who was on the bench against the Lions gets to start in the next game and it is not Beale, then I hope it is Horne; in fact he would be my first choice for a change, come to think of it.

 

[Pfitzy]

Beale has look dangerous in his cameos

Zigackly. You can't keep holding him back because "its just a cameo". We need guys to get match fitness and that includes Palmer, Caldwell, Mowen, Holmes, Beale, Horne, and even a couple of fringers.

 

[en_force_er]

Are you sure it would be wise to play 3 play makers at the same time? Hangers, Barnes and Beale all at once? It wouldn't be my choice, but I suppose there aren't many other options.

On the flip side I thought Holmes was great this week and deserves a crack at the 9. Burgess has all the start quality to be a great player but his fundamentals are just awful. He could do with at least being left out of the test squad to work on this.