Waratahs v Sharks, round 14, Saturday 16 May

[ChargerWA]

Another thing I noticed, although Naiyaravoro's pluses have gained some traction in recent weeks, it was alarming how much ground the Sharks made down his wing - they clearly favoured it and he was found wanting often. I know this isn't news, but it is a glaring fact when possible Tests are mooted. A very exploitable weakness.

If his defensive read was better it wouldn't matter as much, but when he invariably misses it's like watching a battleship trying to turn around. Truthfully he's a one trick pony. It's an impressive trick but he's way too limited to even be mentioned in the RWC squad frame.

 

[A mutterer]

i would have preferred to see big willy get the motm, as i thought he was fantastic tonight. horne was really strong.

apart from that, this is what we saw from the tahs early last season and the year before. i hate when we get an early try in the first 5 mins, as they invariably take the foot off the pedal.

beale has been poor this season, and tonight watching up close he is definitely shirking contact, even if he accidentally ran straightish.

good to see foley get the radar back, and some nice clearing kicks.

 

[Lindommer]

Beale's inability to either break the line or link up with his fellow backs when he has ball in hand is a handbrake on the Tahs performances this year. There have been far too few ensemble backline movements for a team with such talented players from 10 out. I'd be sorely tempted to bench Beale and start with Carraro next week. Big Taqele's also looking like a liability, his defensive shortcomings will have been noted by opposing coaches, I can only see more grief in coming matches.

Just once could we see how this backline functions, even if at the end of a match:

9. Phipps
10. Foley
11. Betham
12. Horne
13. Carraro
14. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
15. Folau

 

[Shiggins]

Jeez the tahs tried everything to give that one away. The Hoff is shocking. I've said it a few times this year and everyone keeps saying he is consistent and pretty good. I don't know what everyone is watching.

 

[Shiggins]

Beale's inability to either break the line or link up with his fellow backs when he has ball in hand is a handbrake on the Tahs performances this year. There have been far too few ensemble backline movements for a team with such talented players wearing 10 and higher numbered jumpers. I'd be sorely tempted to bench Beale and start with Carraro next week. Big Taqele's also looking like a liability, his defensive shortcomings will have been noted by opposing coaches, I can only see more grief in coming matches.

Just once could we see how this backline functions, even if at the end of a match:

9. Phipps
10. Foley
11. Betham
12. Horne
13. Carraro
14. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
15. Folau

Beal and naiyaravora are welcome at the force if you don't want them. Would Kill for 2 guys like that over here

 

[qwerty51]

9. Phipps
10. Foley
11. Horne
12. Lance
13. Folau
14. Betham
15. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)

 

[Inside Shoulder]

If his defensive read was better it wouldn't matter as much, but when he invariably misses it's like watching a battleship trying to turn around. Truthfully he's a one trick pony. It's an impressive trick but he's way too limited to even be mentioned in the RWC squad frame.

Totally agree and the more widely known he is the worse he will get as his glaring weaknesses are exploited.

 

[Marcelo]

Congrats Tahs!

Round 14:

Aussies 2 - Saffers 0

 

[Quick Hands]

Beale's inability to either break the line or link up with his fellow backs when he has ball in hand is a handbrake on the Tahs performances this year. There have been far too few ensemble backline movements for a team with such talented players wearing 10 and higher numbered jumpers. I'd be sorely tempted to bench Beale and start with Carraro next week. Big Taqele's also looking like a liability, his defensive shortcomings will have been noted by opposing coaches, I can only see more grief in coming matches.

Just once could we see how this backline functions, even if at the end of a match:

9. Phipps
10. Foley
11. Betham
12. Horne
13. Carraro
14. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
15. Folau

As is usually the case in professional sport, opposition teams have worked out how to nullify Beale. What this means is that we now get none of his positives, but still get his negatives. The time can't be far off when he comes off the bench with 10 to go against tiring defenders.

 

[Quick Hands]

Jeez the tahs tried everything to give that one away. The Hoff is shocking. I've said it a few times this year and everyone keeps saying he is consistent and pretty good. I don't know what everyone is watching.

He's consistent, that doesn't mean he's pretty good.

 

[Quick Hands]

Kafe had a solid tilt at the title tonight. We all know he hates the Tahs (he's allowed to as a fan), but the relentless complaining about every decision their way, and basically none the other is just tedious. And really, from the commentators, there should be more. I include Kearns and Martin in that, BTW.

If Kafe could have put on a South African accent, he could have been mistaken for a Sharks supporter. Quite sad from someone who is capable of excellent analysis.

 

[Slim 293]

To be fair, did any of the bad decisions go the other way?

 

[Gagger]

Foley's running game was fantastic, his ability to run a backline is worrying me. I don't know if it's Beale, or what, but after that first minute the Tahs backline just couldn't take advantage of the forward's work. Finishing was poor, too, unlike last year.


There's just something not working in the backs right now for the Tahs.

Along with Cyclo, for me it's Beale.

Foley's bit is to straighten the attack and keep the inside defence honest. Last night and last season he did it brilliantly.

Beale's role is then to unlock the wider spaces and exploit the midfield. Worked for the most part last year, but this year he's either running sideways, getting isolated, spilling the ball or chip kicking it away.

The problem is that the Tahs rely on a second wave wide play to get around rush D's and unlock Folau and Naiyaravoro. The second play maker is key to it.

As much as I'm a Horne fan, he's not the guy for it and I haven't seen enough of Carraro to say that he is either.

 

[Shiggins]

If Kafe could have put on a South African accent, he could have been mistaken for a Sharks supporter. Quite sad from someone who is capable of excellent analysis.

The Hoff was shocking and it was all in the tahs favour.

 

[Gagger]

The head explosion fuse clearly a slow burner this week

 

[Brisbok]

Kafe you're embarrassing yourself. The Tahs took it in and it's unplayable - their feed 100% of the time.

Qwerty rule book or IRB laws?

Law 16.7 Unsuccessful end to a ruck

a) A ruck ends unsuccessfully when the ball becomes unplayable and a scrum is ordered.

The team that was moving forward immediately before the ball became unplayable in the ruck throws in the ball.

If neither team was moving forward, or if the referee cannot decide which team was moving forward before the ball became unplayable in the ruck, the team that was moving forward before the ruck began throws in the ball.

If neither team was moving forward, then the attacking team throws in the ball.

http://www.rugby.com.au/Portals/22/2014 Laws/Laws of the Game 2014.pdf
*apologies, originally replied to the wrong post.

 

[Quick Hands]

The Hoff was shocking and it was all in the tahs favour.

No one is saying that the Hoff was good last night, he made plenty of mistakes as he always tends to do (he's certainly not the only super referee in this category). Normally his errors tend to fall either way, but last night the vast majority, if not all of them, went the Waratahs way. Most of the calls were your standard 50/50 calls - the two howlers were the unplayable ruck call in which the feed should clearly have gone to the Sharks and the half time call where he told the Sharks it was half time and then after they knocked it into touch decided to play the lineout. He's the sole judge of time - if he tells on of the teams it's half time, it's half time even if the clock at the ground shows 10 seconds left.

 

[Slim 293]

Don't forget the other howler where Bismarck was facing his own goal line, threw the ball to a Sharks player a metre or two behind him.........

And it was called forward.........

 

[Quick Hands]

Don't forget the other howler where Bismarck was facing his own goal line, threw the ball to a Sharks player a metre or two behind him...

And it was called forward...

Make that 3 howlers.

 

[Lindommer]

QH, the ref isn't necessarily the sole judge of time. The relevant Law, 5.3, was changed in the early 2000s to allow a referee to ".....delegate the duty to.....the official time-keeper.....". Most sensible refs in major matches delegate the keeping of time. In club matches it's often the case the home team provides a time-keeper.

I've noticed over the years the time-keepers at the SFS are pretty poor watching the refs' time-out signals and let the match clock tick over unnecessarily, sometimes for up to 30 seconds. This could easily be solved by asking both teams to supply an official to sit with the official time-keeper.