Waratahs 2010

[Lee Grant]

Not for the Tahs except in a trial yonks ago. He kicked OK for Eastwood in a game I saw at Coogee Oval but I haven't seen him kicking goals since.

 

[louie]

It's the biggest weakness of the Tahs. They have won a lot of games since Hewat's good year despite it but one of these years they are going to lose a lot of games because of it.

it cost them quite a bit in canberra last year

 

[Lee Grant]

They were outplayed in that game so it didn't signify.

 

[louie]

He missed three or four early on. could have made a difference in the end.

 

[Lee Grant]

By saying it didn't signify I didn't mean that the arithmetic wouldn't have changed if we kicked better. It always does. I meant that it didn't register with Tahs fans that it was reason that we lost. Had we played well and lost because of goal kicks, it would have signified.

I realise that sometimes my English is old fashioned and perhaps I re-read Patrick O'Brian novels too often.

 

[Bruce Ross]

Today's Australian carries a most extraordinary article by Bret Harris titled "Waratahs to try Phil Waugh at No 8".

Apparently coach Chris Hickey proposes switching positions in the scrum between Phil Waugh and Wycliff Palu "in different situations on the field." Fair enough, but it is his justification for doing so that casts grave doubt on his fitness to be coaching the team I support:

"Sometimes you actually get away from eight because you are not pushing, whereas when you are on the side of the scrum your first job is to push."

Please tell me he didn’t say that. Or at least that his scrum coach Michael Foley doesn’t subscribe to such nonsense.

At eight "you are not pushing"?? No wonder Australian scrums have been such a laughing stock if the 8 is told not to bother pushing. The ‘Tahs finally get a dominant scrum and the coach wants to depower it.

Who is supposed to maintain the shape of the scrum and control the wheeling tendency if the bloke at the back is just leaning on the scrum, Jone Tawake style?

"On the side of the scrum your first job is to push." Does anyone at the ‘Tahs know the first thing about biomechanics and the application of force? On the side you are pushing with one shoulder from a body position where you cannot possibly deliver effective force straight ahead. Compare that to the 8 where both shoulders are engaged and the natural force direction is through the centre line of the scrum. Think barbell squat.

Hickey then goes on to say: "Playing the seven in the No 8 position can release him quicker. He (Waugh) loves to get his hands on the ball. It suits him." But even if this were true, the only way that Waugh could get to the ball carrier quicker from 8 than from 7 is if he is defending behind the advantage line.

Well I got a good chance to see the Hickey system of scrummaging at work last night.

I've seen it and it doesn't work.

At least we know that Hickey wasn't taking the piss when he said that at eight "you are not pushing". The Hickey answer to the Argentinian bajadita does indeed involve the last-man-in just leaning on the pack and having a breather. But he was surely talking tongue-in-cheek when he reportedly said, "Playing the seven in the No 8 position can release him quicker."

Not bloody likely on what we saw last night. Tip, in a comment above, provided the definitive pronouncement on this issue:

"You can't honestly tell me that you'll get there faster at 8 when you're heads between two fat asses and you have to take a step back, and start the run from scratch. Lets not forget the metre head start the flanker gets as well."

Hickey is obviously striving to be an innovative coach. It's certainly lateral thinking to deliberately de-power what is potentially a world-class scrum.

 

[Spook]

It's a worry. I thought the Tahs scrum would demolish the stormers.

 

[fatprop]

It's a worry. I thought the Tahs scrum would demolish the stormers.

The ref and players struggled with the scrums all game, each scrum seemed to have no timing or consistency

 

[Sully]

If only you had a world class coach like our coach. That great Qlder link McKensie

 

[James Buchanan]

The ref and players struggled with the scrums all game, each scrum seemed to have no timing or consistency

The ref's rulings definitely made it very hard for either team to actually scrummage.

That being said, I am not convinced on Hickey's coaching.

 

[Spook]

If only you had a world class coach like our coach. That great Qlder link McKensie

:lmao: Enjoy it while it lasts Sully. The Reds look like the fittest of any of the Aussie sides that's for sure.

 

[Langthorne]

A world class coach is not required - just someone who isn't an idiot (even occasionally). The players available are good enough - just send them in the right direction FFS.

 

[Spook]

The Tahs and Brumbies don't look fit to me.

 

[Pfitzy]

Good point Spook. If QLD had been on their game last week instead of the occasional dropped ball, we may have been too tired to come back.

And Hickey's coaching tenure is giving me nightmares. At least when the "old" Tahs (Speed Kennedy for example) crashed and burned, they did it at pace and put on some nice tries. Hickey's mantra is "ugly wins" but it just doesn't ...

 

[waratahjesus]

The Tahs and Brumbies don't look fit to me.

i think to the fact queensland havnt had to travel at all has to mean something, the brumbie have been away for a couple of weeks already while the tahs had one day at home between the qld game and flying out, everyone has to tour and the south african games were always going to be hard witht he stormers/bulls, i was hoping we would win one of them, after last night, not so shore.

Qld will be a different story when they get on the road.

 

[Sully]

If only you had a world class coach like our coach. That great Qlder link McKensie

:lmao: Enjoy it while it lasts Sully. The Reds look like the fittest of any of the Aussie sides that's for sure.

I'm doing my best! I know we can't carry Australian rugby forever

 

[naza]

Oh, hello, looks like the sooks are out in force today. And knives out for the coach already. Its almost as predictable as the Tahs attack !

Hickey is the winningest Tahs Super rugby coach
http://www.nswrugby.com.au/HSBCWara...lestones/CoachingRecords/CoachingRecords.aspx

NSW Super Rugby Coaches 1996-2010
Name Span Matches as Coach Won Lost Drawn Win %
Chris Hawkins 1996 11 5 6 0 45.45
Matt Williams 1997-1999 33 14 17 2 42.42
Ian Kennedy 2000 11 5 6 0 45.45
Bob Dwyer 2001-2003 34 19 15 0 55.88
Ewen McKenzie 2004-2008 66 37 27 2 56.06
Chris Hickey 2009-2010 15 10 5 0 66.66
Totals 170 90 76 4 52.94

We need to improve our intensity & focus. Normally we start off the season on a flyer and fade towards the end. We're 1 for 2 on the road. Let's put things into perspective.

 

[Gagger]

The ref and players struggled with the scrums all game, each scrum seemed to have no timing or consistency

The ref's rulings definitely made it very hard for either team to actually scrummage.

That being said, I am not convinced on Hickey's coaching.

The locks weren't timing their shove right.

I don't know if it's fitness, but the top saffa sides sure seem to be hitting the tackle harder.

My take on what's going so wrong with some video http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/video-analysis-tahs-vs-stormers-review/

 

[Lindommer]

I'm with naza (POW!, BIFF!, SHPLONK, just giving myself an uppercut), as you were. We don't want to be starting the season at a million miles an hour and fade when the finals loom. As the Tahs have many times in the past. There are a lot of combinations yet to be sorted: second rowers, Barnes' role and style, a serviceable 13, the back three working out their combinations.

I'll take the odd loss at the beginning of the season as long as the Tahs learn from them and show subsequent improvement.

 

[barbarian]

Yeah I agree with naza as well. The Stormers are one of the best sides in the comp, and will surely make the top 4 if not win the thing. Playing them in SA was always going to be tough, and we came off second best. Whilst I would like one win in the republic, two losses is certainly something we can come back from, especially considering how tight the comp is this year.

That said, we didn't really look like title contenders in that game. Maybe we are gunning for another 5th/6th place finish.