Waratahs 39  Blues 32

Tahs fans won’t be whingeing after their team beat the Blues at the SFS last night.  They booed their team off the park 3 weeks ago when they beat the Sharks in a squeaker.  In that game they reverted to ping pong rugby in the 2nd half.  But last night the Tahs had a go at using the ball, and since the Blues always chance their arm, it made for match that was tough, entertaining and exciting.

After a bad start and 0-14 down the Blues came at the Tahs in wave after wave.  They charged up the middle of the park around the ruck repeatedly and when the Tahs scrambled to shut it down the Blues would whip the pill out wide.  Like the Brumbies last week the Waratahs were often outnumbered by the Blues near touch and but for a couple of bad passes to the crowd, and an intercept, the Kiwis would have won comfortably.

The Blues were the better team for more of the game and they played some powerful, innovative rugby that was reminiscent of their great 2003 team.  When they took the lead the Tahs looked down and out as though they hadn’t yet recovered from their bashathon against the Force a week before.

They were reacting to what the Blues were throwing at them, and not well, when they got  a lineout 15M out in the 58th minute.  TPN threw short to Mowen who returned the pill to him and TPN ran for the goal line to score in the tackle of a brave Rudi Wulf.

So 29-29 and then 29-32 but with 8 minutes to go Turner, marking 2 men, intercepted a pass and ran over 90 metres to score.  14 point turnaround.

In the last 10-15 minutes of the game you could see the effect of the superior Tahs bench.  The Blues reserve scrummie, Moa, looked like Lauaki’s twin brother and had a mini-shocker including throwing the intercept.  The excellent Blues flyhalf Stephen Brett was replaced by the lesser Daniel Kirkpatrick and his two poor kicks for touch near the end snuffed out any chance for a Blues lineout in good real estate just when they needed it..

15. Toeava was the Blues best and 13. Ranger was always dangerous on attack though less valuable on defence – and it looks like the Blues have got a good first five, at last, in Brett.

The Tahs were a mixed bag.  Halangahu was the best player on the park and managed the game well whether things were going well or not. Horne was savage on defence except one time when Ranger  skated by him near touch.  The Tahs best player this year to date, TPN, had another top game, as did Mumm – and  collective praise has to go to the Tahs scrum and the improved lineout.

Barnes looked good in the party time at the start of the game but was substandard at other times.

The Blues have only themselves to blame.  They failed several times in key moments, turned the ball over too much and gave up too may penalties.

The Waratahs were not great but they were admirable.  For the 4th time in 7 games they did enough to win a game that was there for the losing.

Wallabies Watch

Put his hand up: Dean Mumm. Led the charge in the pack

Did himself no favours: Drew Mitchell. From hero to zero. Had a shocker, including being a speedbump for a try.

Bolter watch: Daniel Helengahu. Great kicking and option taking, got over the line twice. Berrick who?

This old blog is being used to store a template for European games

European  template below

The Semi-Finals of the European Rugby Champions Cup were held on the weekend.

Two French teams remained in the hunt and for both they were virtual home games. Clermont played Saracens in the nearby football city of St. Etienne, and Toulon played Leinster in Marseilles, where they sometimes play important fixtures.

Clermont 13 – Saracens 9

Clermont had been thrashed by Saracens at Twickenham in the same fixture in 2014 but they got their revenge with a masterful stroke after half-time.

Saracens were in good form after dominating Leicester the week before, whereas Clermont rested their best players against Oyonnax and lost at home.

First Half

The best thing about the first 40 minutes was that it lasted only that long. As one who had just watched the Hurricanes play the Waratahs, the viewing was like having root canal treatment.

The scoring? Saracen’s flyhalf Charlie Hodgson dropped a sweet goal and slotted a penalty, though he missed two others. The Clermont 10, Brock James, missed a droppie but kicked a penalty goal.

Half-time score: Saracens 6 – Clermont 3.

Second Half

After the chess game of the first half, rugby broke out soon after the break when 12. Wesley Fofana scored. It was like shelling peas, and so was the James’ conversion. Clermont led 10-6 at 44 minutes.

Final score: Clermont 13 – Saracens 9

The Wrap Up

Clermont was dumb to let Saracens slow the game down in the first half. In the final they will have be true to themselves and play the kind of rugby that got them there.

Saracens escaped with a win in the last minute playing kick-rugby in the Quarter-Finals, when Bosch booted a penalty goal from near half way in Paris. You can’t dodge too many bullets like that though, and Clermont didn’t miss.

The English team looked decent when they were forced to use width in the second half and it serves them right for not trying earlier.

[one_half last=”no”]

The Game Changer

The Ashton/Nalaga incident would have been a key moment had Saracens won, but they lost.

Just after the half-time break there were a few probing moves following a Clermont scrum in the Sarries’ 22.

When Brock James noticed the Saracens’ sweeper was missing he chipped perfectly for inside centre Wesley Fofana to dive over the line and score the only try of the match. [/one_half]

[one_half last=”yes”]

The G&GR MOTM

For Saracens 7 Jacques Burger was like “Mad Max” in the first half and brothers, LHP Mako and no. 8 Billy Vunipola, plowed through tacklers or crunched ball runners.

For once the French assessors got the official award right. Aussie Brock James was the G&GR MOTM also. He was a masterful game manager, was perfect from the tee and when the key moment of the game arrived he got that right too.[/one_half]

The Details

Score & Scorers

[one_half last=”no”]

Clermont – 13

Try: W. Fofana (43)

Conversion: B. James (44)

Penalties: B. James (26, 33)

[/one_half]

[one_half last=”yes”]

Saracens – 9

Penalties: C. Hodgson (36), O. Farrell (65)

Drop Goal: C. Hodgson (14)

[/one_half]

[one_half last=”no”]

Cards & Citings

None

[/one_half]

[one_half last=”yes”]

Crowd

41,500

[/one_half]

Match Details

Clermont: 1. V. Debaty, 2. B. Kayser, 3. D. Zirakashvili, 4. J.Cudmore, 5. S.Vahaamahina, 6. J. Bonnaire, 7. J. Bardy, 8. D. Chouly (c), 9. L. Radoslavjevic, 10. B. James, 11. N. Nalaga, 12. W. Fofana, 13. J. Davies, 14. N. Nakaitaci,15. N. Abendanon.

Replacements: 16. J. Ulugia, 17. R. Chaume, 18. C. Ric, 19. J. Pierre, 20. A. Lapandry, 21. M. Parra, 22 C. Lopez, 23 A. Rougerie.

Saracens: 1. M.Vunipola, 2. J. George, 3. P. du Plessis, 4. G. Kruis, 5. J. Hamilton, 6. M. Itoje, 7. J. Burger, 8. B. Vunipola, 9. R. Wigglesworth, 10. C. Hodgson, 11. C. Wyles, 12. B. Barritt (c),13. M. Bosch, 14. C. Ashton, 15. A. Goode.

Replacements: 16. Schalk Brits, 17. Rhys Gill, 18. James Johnston, 19. Kelly Brown, 20. Jackson Wray, 21. Neil de Kock, 22. Owen Farrell, 23. David Strettle.

Date: Saturday, April 18
Venue: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, St-Etienne
Kick-off: 16.15 local
Referee: George Clancy (Ire)
Assistant Referees: Leighton Hodges (Wal), Dudley Phillips (Ire)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ire)

EPSN link – left click takes to another tag

ESPN match details.