Waratahs 2015
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Quick Hands
David Wilson (68)
Not good news at all.
I think they're probably in a similar place to where they were last year at this stage of the season.
Douglas was the biggest loss but Dennis has really risen to the occasion with his physicality at lock so far. Our scrum and lineout are both going far better at this stage than they were last year.
A win against the Highlanders in Dunedin is crucial this weekend. If we do that it will put us in good stead to have a good crack at the Brumbies in Sydney the following Sunday.
Douglas was the biggest loss but Dennis has really risen to the occasion with his physicality at lock so far. Our scrum and lineout are both going far better at this stage than they were last year.
A win against the Highlanders in Dunedin is crucial this weekend. If we do that it will put us in good stead to have a good crack at the Brumbies in Sydney the following Sunday.
I think they're not a million miles off being very competitive. First half of last year was scratchy, with intent seen, patches of really good play, but a lot of execution issues. I think they type of game they are trying to play is pretty high risk, so execution that is just off exposes the frailties. If they get the execution better, look out.
As Braveheart81 said, the set pieces are a bit better now than similar time last year, and the defence looked to be getting better sorted against the Reds.
As others have said, a win this weekend ( a tough ask as it is) sets up for a massive game next weekend.
I don't think we can really claim personnel as a reason to do worse, as much as I agree Douglas is a big loss in Cheika's plan. So I think the team should be as good. As ever, injuries will tell the tale.
As Braveheart81 said, the set pieces are a bit better now than similar time last year, and the defence looked to be getting better sorted against the Reds.
As others have said, a win this weekend ( a tough ask as it is) sets up for a massive game next weekend.
I don't think we can really claim personnel as a reason to do worse, as much as I agree Douglas is a big loss in Cheika's plan. So I think the team should be as good. As ever, injuries will tell the tale.
I reckon the physicality is ahead of where it was at this stage last year.
I feel like they're pretty close to clicking in attack as well. The Reds were awful but the Tahs created a huge number of opportunities.
Poor performances in the next two weeks could make me dramatically reconsider that though.
I feel like they're pretty close to clicking in attack as well. The Reds were awful but the Tahs created a huge number of opportunities.
Poor performances in the next two weeks could make me dramatically reconsider that though.
Jagman
Trevor Allan (34)
Thanks, I had assumed it was being Brisbane and all. It's been unusually humid in Sydney last two nights after last week seemed like autumn was on its way. So glad they're not playing in Sydney this week. There had to be something wrong with the pitch or something, or was the game really just that bad?
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A mutterer
Chilla Wilson (44)
Hawko
Tony Shaw (54)
This AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) bloke used to play 13 for us before Carraro, right? I'm sure I remember him doing that.
Strewthcobber
Simon Poidevin (60)
Foo fighters concert during the week after all that rain was one of the reasons the pitch was rubbish, and maybe some mud/dirt was on the balls but with you on the weather, nothing wrong with it at all
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
I had been crowing about the emphasis on rucking training the Tahs had done pre-season and that they did rucking drills at every training session I went to up until Round 1 - which was quite a few—not "most" but "every" session; backs as well as forwards.
Then came the soft display in contact at the ruck and counter-ruck against the Force in Round 1.
It proved what we knew already: that it doesn't matter what the coaches say and have players do in training, if they don't show up to play on game day, they may as well have been picking their noses in training during the week before.
But we saw some of the ruck work on attack and defence at Suncorp that I had expected earlier: not only in the physicality of it but in the precision of its application, as well. One hopes that they can keep that up regardless of set pieces and other forwards' stuff, that one trusts will be half-way decent.
The tough, no-frills Highlanders will be a sterner test for the Tahs upfront than the Reds were, and for me this will be the most interesting part of the game.
I am not so worried about the players dropping the ball, even though they did a lot of that against the Force also. The correct timing of the run and of the pass, will come, though right now the first is too early and the second, too late.
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The next couple of games are going to be crucial in that regard.
If we beat both the Highlanders and Brumbies we'll be 4 and 1 and in an excellent position with the Blues to come in round 7 in Sydney before our second bye.
Lose both of them and then beat the Blues and we're 3 and 3 and with a lot of work to do with a tougher schedule in the second half of the year.
Are you sure he wasn't recruited by a GPS school because he was really good at football?
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