It’s hard to know what to make of the Waratahs Highlanders game, but there was enough in the match to safely say that the Waratahs were comfortably beaten by a better team on the night.
The Highlanders played smarter semi-final Rugby, with intelligent kicking, good forward play, lineouts and great offloads that kept the Waratahs on the back foot all night long. This author was at the game last night, but couldn’t help but re-watch to clarify whether initial thoughts out at the game were similar to the broadcast.
There were a few things that were worth noting that did not help the Waratahs, and these things (to the extent that they can be), must be fixed under the Cheika coached Wallabies as the move towards the RWC.
1. Craig Joubert and his assistants
It’s hard to say he didn’t impact the game. So without making it about the individual, it is probably worth highlighting a few of his more inconsistent or dubious decisions:
- In the 27th minute, he pinged Nick Phipps for being tackled and playing on. Dubious at best, but other than giving the Tahs front foot ball on the opposition 40m line, it wasn’t like it cost the Waratahs any points. However, just six minutes later, Richard Buckman is tackled by 2-3 defenders, leaves his feet and gets back up to keep moving, no ping, no nothing, ironically Buckman then steps Phipps and runs 20 metres to score a try. Very similar incident, very different result.
- The Highlanders were playing a very very tight offside line in defence. Without saying they were offside all night (and I’m not), they were certainly very close to the last man’s feet, and closing down the Waratahs space very quickly. In the 42nd minute, when the Tahs are parked on their line when Rob Horne comes from an onside position and superbly reads Aaron Smith’s pass to take an intercept. The Highlanders players raise their arms in theatrics that Richie would be proud of, and they’re deemed offside by Joubert. Aaron Smith knocks on from the next phase and again, there is no result, but it is another case of the Waratahs being on the wrong side of the referee.
- 45th minute – Waratahs lineout and Dave Dennis leaps high. There isn’t much in it but Mark Reddish’s leap takes out Dennis’ legs and he tumbles to the ground hard. Play on, says Joubert. Again, not much in it but one against the Tahs. A similar marginal call from a kick-off had led to an earlier Highlanders penalty and a later call was deemed that Naholo was contesting the ball against Foley.
- Again in the 52nd minute, Joubert missed what every single spectator did not – a clearly forward pass from Lima Sopoaga to Ben Smith on the 40m line. Rewatching it over and over on the replay and it still looks 1m forward – every single time! Next phase, Highlanders score a fantastic try to Waisake Naholo scores a fantastic try from the grubber.
- 56th minute – Phipps gets pinged for an intentional knock down. Marginal, Joubert has actually let play go on and blows it up 5 second later, probably as a result of an assistant’s call. Next phase and Osborne almost scores. Joubert deems that not only has Potgeiter prevented him from scoring the try but also deserves 10 minutes in the bin. Big call. Just after this, in commentary Phil Kearns just about nails it – “Craig Joubert has had a shocking game tonight, no doubt about it”. Rod Kafer defends Joubert and Kearnsy calls him on it, saying “that’s three times you’ve said he’s had a poor call”… Kearnsy can be a particularly partisan commentator but I think he wasn’t far off the mark – Tahs did not get the rub of the green.
- 59th minute and as Horne is cleared out and falling to the ground (not on the ground), he knocks the ball from Nasi Manu’s hands. Joubert deems this as “playing the ball from the ground”. Poor call – again. Highlanders miss the penalty goal, but it’s just another bad call that has put the Tahs back in their own half.
Obviously, for the Wallabies, they will have to expect to come across Joubert if they progress through the RWC, so learning how to talk to and manage him will be important. For this reason, surely it would have to be Moore or Pocock as a skipper rather than Hooper and Cheika should start try and manage the referees perceptions through the media.
2. Clearing your lines and tactical kicking
On a night when the Waratahs needed to play clinically from their own line, they didn’t. Bernard Foley is a great player, and has been fantastic for the Tahs all year. However, last night his clearing kicks weren’t long or accurate enough for a semi-final. He missed the line from one penalty and only made 15m in another and his general play kicking just wasn’t long enough to get the Tahs out of trouble at times.
Without Beale, they lacked the second option which probably also hurt as nobody else in the backline has a kicking game. A lesson for the Wallabies 10-12 combination, particularly if they go for Samu Kerevi.
Folau’s kicking also isn’t the best. One attempt early in the second half was poor and in the 51st minute he passed to Carraro instead of putting the pill downtown and consolidating like you need to do in the tight games. Compare the Tah’s kicking game to the clever box kicks of Aaron Smith and you get a picture of how and why the Highlanders benefited from great field position all night.
It’s a lesson for the Wallabies under Cheika, that sometimes turning around the opposition is just as good as running it from everywhere. 64% of the Highlanders time was spent in the opposition half based on 49% of possession. This tells the story.
It was also curious to see the Tahs not kicking the ball out. It’s unclear whether this was a tactic, but with a back three like the Highlanders have, it seems improbable to think that it could have been. Surely it was simply a case of poor execution?
3. Lineout codes cracked
If the rumour is true, the Highlanders forwards were watching re-runs of ‘The Imitation Game’ this week, and took great motivation from it. They clearly had the wood on the Waratahs at lineout time. They were so successful in fact, that you’d have to wonder if they had cracked the Tahs lineout codes as they began to make it look easy.
You could probably question whether all lineouts had the 1m gap, but it’s pretty irrelevant when the Highlanders had broken the enigma code. It is a lesson for Cheika as well; that you need options in lineouts and if you have Skelton in your team, then someone like Fardy is probably worth having at blindside flanker. This could be a problem as Skelton was fantastic in general play and was the most physical in the Waratahs pack. Such physicality is certainly something the Wallabies will need during the RWC.
4. Promoting the man outside you
Last year, the Waratahs always seemed to find the right link players, particularly on the outside. In the first half, the Tahs had a number of chances to promote the man on the outside, and didn’t. There is nothing worse than going yourself when there is a man unmarked, or in more space than you.
Probably the biggest culprit of this was Folau. In the 70th minute and behind by 10 points, the Tahs had a good rolling maul going that had absorbed the entire Highlanders pack. With the ball going wide and Naiyaravoro on the outside in a one on one with Osborne, Folau decided to go himself instead of pass and was picked up by the two inside defenders and dragged over the line – attack (and the match) snuffled out.
5. Skelton was immense
If anyone doubts his fitness, physicality or ability to go for 80 minutes, then watch this game. He was intensely physical, and was smashing rucks and making big, hard hitting tackles all night. He was one of the Waratahs best and is a unique option for the Wallabies if they can counter his weakness in the lineout.
If anyone doubts his ability to play for 80 minutes, then look to the 75th minute, when he sprints out of the line to try and charge down the Sopoaga drop goal. He’s 140kg and he’s the bloke that is chasing hardest – not only does that show his fitness is up to it, but his desire is there also.
6. Catches win matches
Wrong code, but the moniker holds. If you can’t catch the ball and you’re going to drop the ball cold on regular occasions, then you will be beaten. AAC, Latu and Jono Lance all come to mind.
Overall, I couldn’t help but think that the skill level between the Australian and New Zealand teams is in a different league – the skills, agility and game speed that both the Highlanders and Hurricanes showed suggests that the Wallabies are going to have their work cut out again this year trying to match a classy, albeit aging All Blacks outfit.
7. Cross kicks have a place, Naiyaravoro does not
Two tries in the match came from clever cross kicks. It’s important that it’s done at the right time, when defences are up.
In the Waratahs case, it highlighted the ineffectiveness of Naiyaravoro to turn and chase. While he might be ok with the ball in hand, the ability to turn and pick up your man is crucial, and highlighted that he isn’t quite up to test standard, where such ineffectiveness will be shown up all too easily.
He was also impotent in attack, and was caught flat footed on a number of occasions. In short, he only looks good when in space as he doesn’t have the agility and speed to get through defences like Osborne or Naholo showed, and in test rugby, defences will close down his space far quicker than they do in Super Rugby.
All in all, it was a disappointing match for the Tahs and the Highlanders played a smarter game and were the deserved winners. It’ll be an interesting match next week in Wellington and certainly one to watch.
