Rob Horne is confident that he will be ready to go when the Waratahs play the Queensland Reds in their Super Rugby opener at Allianz Stadium on 27th February.
After suffering a painful injury to his left shoulder ten minutes into the game against England in the Rugby World Cup, Horne was mentioned as a possibility to play against Scotland in the quarter-final. But it wasn’t to be, and as Horne explained:
I did everything I could to get myself back in the selection frame but it’s hard to get back into a winning side.
Surgery was on the cards but Horne said the injury responded well to rehab and it was decided not to proceed.
When asked about the change of coaches he said that new Head coach Daryl Gibson “brings a different approach to the game – a different set of eyes and background to it.”
But the Waratahs had laid a foundation and Horne said the base level stuff was not going to change but there were changes to staff and how they went about their business could change a bit.
Waratahs’ fans shouldn’t be too concerned that the style of positive rugby played by their team would be altered—as Horne mentioned: they had recruited players who play that style of game.
There were some “great finishers” including Zac Guildford and Reece Robinson who had been “awesome in his transition” and also the young guns who were “putting their hand up.”
Horne was cagey when asked if he saw himself as a winger these days and said that he had worked in the centres a lot in the pre-season but would play where they wanted him to.
When asked point blank what his preference was he said:
As long as I’m on the field; as long as I’m playing, that’s my preference
Good answer Rob Horne.
He added that all the outside backs should be interchangeable during the course of the modern game because they found themselves in different positions so often.
Horne smiled confidently when asked if he would he be fit and ready to go in Round One and he said: “Its tracking that way.”
The Waratahs seem to have stepped up a gear at training and the contact work is getting more physical. The body suits are long gone and rest periods are brief to get players to perform under fatigue.
The shuttle running hasn’t stopped either, and when that is finished they have to keep moving to the next segment of training. Literally seconds for a quick drink and they are off to another area, and not walking either.
Israel Folau is not yet in full training but he looked nimble in his footwork exercises.
Photos by Lee Grant
