Waratahs 19 Brumbies 12

I don’t know if it was back to the future last night at Homebush or forward to the past, but the game was like a replay of too many Waratahs’ games of recent years.  It was like watching a movie you had seen before but had forgotten the ending.

Whilst the Reds are chancing their arm in big games and the Force at least having a crack, the Tahs are playing ”If I don’t lose, I will probably win” rugby. 

And this year the Brumbies, of all teams, are just as bad.  Don’t cry too many tears for them about bad calls last night; they didnt deserve to win.  Even with a lot of players missing they showed the crowd what they could do in the last 10 minutes but should have showed us half an hour earlier.  Serves them right.

And they should have got Mafi off the park before they did.  On our side of the field you could see him hobbling in the area where Beale made his break and kicked through.  The Brumbies fan behind me was screaming for him to be hooked but they took the 22 drop out, probably hoping he would come right – and lost the game.

Turner could see that Mafi was in trouble and called for the Barnes cross kick.  The execution by Turner of taking the ball and not going into touch was one of the few good attacking rugby moments of the night and made the trip out west worthwhile.

The scrums were bloody awful.  An IRB analysis of tests over the last 3 years revealed an average of 18 scrums per test – and an identical average of 18 collapsed or reset scrums.  It was like that last night and was not helped by “Loves A Chat” Steve Walsh.  LACSW was one of the stars of the night, at least in his own mind and whilst I haven’t seen my replay yet as I write this, some of his decisions were bizarre.

I don’t count the no-try of AAC as one of those.  I thought it was a try for all money at the ground but the big screen showed AAC doing a bit more than just placing the ball.  Pommie winger Ben Cohen would understand.  He was disallowed a try against Ireland a while back when all he did was to move his own body out of the way to place the ball because it was trapped underneath him.

I don’t know who was the man of the match but 7 Waugh must have gone close again.  Either him or 12 Barnes who I didn’t remember was playing until just after oranges.  At least he got the Tahs home in the 2nd half.  Halangahu had a great night kicking goals – and what might have been had he not?

The absence of 2 TPN and 8 Palu was fairly obvious at the ground.  They have been two of the Tahs’ best players this year and you could notice a  lack of venom from the Tahs around the ruck whichever side had the ball.  There weren’t may pick and goes until time wasting was needed at the end of the game and it’s probably because these two were in the stands.

13 Horne was missed in the backline, assuming he might have actually handled the ball, but 15 Beale had a crack.  Wingers Turner and Mitchell wanted to have a go too but had to wait until the Brumbies kicked the ball to them.

8 Hoiles had a good game for the Brumbies except for getting LACSW offside, which given his precious nature is not that difficult.  At least those two provided some 1st half highlights.

1 Alexander had a better game at LHP than his unhappy scrum game against the Canes, but geez, I thought  he was allowed to walk around too much on the hit.   2 Moore and 3 Ma’afu were handy too.  Young 7 Fainga’a didn’t make his mark on the game in his first start but it’s early days for the 19 y.o.  Let’s see how he goes against his twin brothers next week.

14 McCabe had a crack, and 11 AAC was like a swan amongst the ducks except for a couple of bad moments.  But 12 Tyrone Smith must have picked up the bad habit of brother George in the back yard.  His grubber kicks were valuable, but for the other team.

This was not a great night for Australian rugby when you compare it to Friday night and the worthy play by the Reds and the Force, but at least there is  a 2nd Oz team with a chance to make the finals.

But it the Tahs play “I don’t want to lose” rugby against the Kiwi teams in the last 3 rounds they may as well plan for Mad Monday right now.

Wallaby Watch (For the Tahs in this game – By Gagger)

Put his hand up: Not a spectacular night’s rugby, but not by coincidence Phil Waugh was yet again the man with his hand on the pill, ensuring the win for the Tahs at the death

Did himself no favours: Usually this section is reserved for Wallabies, but with Cliffy’s spot open you’d have thought Ben Mowen would be leading a charge for a crack at Wallaby 8. Low impact and needless penalties are cruelling his chances

Bolter watch: While Hangers again showed a steady hand and dead eye boot, Dave Dennis is starting to grow to the bigger stage.

THIS OLD POST IS BEING USED AS AN EXERCISE

The first round of the 2015 NSW GPS competition started yesterday on a dull day with rain sprinkles at some grounds.

The bookies had last year’s undefeated champions, Scots, in the pole position, although Kings’ beat them in their last trial game to give hope to the other teams. Newington caused some cheek also, overcoming Riverview in their last trial, and Joeys were rampant against Shore.

But they were trial matches; the first round would give the best indication of where the teams were at.

Joeys v Riverview

Riverview had the wood on Joeys beating them in both games in the last two years but the Joeys’ forwards were powerful last weekend and they had a wizard playing behind them.

First Half

Joeys struck early when they drifted across the field from a lineout set up by a penalty kick. When 15 Tim Clements straightened he went over for Joeys in the second minute of the game. What a start.

After a dropped ball by the Joe Boys good runs from 11. Conor Hurley and others set up the first of four penalty goals for 10 Jack McGregor.

The second followed an excellent run by winger Dominic Mete who looked in for all money but was brought down.

It wasn’t going all View’s way: 10 Thomas Wright conjured a few freakish runs, hooker Tom Horton was hard to stop and Joeys put in some big hits. But their ball work let them them down too often, they were pinged in the scrums—and their defensive line speed, though diligent, was often premature.

Apart from kicking for the posts, McGregor punished the home team with well-placed long kicks from hand, for Joeys to make mistakes in the right area from Riverview’s point of view, and they did.

The third and fourth penalty goals followed some bullocking runs by 8 Elliot Gehrig and more dangerous sprints from Mete, for Riverview to take the lead 12-7, three minutes before the break.

Jack Mac was killing them softly with his goals, but Wright broke play open for Joeys with a signature run. 13 Terry William was carded for cynical play on the Riverview goal line and after Joeys took the scrum option, Blaise Barnes scored.

Scrum half Wennerbom converted both tries. Half-time score: Joeys 14 – Riverview 12.

Second Half

From the restart, lock Nathan Gittoes cracked Riverview open with a 50-metre run before moving the ball onto the backs, and Barnes was in for the second.

Barnes scored again with a runaway try for his hat-trick, and the throats of Joeys fans were sore after two tries in two-and-a-half minutes.

Joeys had the vibe; so they spurned a kick at goal on their next visit. It was a good decision because 14 Yirrbi Jaffer-Williams sliced View open from the lineout and scored handy.

Joeys had crossed for three tries in the first seven minutes of the half, and after Wennerbom converted them all Joeys led 35-12.

Riverview recovered and had enough possession in the right real estate, and Jack Mac having a few good runs as his did in the first half. But just as the Joeys’ attack had been relentless on attack, so was their defence in their 22, especially on their goal line.

Joeys threatened to put View away with a move up the right-hand touch but they dropped the ball. However the tiring visitors could not stop LHP Layton Holley from scoring when the ball was switched wide in the View 22, with nine minutes remaining.

Nor could they stop Clements breaking out of the Joeys 22 and getting his second try—the seventh for Joeys.

Final score: Joeys 45 – Riverview 12

The teams

Riverview faded in the second half as they did in their last trial; they have play better after the break in their games or else it will be a long season. They gave up four tries with a man in the bin but they should have defended better in that period regardless. Their lineout was poor.

Joeys struggled in the scrum in the first half and they needed more patient discipline when their opponents had their time with the ball. A better opponent on the day would have made then pay more than Riverview did in the first half with their four penalty goals.

The Players

Riverview

10. Jack McGregor – 3 points – mature player; managed his team around the field well in the first half.

14. Dominic Mete – 2 points – fast; always dangerous down the right hand side.

8. Elliot Gerhig – 1 point – made metres through the middle several times before the break.

Joeys

11. Blaise Barnes – 3 points – helped to set up the first try, and scored the next three himself, being in the right place and sometimes with a bit to do.

10. Thomas Wright – 2 points – turned nothing into something by sleight of hand or foot; is a rainmaker.

5. Nathan Gittoes – long run after half time set-up Joeys’ dominance; a bruiser who was a handful otherwise also.

Honourable mentions to 4. Thomas Leaver, moved from 6 to lock this week—and hooker Thomas Horton for damaging runs. Also to Tim Clements—and Yirribi Jaffa-Williams for a well-anticipated run from the other wing to bring down Mete.

Scoring

Joeys 45 ( B. Barnes 3, T. Clements 2, Y. Jaffer-Wlliams, L. Holley tries; W. Wennerbom 5 cons) def. Riverview 12 (J. McGregor 4 pens.)

Other results

2nd XV: Joeys 24 – Riverview 0
3rd XV: Joeys 29 – Riverview 10
16As: Joeys 36 – Riverview 5