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And so we look back on week 2 with mixed views. The Reds won, and won well, which everyone seems pretty pleased about. The Brumbies, Force and Tahs all lost on the road which shouldn’t really be a surprise should it?
Perhaps we expected more from the all-star Brumbies, but they were right in it till the last 20 or so. The Force? Well their dreadful injury run left them behind the 8-ball from the start. But the Tahs, now they are coping some flack. Wowza! Barnes, Burgess, Waugh, Hickey, Carter, Beale, SANZAR – all of them are in the firing line. C’mon those lads. It was only one week ago that they defeated arguably the team of the tournament so far…………anyway, let’s look at this round then.
Team of the Round
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15 James O’Connor (FORCE)
14 Drew Mitchell (WARATAHS)
13 Morgan Turinui (REDS)
12 Anthony Faingaa (REDS)
11 Rodney Davies (REDS)
10 Quade Cooper (REDS)
9 Will Genia (REDS)
8 Scott Higginbottham (REDS)
7 Matt Hodgson (FORCE)
6 Rocky Elsom (BRUMBIES)
5 Nathan Sharpe (FORCE)
4 James Horwill (REDS)
3 Al Baxter (WARATAHS)
2 Tatafu Polota-Nau (WARATAHS)
1 Ben Daley (REDS)
So . That’s it. Calling it the ‘Wallaby Team of Round 2” is probably not entirely accurate, as all it is based on is form this round. Eight Reds in the team is reasonable I would think. I won’t make comment that that four of the others in the team are actually Queenslanders as well……The two main contentious points are probably at 6 where Elsom was awesome, but Jake Schatz was pretty bloody impressive as well and Benny Mowen a standout for the Tahs, whilst Saia Faingaa also had a great game at hooker. Probably worth noting that we aren’t getting a whole lot from our outside centres at this stage of the competition are we? Morgan played very very well, but it’s a position of concern I would think at the moment.
Player of the Round
Is it Quade Cooper, Two tries, three conversions and five penalties for a record 31 points and totally outplaying the best flyhalf in the game whilst he was at it? Rocky Elsom for his impact on return? Will Genia for the pace and accuracy of clearance that kept the Reds on the move? Or Matt Hodgson for being a one man back-row?
Vote below and have your say
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Try of the Round
Choose from
Try A: It is that man Cooper again! First try of the game and it showed a lot of the flare of last year’s Reds, with a bit more of the intensity and purpose of this years’. About 60m out from the Reds’ tryline Cooper receieves the ball and cleverly drifts out to draw the defence before slipping a cracking inside ball to a charging Morgan Turinui who maintains the angled run.
Now watch the speed of Rod Davies OFF the ball as he positions himself to get the ball on the inside again – the old switcheroo. Next watch the clean out work by James Horwill when Davies gets tackled, allowing super quick ball to Genia who does well to cut out Cooper to Hynes, who does sensationally to pop an inside ball to Cooper who does just as well to get the ball down. Brilliant stuff.
or
Try B: The Crusaders are once again pressuring the Reds and looking good. Braid pressurises Ellis and Anthony Faingaa does the same to Kieren Reid. The ball is spilt and beautifully picked up by Morgan who turns it inside for Rocket Rod from Rocky to put on the after burners and show the fans that things have changed! For the better.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT2aglvl5Io[/youtube]
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Moment of the Round
When Digby Ioane scored his try for the Reds the glee was balance with some gloom as inspirational skipper James Horwill was carried from the field with an obviously serious knee injury. Soon after lock partner Adam Byrnes was sin binned as the Crusaders pressured the Reds line. A very clinical, very Crusader try to Andy Ellis soon after sent familiar shivers up the Reds faithful at the game. They’d been there before and thrown it all away. But then…then we get Try B from above. It showed the Reds were good enough to keep the pressure on the Crusaders. It showed they could pounce on the opposition’s mistakes. It showed we could finish off a movement. It showed how far they have come in such a short time.
