The Tahs have now played six games. Four of those games were against top three teams and arguably one of those, the Brumbies in Canberra, should have been a win. In only one game, against the Rebels, was the team performance really poor. Yet they are second last on the table.
So this game absolutely has to set the standard for the rest of the year. With two really tough games left in the rest of the season (Blues and Crusaders away) they need to win every other game, most with bonus points, to make the top four. That's essential to have a chance to make the final, but its also very doable. A win against the Blues or Crusaders would ice the cake. That's the best possible outcome for the year, all the other options involve scraping into the eight and playing the finals away. Not a likely winning scenario.
Harrison is now gone for the season, so we are down to one playmaker plus an U-20 at 10. A large dose of humble pie should be served to all those forumites who suggested that NSW should have immediately given away one of Harrison, Donaldson and Edmed because we had too many good players!
The Force will want to reduce this game to a close-quarter scrap with the breakdown as messy as possible. We need to replicate the defensive effort against the Brumbies and run through them in the backs, giving Nawakanitawase and Peitch the maximum number of chances to work their magic.
Do we get anyone back from casualty this week or are they all still recovering?
