Waratahs v Highlanders, Rd 1, Fri 14 6.35pm 2025

[John S]

Gee it looked scrappy at times, there was a 10-15 minute period around half time where I felt neither team was able to hang onto the pill. Wy wife called down as I was watching it, to see what was wrong (she didn't know I was watching it) She just laughed when I told her I was watching the tahs - the groans and moans were very audible.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Miles Amatosero is carrying that Christian name under false pretences; it should be yards, or feet! For a bloke of his height and weight he looks like Tarzan but plays like Jane.

The All Airport XV selectors have their eye on this player.

The All-Airport XV.

Now canvassing for nominees for The All-Airport XV. Criteria: looks like an impressive rugby player when you see them walking through the airport but then when you see them actually play rugby you just think ffs wtf was that? tentative nominees: 1 2 3 4 Isaac Ross 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Tom...

www.greenandgoldrugby.com

 

[griffins]

Great night with Hawko at the SFS, how good is it to snag a win in the 80th minute? Met up with John at The Shakespeare (where I sprung fatprop doing his bit to improve the publican's financial wellbeing) before the game. If there's a better pre-game experience than meeting at a Sydney pub I haven't found it.

Not much I can add to what's been posted above. I stand by my remark to Hawko about the second row and centres. Sinclair is an honest toiler who never shirks the hard stuff, but, he's not big enough; Hugh will never be a rock shifter at the breakdown.

2. All Tahs players have to be much more urgent, and accurate, supporting the ball carrier at the breakdown. To give away so many penalties due to an isolated ball carrier is sloppy (and lazy) in the extreme. On a positive note this should be relatively easy to fix on the training paddock.

I agree he isn't in Wallabies contention but Sinclair actually seems to play well above his weight, and I thought he pulled off some pretty important efficient cleanouts last night. His physicality in d/as a support player is fine, and he has decent enough footwork/runs good enough lines to get away with it in attack too. He also seems to have good rugby smarts, cleaned up one loose ball pretty smoothly last night in a situation that others would have made uglier.

 

[John S]

Yeah, Sinclair has been a good forward for the Tahs over the last few years. I don't think he played that badly. He seemed to flag a little at the end though

 

[wamberal99]

He did a helluva lot of work.

 

[Strewthcobber]

My award for the worst play of the day goes to Andrew Kellaway, for his lack of chase and having his back to the play when Bowen's poor kick was returned.

Congrats Andrew!

After a pretty ordinary year last year I reckon he needs to cop his fair share of the blame for the poor results from kicks last night, and for generally pretty poor defence. He had shots on a couple of players that he missed on several of the tries.

 

[Derpus]

Not sure what there is to complain about. Entertaining, high scoring win after the siren against an NZ team.

Think our backline needs some rethinking, though.

 

[Brumby Runner]

The standout stuffup to me was his chase on a kick through where he was beaten to the ball by his opposite over the tryline but was very easily then stepped because he, AK (Andrew Kellaway), failed to slow his pace and stay balanced to hit the other player whichever way he turned.

 

[Derpus]

If Kellaway isn't doing his ‘always makes the right decision and rarely makes mistakes’ thing he's not very good. His decision making is basically what sets him apart from a regular dude.

 

[Yoda]

I’d have:

9 Gordon
10 Edmed
11 Lancaster
12 Foketi
13 Sua'ali'i
14 Kellaway
15 Jorgensen

21 Grant
22 Creighton ( Who could start depending on Edmed’s form)
23 Walton

 

[Pfitzy]

is carrying that Christian name under false pretences; it should be yards, or feet! For a bloke of his height and weight he looks like Tarzan but plays like Jane.

Bingo. Watching him enter contact with all the intent of a drunken mole rat has me tearing out what little is left of my hair

 

[Pfitzy]

Last night Gardner pinged a coupla breakdowns for holding the ball very early on, and then hammered it for the rest of the match. Smart teams adjust, the Tahs didn't

And get be didn't seem to require a lifting section from any of those early penalties.

Tamatamanawai got an early penalty resting on his elbows!

Not Gus' best game IMHO

 

[John S]

Sand get be didn't seem to require a lifting section from any of those early penalties.

Tamatamanawai got an early penalty resting on his elbows!

Not Gus' best game IMHO

Yeah, there were a few of those going either way, where a clear release was a little dubious.

 

[Rob42]

Sand get be didn't seem to require a lifting section from any of those early penalties.

Tamatamanawai got an early penalty resting on his elbows!

Not Gus' best game IMHO

Has Gus been refereeing in the N hemisphere? My impression is that the you see more of those rewarded in 6 Nations and the like - where the jackaller just places their hands on the ball, no lifting.

Or maybe just the refs are just a bit rusty as well in the first game of the season.

 

[Qwertyrick]

certainly at this level get your best players on the pitch
no way that walton is better than lancaster
AK (Andrew Kellaway) (Andrew Kellaway) Foketi JAS Lancaster Jorgo
is the way forward imo

Lancaster is rubbish, so much hype around the kid lol. Walton has more experience and far better player

 

[Lindommer]

Let's suck it and see.

 

[stillmissit]

I’d have:

9 Gordon
10 Edmed
11 Lancaster
12 Foketi
13 Sua'ali'i
14 Kellaway
15 Jorgensen

21 Grant
22 Creighton ( Who could start depending on Edmed’s form)
23 Walton

I thought Grant looked sharp when he came on and was one of the reasons we got back into the game. Gordon must be under instructions to slow the ball down at the breakdown as he doesn't do it as much in Wallabies.

 

[stillmissit]

Has Gus been refereeing in the N hemisphere? My impression is that the you see more of those rewarded in 6 Nations and the like - where the jackaller just places their hands on the ball, no lifting.

Or maybe just the refs are just a bit rusty as well in the first game of the season.

I agree with you but suspect that without this shift we wouldn't see any turnovers.

 

[fatprop]

A couple of thoughts

The tahs really didn't compete @ lineout for a lot of the game, they loaded the back and the landers had a free pass @ 2 - that is something I dislike, rugby is about the competition for the ball

The seemed to have accepted that off set piece our centres lack penetration, so it was either take a tackle and give it to Gleeson or give it to Gleeson off first phase

Gleeson has hands like feet

Sua'ali'i has that special thing - time; he and Jorgo look very difficult to out flank in a kick receipt

The back 3 isn't balanced, we have 3 full backs, one of the wings needs to extract a digit and chase some lost causes

We miss Pietsch's (and/or Reilly's) workrate, they made a lot of shit kicks look average last year

The Tahs were better once the pigs worked out the backs are shit, so through the middle we go

 

[Yoda]

Or… hoist it high with the old 50/50 play. Bringing the crowds back ! Ha.