Waratahs show misguided sense of entitlement after tough loss to Reds

[TOCC]

NSW fans will disagree, QLD fans will agree

IF there is a fatal flaw in the NSW Waratahs mindset, it surfaced in the comments of captain Phil Waugh and coach Chris Hickey following their agonising loss to the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

The impact of NSW's first Super Rugby loss to the Reds since 2004 was clearly weighing heavily on the pair after the match as they complained - Hickey, admittedly, in far milder fashion - that the Waratahs did not reap the reward from substitute referee Ian Smith for having the superior scrum.

"It's frustrating," said Waugh. "We were clearly the dominant scrum. There is no question at all that we were the dominant scrum. It's not a game of evening up one team to the other. Rugby is a contest and it's about rewarding dominance.

"I just think you speak to any captain, speak to any team, speak to any coach in the competition and all the players want is dominance rewarded. Take out of that what you want!"

Hickey agreed.

"We should have been able to convert that dominance into points whether it was from the scrum or the driving lineout or whatever it happened to be," he said. "But it is a contest, as Phil said, and the dominant team should be rewarded in whatever aspect of play it may be that you are dominant in."

That's not a concept many rugby followers would be familiar with or would endorse. It's rare indeed when two opposing sides have identical strengths. More often one team will be strong in a particular area, the opposition strong somewhere else and victory ordinarily goes to the side that maximises its advantages while limiting the damage caused by its comparative weaknesses.

Simply having an advantage doesn't entitle a team to a reward. As dominant as was their scrum, the Tahs weren't able to use it to bludgeon the Reds into submission, especially after James Hanson, a superior scrummager to Saia Fainga'a, came on at hooker.

Nor was it so dominant as to persuade Smith to finish the job off for them by awarding a penalty try.

Smith twice awarded the Tahs penalties virtually in front of the posts as the Reds collapsed scrums on their own line, with Waugh both times declining to shoot for goal and instead asking for another scrum.

Immediately, Smith called out Queensland captain James Horwill and put him on notice that he would award a penalty try and reach for the yellow card if the Reds infringed again.

The third time, after Tahs hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau was substituted, the Reds forwards dug in and did just enough to disrupt the NSW scrum.

The Waratahs had other chances and destroyed the Reds scrum just on the hour mark as the Queenslanders tried to clear from their own line but the remaining three penalties the Tahs received were for ruck misdemeanours not set piece infringements.

Reds coach Ewen McKenzie declined to buy into the "entitlement" debate but did point out that the Reds' backline was superior to the Waratahs' but received no reward for it during the first half when Queensland dominated possession.

Indeed, McKenzie sent out the message to Horwill to remind the referee that Waugh had twice been penalised for cynically slowing down the ball at the breakdown to prevent the Reds exploiting their advantage in the backs.

Dire as the situation might now be for NSW, who trail Queensland by 11 points in the Australian conference, the Waratahs will play five of their remaining seven matches at home in Sydney and are still very much contenders for a wild card berth in the playoffs.

"It's nice to finish top of the conference but it's also a six-team finals series and we are still well and truly in the hunt for that," said Hickey.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...ugh-loss-to-reds/story-e6frg7v6-1226044120505

 

[I like to watch]

It's not a misplaced sense of entitlement, it's just poor form.
Both of them are to blame for the loss, they would be better served to look at their deficiencies rather than playing the blame game.
We all know that the Tahs had ample opportunities to win, they were not good enough.

 

[waratahjesus]

i really dont see that they said anything wrong, its at a press conference, the questions havnt actually been printed in the article just quotes. using the word "entitlement" iis a bit rich, i didnt think a penalty try was on the cards but qld shouldnt have had 15 players ont he pitch for the whole of that game for a number of reasons.

 

[OLDDOG]

As my kids have grown up, I have always insisted that they enjoy the contest, win or lose. To be humble in victory, and gracious in defeat. I'm proud to say, thus far, they have taken that on board.
Phil was obviously amped up after losing a monumental arm wrestle with the reds, but I have to say "in pressure veritas", some truths revealed. Comments like that suggest he is a poor loser, and not really the sort of leader I would want guiding my team. By all means be there to add some backbone and structure to the team, but it ain't just physical, it's having the right balance and mental attitude that discerns the truly great leaders. You can't win 'em all Phil, and when you do lose one, even if it's against the ole enemy, learn to be gracious..........

 

[RuckinGoodStats]

Tahs spent 47% of the contestable time of 2nd half inside the Reds 22 (at one stage it was 60%) and didn't win.
Maybe it was the two rucks they turned over in the Reds 22, or the two handling errors they made there. Perhaps they should have made more of the 5 scrums they were awarded and the two line out throw ins they had in that zone.

Maybe they think because of this they are entitled to points.:nta: Nah. They needed to cross the line and they didn't. They had all the numbers, it stacked up nicely on paper, but the games not played on paper it's played on the field.:fishing

 

[liquor box]

In Phils defence I once heard a sports psycologist talking about the comments that athletes make and he said that the great athletes always blame something other than their own performance- this is what makes them great. If you agree that you were beaten by a better opponant then you will NEVER beat them again as you have already admitted that you are not as good. If someone else was at fault and you still believe you have an advatage in skills then the next time you meet then you have a chance of winning. The discussion I heard was in relation to Bernard Tomic at the Aussie open a couple of years ago when he blamed a late night past his bet time for losing a match rather than his opponants skills.

I dont like the sound of a sore loser, but I understand that is the way of the world for pro athletes.

And for all the Waugh haters out there, think back to what this guy has done for Aussie Rugby and cut him some slack

 

[Jets]

I think that Phil's comments come off the back of him being completly out played by Beau all game and his realisation that he made some bad calls on the field. You can't blame the ref when he warns the Reds that he would send someone to the bin and they then make adjustments to foil the Tah's next scrum with no penalty on offer the Tah's had no plan B. All they were playing for was a penalty try or a binning and a pushover. They made the wrong call not the ref.

As for the carry on when Carter was short of the line. What a joke. There was no way that Baxter and Burgess could see what was happening in the maul and Carter would have known that he was short. If you have to try and cheat to get a try you are in real trouble.

Rugby is a 15 man game and the Tah's seem to refuse to use their backline. If they can't bully the opposition then they have no other options. That is why the lost to the Reds and also the Cheetahs.

 

[Woopsie]

When Hickey replaced Phil Waugh was the time the Reds started breathing easier. The Tahs were camped in the 22 and had been for some time, and Waugh is high on the list of leaders I would have wanted on the field in that position, at that time. I blame Hickey for this loss. Whilst I have heard the notion from sports psychologists before about not admitting to being beaten by your opponent, I personally find it distasteful. Maybe I am just driven by old fashioned notions such as "I would rather be beaten by a better team than to lose", "respect and pay respect to your team mates, your opposition, the ref", "be gracious in victory and humble in defeat". These are attitudes and values, and fans, as well as sponsors part with their money based upon values and how the team they are supporting best represent the values of the individual. After the media conference I would rather have been a reds supporter

 

[rugbysmartarse]

Isn't the flip side to the "we were not beaten due to the other team being better" psychology that it never leads to the team/individual training harder to overcome the deficiency? I'd regard tomic as case in point

 

[Ged]

Waugh has been doing this for years, and ultimately, it only does himself a disservice. Look at Sharpe, Horwill, Matfield, Mortlock - all absolute champions, all highly motivated and passionate, all great leaders amongst their men - but none of them carry on like Waugh. They smile to the interviewer, lament what they did wrong, congratulate the opposition, and move on. It's not just what Waugh says either but the way he says it - bottom jaw stuck like a neanderthal, lips pursed.
Behind the senes, players get reputations for certain things, and I guess it's pretty obvious why Robbie hasn't wanted him in the Wallabies - he is a bad influence on the entire team morale (aside from the fact that he is well past his best).
This isn't just one-eyed QLDer hatred either. I can hate a player while they're on the field ("McCaw you f'ing cheat, f'ing get on side...") but after the game I will respect him as a great competitor and a good guy. The same does not apply to Waugh.

 

[fatprop]

Waugh had every right to be disappointed with his team not being able to leverage the clear domination at scrum time and a massive territorial advantage.

Playing the precious card over semantics at a press conference is just a joke on a quite day.

 

[RugbyReg]

Waugh had every right to be disappointed with his team not being able to leverage the clear domination at scrum time and a massive territorial advantage.

Playing the precious card over semantics at a press conference is just a joke on a quite day.

100% agreee. I just haven't heard him verbalise that. Not that he really needs to in a public domain I guess.

 

[No4918]

And still the Waratahs players are complaining of the refereeing. TPN is accusing Horwill of getting in Smiths ear and convincing him it wasn't the Reds collapsing the scrum. Waugh i'm not surprised about his whinging but i thought TPN was a better sportsman than that. Get over it and get on with preparing for this weekend guys. Anyone else considering tipping the Rebels to rub salt in their wounds?

 

[waratahjesus]

this is the biggest load of shit i have ever seen. Qld won the game and got the points, but it happened in a dissapointing way for the the Tahs and waugh is there captain and felt it hard. To put the word "entitlement" to it is the same as saying coopers backflip at the 35 minute mark was "arragant".

but to Ged and co who are making personal remarks about phil waugh and his status as a captain, man and player, pull your head in, it was in round two when the reds got smashed that Ewen made remarks about the refs changing the interpretations being the reason his team lost and there wasnt this crap.

feel free to chase the guy down today, he will be doing some charity work, coaching, being with his family and probably regretting how he came across, but in the mean time, maybe you can all pull your head in a little and realise he did nothing captains dont do week in week out.

 

[Sully]

Spiro just gave you guys a spray here

 

[GC]

Spiro:

The thing about this is that the Waratahs scrum is not as great as the leadership clearly thinks it is. The Crusaders, as an example, absolutely pummeled the Waratahs in the scrums. And even the Reds held out, despite inexperienced referee Ian Smith allowing the Waratahs props to collapse whenever they did not get a good hit.

I suspect Spiro won't be welcome south of the border for at least the next 150 years.

 

[Blue]

For all his great leadership etc etc , to me Waugh has all but lost his dynamism. He is too slow for the pace the game is played at.

He is no longer a premier openside and his play makes too little impact on the game. The Tah game plan needs an openside that makes big plays and they are no getting it.

Not trying to have a dig at Waugh but it's plain to see that he is off the pace and niggly injuries aren't helping him.

 

[Slim 293]

The Waratahs franchise is full of Wallabies. It is under-performing. This is no way the team can win this year’s Super Rugby tournament. Favourites are selected for key positions. The senior players have too much influence on the grinding way the team plays. Supporters, even diehard members, are giving up on the team. And who can blame them, with the ugly, nasty, limited, boring method they use.

Wait... is Spiro talking about the Waratahs, or the Brumbies?

 

[Galloper]

The Waratahs' poor sportsmanship, and apparently complete lack of insight into their own deficiencies, makes the win even sweeter.

They will never beat a good side without another 12.

And Spiro was spot on.

 

[Slim 293]

Let's just all agree that the Reds and the Tahs are both ungracious in victory and defeat and move on...