Hugh Jarse
Rocky Elsom (76)
Grinning Winners
From Tahs Twitter.
Trial: Waratahs V Blues Friday 7th of Feb Alliance Stadium 7:30
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From Tahs Twitter.
The Alofa Alofa try was worth the price of admission alone. Sensational!
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Brumby Jack
Steve Williams (59)
JSRF10
Dick Tooth (41)
Benji Marshall was terrible, he was a world class pointer to his forwards but didn't do much else. The Blues lost a scrum penalty in front of us and he went to the half back asking what happened, that and the Alofa try were the highlights.
Typical trial, plenty to work on, some stuff to be positive about but most of all thankful that rugby is back.
Typical trial, plenty to work on, some stuff to be positive about but most of all thankful that rugby is back.
WTF?
Tom Lawton (22)
Good idea to bunch the crowd up on one side. I thought Foley, Beale, Lance and Skelton started off well but what impressed me was how some of them finished. Douglas was outstanding. I think there was one point in the last 10 minutes he made three tackles in a row and monstered a couple of Blues. Alofa was very sharp on the wing too, his try was worth the price of admission alone.
Still some more aggression at the breakdown needed. It bugged me to see Fatcat pointing at some infringement when he was in a position to smash one of the opposition. Luckily we got a penalty, but I would have been better to show them some "what for".
Overall good result and well played in quarters 1,2 and 4. The Blues never looked like winning the game.
Still some more aggression at the breakdown needed. It bugged me to see Fatcat pointing at some infringement when he was in a position to smash one of the opposition. Luckily we got a penalty, but I would have been better to show them some "what for".
Overall good result and well played in quarters 1,2 and 4. The Blues never looked like winning the game.
#1 Tah
Chilla Wilson (44)
Some random thoughts:
Nick Phipps and Bernard Foley were really great
Will Skelton had a good game but needs to get lower in contact
Alofa Alofa is one dangerous player. Hopefully we see more of him
Kurtley Beale looked as fit as he's ever been and has shown that he still has a freak ability to read the game.
We were penalised pretty heavily on defence
We also seemed to challenge the lineout jumper in the air a little bit too eagerly - we will get penalised for this if it isn't dialed back
Jonno Lance looks very comfortable in a Tahs jersey
Largest trial game crowd I've seen in many years. The women's 7s on at half time was just as, if not more entertaining and was very well received.
Nick Phipps and Bernard Foley were really great
Will Skelton had a good game but needs to get lower in contact
Alofa Alofa is one dangerous player. Hopefully we see more of him
Kurtley Beale looked as fit as he's ever been and has shown that he still has a freak ability to read the game.
We were penalised pretty heavily on defence
We also seemed to challenge the lineout jumper in the air a little bit too eagerly - we will get penalised for this if it isn't dialed back
Jonno Lance looks very comfortable in a Tahs jersey
Largest trial game crowd I've seen in many years. The women's 7s on at half time was just as, if not more entertaining and was very well received.
Hawko
Tony Shaw (54)
- As in we were offside all night or we were too aggressive/inaccurate at the breakdown?
- Why not run a women's sevens game at half time every game in our conference against a team from the opposition that week? Its rugby, it would be great publicity for the Australian women, it gives them match experience in front of a big crowd and its eye candy for the blokes. Wins all round.
T
TOCC
Guest
I thought Benji was pretty bad, his positioning, passing, kicking and general understanding of the game was pretty poor..
That been said, the blues overall were quite poor, they seemed to lack a game-plan and from the kickoff were slow/reluctant to commit players to the rucks. They actually looked quite unfit, or maybe fatigued from a heavy week of training?
You can see the potential of Skelton, but as mentioned already he needs some refinement in his running style and defence. He runs too upright and he seemed to be chasing the big hit in every tackle but subsequently slipped off a few.
Alofa Alofa was fantastic, not just because of that try, but on 2 or 3 other occasions he split the defence with footwork and speed.
Agreed about the women's 7's team, they were great to watch, some big tackles and quite creative play.
That been said, the blues overall were quite poor, they seemed to lack a game-plan and from the kickoff were slow/reluctant to commit players to the rucks. They actually looked quite unfit, or maybe fatigued from a heavy week of training?
You can see the potential of Skelton, but as mentioned already he needs some refinement in his running style and defence. He runs too upright and he seemed to be chasing the big hit in every tackle but subsequently slipped off a few.
Alofa Alofa was fantastic, not just because of that try, but on 2 or 3 other occasions he split the defence with footwork and speed.
Agreed about the women's 7's team, they were great to watch, some big tackles and quite creative play.
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
An absolute cracker.
There are some photos of the try on page 2 of my blog.
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/waratahs-beat-blues-and-benji/
As usual if you have any comments on the blog, please make them there and not here.
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#1 Tah
Chilla Wilson (44)
In hindsight it seems that we were a little inaccurate at the breakdown, another trial and a bit of refinement should be all thats needed to fix this.
In the 2013 season we had womens sevens running at half time every week, but they were always Sydney clubs, this was the NSW squad, so the standard was a little better, it was really great to watch and the girls got a standing ovation at the end, and again when they went back into the tunnel.
One more thing I wanted to mention was our restart kicks. The team holds back at the 10m line and takes a running start to compete for the ball. It worked a beauty once or twice. (Pretty good considering we only kicked off three times)
en_force_er
Geoff Shaw (53)
It's tough to malign Benji too much. From what I've heard his forwards were poor which makes even the best 10s look a bit silly.
Still, I don't understand why the Blues didn't leave Benji alone, sign Ihia West, and use the extra cash to find an international lock. I could have egg on my face in a month or two, like plenty of us did about Folau, but I don't think he'll ever be more than a acceptable starting XV player on a rockstar's salary.
Still, I don't understand why the Blues didn't leave Benji alone, sign Ihia West, and use the extra cash to find an international lock. I could have egg on my face in a month or two, like plenty of us did about Folau, but I don't think he'll ever be more than a acceptable starting XV player on a rockstar's salary.
I like to watch
David Codey (61)
I think you over estimate his salary.
He was coming off rock star money,but was looking at a massive pay cut wherever he signed.
None of the 10's for the Blues would be happy with their game.
He was coming off rock star money,but was looking at a massive pay cut wherever he signed.
None of the 10's for the Blues would be happy with their game.
en_force_er
Geoff Shaw (53)
Cost of living my friend.
He's on around 450k versus around 750k at Wests but when you look at cost of living combined with comparing it with everyone else who isn't in the AB set-up is making he'd be one of the highest.
It's not as much about comparing it to his old salary as it is comparing his pay to similarly experienced Super Rugby players in NZ.
Was that Tim Metcher playing hooker last night?
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Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
No, that was Ryan Dalziel: Metcher did not play.
As I have mentioned before: Dalziel was at Northern Suburbs back in the day, went to subbies league, and is now back.
Latu covered TPN for a few minutes but Dalziel played a substantial part of the second half.
You'd think that contracted player, Latu, will be the second hooker in the third trial next week, if not, be starting; so where does that leave Roach in the contest for the third hooking sport in the 35?
[He seemed to be walking around the joint OK yesterday.]
It was interesting that Dan Vickerman was in Tahs training gear last night and coaching the lineout practice.
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As I have mentioned before: Dalziel was at Northern Suburbs back in the day, went to subbies league, and is now back.
Latu covered TPN for a few minutes but Dalziel played a substantial part of the second half.
You'd think that contracted player, Latu, will be the second hooker in the third trial next week, if not, be starting; so where does that leave Roach in the contest for the third hooking sport in the 35?
[He seemed to be walking around the joint OK yesterday.]
It was interesting that Dan Vickerman was in Tahs training gear last night and coaching the lineout practice.
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wamberal
Phil Kearns (64)
During the first half I was sitting in front of a lady that kept yelling out her displeasure everytime someone from the Tahs kicked saying it wasn't what we do.
Whilst I agree with her sentiment to a degree, this opinion from members and fans is also a problem because kicking is a key part of rugby, no matter how you play the game.
The first time she did it was when Beale chipped the defence and regathered. In that situation, Beale made a very good decision to chip the defence because there was a huge amount of space there and he comfortably regathered and we should have scored a try.
The second time she did it we were deep in our 22, turned over the ball and spread it wide before kicking it. Whilst there was potentially a chance to make a bit of a break out of our 22, I thought kicking was a wise decision. We'd passed it wide enough that we had a good opportunity to kick without much pressure and plenty of space and angle to work with. Getting out of our 22 last year was one of our weakest points and having good kicking options is important.
I definitely agree that Lance made a couple of poor kicks during the game, but overall we didn't kick much and a couple of our tactical kicks were very good (such as the Beale chip and an excellent touch finder from Volavola).
Kicking is part of good rugby and it frustrates me when seasoned fans/members take such a black and white approach to kicking.
Whilst I agree with her sentiment to a degree, this opinion from members and fans is also a problem because kicking is a key part of rugby, no matter how you play the game.
The first time she did it was when Beale chipped the defence and regathered. In that situation, Beale made a very good decision to chip the defence because there was a huge amount of space there and he comfortably regathered and we should have scored a try.
The second time she did it we were deep in our 22, turned over the ball and spread it wide before kicking it. Whilst there was potentially a chance to make a bit of a break out of our 22, I thought kicking was a wise decision. We'd passed it wide enough that we had a good opportunity to kick without much pressure and plenty of space and angle to work with. Getting out of our 22 last year was one of our weakest points and having good kicking options is important.
I definitely agree that Lance made a couple of poor kicks during the game, but overall we didn't kick much and a couple of our tactical kicks were very good (such as the Beale chip and an excellent touch finder from Volavola).
Kicking is part of good rugby and it frustrates me when seasoned fans/members take such a black and white approach to kicking.
@Braveheart81 we have been stung by too much bad kicking at the Wallaby and Waratah level for some time - often aimless, poorly directed and, critically, poorly chased. I agree with you 100% that good kicking is an essential part of a winning rugby team, but I know I have had the knee-jerk response of the above fan plenty over the past couple of seasons.
The Waratahs have some decent kickers in different facets - Foley tactically, Beale as above, Crawford with nice distance punting, and even Folau (who can kick good distance but, from last season's form, needed to learn when to do it better). I would hope to see that facet improve, as have others so far with Cheika.
The Waratahs have some decent kickers in different facets - Foley tactically, Beale as above, Crawford with nice distance punting, and even Folau (who can kick good distance but, from last season's form, needed to learn when to do it better). I would hope to see that facet improve, as have others so far with Cheika.
Thanks LG.
His lineout throwing was very poor so his cameo in the second half didn't convince me that he's the answer for our third hooker.
Hopefully Roach gets a good crack against the Highlanders and does a better job.
If the Tahs are still trying to work out who the last prop to contract should be, it's surprising they only played the four contracted props in this trial.
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