Waratahs v. Kings Round 12 Sunday 1am EST

[Hugh Jarse]

Crawford has played well in the two starter games he has had, almost to the point of who is Drew Mitchell?

The way the Tahs were playing on Saturday night was such that even I would probably have bagged a pair of meat pies, if I had run on with #14 on my back. It was a special game of footy and one to go straight to the Pool Room.

IIRC Cam C is a converted fullback, which gives an additional dimension and options at the back of the field.

I'd like to see him get more game time against opponents who really put pressure on the back three to see how if he can consistently turn in performances like he did against the Bulls.

 

[Hawko]

IIRC Cam C is a converted fullback, which gives an additional dimension and options at the back of the field. I'd like to see him get more game time against opponents who really put pressure on the back three to see how if he can consistently turn in performances like he did against the Bulls.

Putting pressure on the back 3 is about 50% of the Bulls gameplan. The other 50% is rolling mauls. Cam did fine under that pressure. He's a real keeper and the Brumbies will regret throwing him away.

 

[Richo]

The Brumbies have some fine young wingers in Tomane and Speight. At the Waratahs, he and Betham can stake their claim to be the first choice going into 2014.

 

[Rassie]

Putting pressure on the back 3 is about 50% of the Bulls gameplan. The other 50% is rolling mauls. Cam did fine under that pressure. He's a real keeper and the Brumbies will regret throwing him away.

You see that power and intent? That is Bulls rugby

 

[scaraby]

actually thats a high tackle and an intentional head slam...on a guy half his size...thats bulls... rugby.

 

[Braveheart81]

Obviously statistics need to be taken with a grain of salt, but our running metres against the Kings could be close to a record.

The Tahs members email after the Hurricanes match said we had the most running metres of any team all season (and rugbystats.com.au said we had 1030m in that game).

For the Kings game, rugbystats is saying the Tahs ran for 1136m.

Israel Folau is credited with 199 running metres!

 

[Pfitzy]

Kings had one major problem, responsible for about half the tries leaked: Cornell du Preez.

He was so busy trying to be a tough man he took himself out of alignment, creating holes.

On a normal week, the Tahs would have only won by about 20. This week they decided to try this thing called "support running" and it paid dividends.

 

[Hawko]

Kings had one major problem, responsible for about half the tries leaked: Cornell du Preez.

He was so busy trying to be a tough man he took himself out of alignment, creating holes.

On a normal week, the Tahs would have only won by about 20. This week they decided to try this thing called "support running" and it paid dividends.

This bit I definitely agree with. But the support running has been building since round 2 from a very low base. It has now reached a level where it has become a MAJOR offensive threat to every team that plays them. But it has to become how they play every week at that level.

 

[fatprop]

This bit I definitely agree with. But the support running has been building since round 2 from a very low base. It has now reached a level where it has become a MAJOR offensive threat to every team that plays them. But it has to become how they play every week at that level.

It is a chicken and egg thing to me, the Tahs are starting look for support options and the supports are beginning to realise that if they get there they will get the ball

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[rugbysmartarse]

Kings had one major problem, responsible for about half the tries leaked: Cornell du Preez.

He was so busy trying to be a tough man he took himself out of alignment, creating holes.

I would add to this Sergael Peterson only ever looked for the intercept, never to defend in the line. yes he scored the kings only try, but he let in at least 2 because he went for the ball, not the tackle

 

[Braveheart81]

I would add to this Sergael Peterson only ever looked for the intercept, never to defend in the line. yes he scored the kings only try, but he let in at least 2 because he went for the ball, not the tackle

Arguably he probably went for the right option when he tried to intercept the ball Douglas scored in the corner from.

If he'd stayed on his line and tried to tackle Douglas I'm guessing he'd have looked more silly than he did.

Obviously none of that silliness matched his try celebration. It was like having to celebrate winning $10 after you've bought $100 of lottery tickets.

 

[Richo]

Maybe it was an ironic celebration? Irony is always hard to convey on the sporting field.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

IIRC Cam C is a converted fullback, which gives an additional dimension and options at the back of the field.

a 10 through school

 

[Hawko]

a 10 through school

He certainly looks multi-talented the way he plays!

 

[Lee Grant]

Foley has been the best 10 this season. He wont get wallabies this year which is fair enough, but maybe next year or 2015. He is just a class act.

He had a great game didn't he; but Foley should not be judged for test rugby on how he played against a team like the Kings were the other night. He should be judged on how he played against the Bulls, or similar tough opponents.

Judge him in the next two games against the Stormers and Brumbies - and when you do, don't look at how he can put players through gaps and play flat to the tackle line, if there is one. We know he can do that well, even in a losing game, as happened at the Cake Tin. He has a tick for that stuff.

Foley has to manage a game better than he does now to be a Wallaby: amongst other things he has to use his boot to get his team around the park playing against teams that put up a wall against you.

And whilst it's good to have a bloke who can play offense (as they say in the NFL) to implement attack play, he also has to play defense, and be able to manage an exit from his own 22. Most Aussie flyhalves are better at offense (and most Poms better at defense) but flyhalves have to be good at both to play in high-level test matches.

Let's see how he goes in those games I mentioned.

(And yes, I did use American spelling).
.

 

[Lee Grant]

PS - It has been good to see Crawford playing well. He's was one of those good club players that you weren't really sure about: was he good enough for Super Rugby or not?

You can never be sure until they actually play in a Super game, but the Kiwis, with their ITM Cup, and especially the South Africans, with both Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup competitions, have a big advantage over us.

Their players learn their trade at a third-tier level and then get bumped up to second-tier level Super Rugby once they have proved themselves. Since Oz has no third-tier rugby, our players are judged on how they play in club rugby, which is fourth-tier.

Now Crawford has proven that he is good enough, but others in the past have not: many got in a Aussie squad only to prove that their selection was a mistake. Some never got to play a game to confirm the mistake to the public because they had proved it already in training.

The other two countries have the same problem but not to the same extent; we get more duds in Aussie squads than the SAffer or Kiwi Super teams do because we don't have that screening process that our rival countries have in third-tier rugby.

But I digress - Crawford: it's good to see a fellow in the Tahs who has a bit of leg to kick the ball a decent distance. What they need also, when Mitchell leaves, is a fellow who can do exit kicks with his left foot.

Oh - and a decent line-out boss: the lineout management against the Bulls was execrable.
.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

PS - It has been good to see Crawford playing well. He's was one of those good club players that you weren't really sure about: was he good enough for Super Rugby or not?

You can never be sure until they actually play in a Super game, but the Kiwis, with their ITM Cup, and especially the South Africans, with both Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup competitions, have a big advantage over us.

Their players learn their trade at a third-tier level and then get bumped up to second-tier level Super Rugby once they have proved themselves. Since Oz has no third-tier rugby, our players are judged on how they play in club rugby, which is fourth-tier.

Now Crawford has proven that he is good enough, but others in the past have not: many got in a Aussie squad only to prove that their selection was a mistake. Some never got to play a game to confirm the mistake to the public because they had proved it already in training.

The other two countries have the same problem but not to the same extent; we get more duds in Aussie squads than the SAffer or Kiwi Super teams do because we don't have that screening process that our rival countries have in third-tier rugby.

But I digress - Crawford: it's good to see a fellow in the Tahs who has a bit of leg to kick the ball a decent distance. What they need also, when Mitchell leaves, is a fellow who can do exit kicks with his left foot.

Oh - and a decent line-out boss: the lineout management against the Bulls was execrable.
.

Amen to the left foot kick.
I don't understand how blokes go so far, play and practice rugby so much and yet just haven't found the time to get a left foot kick.


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[Rassie]

actually thats a high tackle and an intentional head slam.on a guy half his size.thats bulls. rugby.

No that is a legal tackle. And its rugby. Guys half your size getting tackled every time.

 

[Lindommer]

LG, you observation about the lineouts raises the question why Chapman isn't getting more game time, is he injured or just out of favour? Question: does Timani's strength in the scrum and (occasional) shifting of rucks outweigh his lineout incompetence and open-field bludging? Personlly, I'd start with Chapman and finish with Timani. But I'm not a coach.

 

[Rassie]

I would add to this Sergael Peterson only ever looked for the intercept, never to defend in the line. yes he scored the kings only try, but he let in at least 2 because he went for the ball, not the tackle

Spot on. He is one of the leaders in missing tackles. He is still 18 years old but if he is not selected withiin a year or two the politicians are going to get angry and make new laws again.