Waratahs vs Chiefs Super Rugby Rd 10, Fri 19 April 2013

[Blue]

Kane Douglas had a huge game, and looked like he had played 160 mins instead of 80. He should be first off the rank to partner Kev in the upcoming tests.

Absolutely. Perfect lock combination for the Lions. Douglas has a huge engine. At one point he made three tackles in a row. One after the other just after getting.

He has the unique qualities that you want in your tight lock playing ruck to ruck with no need to do anything else but the basics. Frees Kevin up to carry more and get more involved around the field.

 

[Hawko]

Tahs were at there best this season and the chiefs at there worse

I don't think they played any worse than they did last week. Rose coloured glasses.

 

[Richo]

Definitely not sky blue ones.

 

[JSRF10]

Great performance from the Tahs, really impressed with our breakdown work and Izzy just keeps getting better. If we can repeat that performance in SA we could be looking at a couple of wins. Good catching up with some of the G&GR crowd after the game for some celebratory beers!

 

[Brumbieman]

If Douglas can play the rest of this season like he did last night, i'd take him to partner Horwill.

 

[Bowside]

Douglas looked right at home in a wallaby jersey last year. If he is partnering Horwil I'd have him over Timani or Simmons. MMM can play 6 or cover 5/6 from the bench.

 

[fatprop]

If Douglas can play the rest of this season like he did last night, i'd take him to partner Horwill.

He has played like that for most of the season

 

[fatprop]

a couple of things I like from the comments from cheika

he talked about the Tahs stopping using their arms and hands in rucks and started to use their shoulders

how he has been talking to hooper saying he has been doing too much of other peoples work and not enough of his own (he needed to do less at times)

getting foley used to flattening up the line off front foot ball (I did like the number of options available to him for that last try - that creates the threat)

 

[Ruggo]

Congratulations Tahs and fans. Did my tipping no good but just sensational none the less. Good to see them building momentum and know knocking off quality opposition. They look to be settling into Cheika's vision now and all the best on keeping the momentum while on tour.

 

[Rassie]

Pass to Crawford in the lead up to that last try was about half a metre forward, should've been denied on a TMO review like a Crusaders 'try' was last week.

Chiefs looked flat as a tack for most of that game.

Judging by the hands or the ball trajectory

 

[Lee Grant]

(Douglas) has played like that for most of the season

Agreed - it struck me during the Brumbies v Tahs game that he was one of the few Tahs who showed up to play.

Talking about showing up to play - there has been some talk about how poorly the Chiefs looked in the 1st half and ditto for the Tahs in the 2nd.

The Tahs didn't let the Chiefs into the game in the first half and the roles were reversed in the 2nd. You have to give credit to opponents.

The Chiefs played like the champions they were after oranges, albeit against 14 men at the start of their resurgence. It was very bloody hard to get momentum back against them.

I had the binoculars on the Tahs after Big Ben scored his try for the Chiefs and they were waiting for the conversion which put the Tribe in the lead. The were bloody knackered after all the defence work they had to do in a 25 minute (about) period.

The big story about the Tahs on Friday night was not their brilliant attacking moves in the first half, nor even their manning up at the rucks - it was their utter belief in their 2013 systems when they got hold of the ball near their own 22 with 5 minutes to go, and the execution thereof which lead to the winning try.
.

 

[Lindommer]

LG, you've got better eyes than me, I watched it live and I've since looked at a replay and I still can't work out how the Tahs grabbed the ball from that last 22 dropout. Who did it? And how?

Wasn't the last passage up the paddock (11 phases?) wonderful to watch? Please, please, Michael, do it to me again.

 

[hawktrain]

Judging by the hands or the ball trajectory

Both. Just looked like a textbook forward pass to me, as soon as it was thrown, watching it live.

 

[Hell West & Crooked]

watching the Tahs go round on Friday Night, I was appalled to hear one of the commentators casually speculating that Folau was 'poised to move back to Rugby League'...

was this just a commentator talking shite, or is there something to it...

If it has legs and if Folau really is that uncommitted, I am buggered if I would be rewarding his 12 month sabbatical in Union with a Wallabies jersey- particularly against the Lions - at the expense of a True Believer.

I know this has come up before, with Turquiri, Rogers, and especially Sailor - but I do not believe that in those cases they ever saw their own switch as a 12-month 'cruise', picking up a Once-in-Twelve-Year Jersey along the way...

I choose to believe there is nothing in it - and the commentator was talking ****, but will be mightily pissed-off if they pick him and he then leaves... From my own observation, he had his best game on Friday, and appeared to be completely enjoying himself at the Tahs...

What is the scuttlebut in Sydney?

 

[fatprop]

watching the Tahs go round on Friday Night, I was appalled to hear one of the commentators casually speculating that Folau was 'poised to move back to Rugby League'.

was this just a commentator talking shite, or is there something to it.

If it has legs and if Folau really is that uncommitted, I am buggered if I would be rewarding his 12 month sabbatical in Union with a Wallabies jersey- particularly against the Lions - at the expense of a True Believer.

I know this has come up before, with Turquiri, Rogers, and especially Sailor - but I do not believe that in those cases they ever saw their own switch as a 12-month 'cruise', picking up a Once-in-Twelve-Year Jersey along the way.

I choose to believe there is nothing in it - and the commentator was talking ****, but will be mightily pissed-off if they pick him and he then leaves. From my own observation, he had his best game on Friday, and appeared to be completely enjoying himself at the Tahs.

What is the scuttlebut in Sydney?

This is the rumour

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...t-deny-deal-has-been-done-20130407-2hf04.html

 

[Rassie]

Both. Just looked like a textbook forward pass to me, as soon as it was thrown, watching it live.

Only the hands can tell you when its forward I am sure you have already seen all those videos explaining why passes that look forward are actually not forward because one have to consider where the guy who made the pass would end up if he he continued running

 

[Quick Hands]

This is the rumour

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...t-deny-deal-has-been-done-20130407-2hf04.html

I'm not sure what will eventually happen. I hope he stays. I hope that someone in at ARU and/or NSWRU headquarters is preparing an offer for him that he can't refuse.

The Fox commentary team talk so much rubbish, I quite often zone out.

 

[Hell West & Crooked]

At the risk of putting too much faith in Micheal Hawker - and I have ALOT of faith in Micheal Hawker - I am sure that some conversations must be taking place regarding 2014... I can undserstand if Folau only signed a 1 year deal to see how he would go, and the ARU signed only a 1 year deal to see if he would flourish... but they must have an eye on an ongoing relationship, given our backline depth...

Is anyone in Sydney talking about him eventually moving to number 13? To me this is where he ultimatley belongs - (and that is not to say he cannot be a useful 15)...

The ARU should have a few dollars to spare, with several Wallabies definitely heading overseas in 2014.

 

[Hell West & Crooked]

What I actually meant to say, was that I cannot imagine Hawker rewarding a 'one-season tourist' with a Wallaby Jersey... I wonder what has been discussed...

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Both. Just looked like a textbook forward pass to me, as soon as it was thrown, watching it live.

I've seen the game twice now and paid particular attention to that pass from AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to Crawford and I cannot see the forward pass in which you are referring. The ball travels backwards.

Just to clear it up. Here's a link to some highlights. http://www.pakiscorner.com/ The pass in question occurs in around 25 seconds in and you get a pretty good overview of it at the 54 second mark which illustrates it was perfectly fine.