4. The Championship Minutes II
For a lesson in how to handle the last five minutes of a game, look no further than the Tahs, who showed remarkable poise to pull off an unlikely win against the Chiefs. Forget the clinical first half, or the Chiefs’ fightback in the following 35 minutes. With five to go the margin was just two points, and both teams had the chance to step up and win it. And like Adam Scott at Augusta, the Tahs took the bull by the horns, had a crack and it came off.
The architect was Bernard Foley, who not only threw the ball to Ulugia for the try, but created the line-break which set it up. He also threw the last pass for the first Tahs try, and put in the precision kick to Israel Folau. When you look at it like that, it is no wonder he got the nod for the G&GR team of the week (even if my vote went to Quade). As much as people are lauding Michael Cheika, I reckon Foley is the real reason for the recent Tahs resurgence. He is taking on defences with every touch, and has developed a beautiful long passing game. I don’t want to bring the W-word into it (yet), but let’s hope his form continues.
