The Waratahs started their season on the front foot, putting away the Reds 30-10 in a dominant display.
Photos courtesy of Keith McInnes photography.
The Match
The opening ten minutes was a telling period, with both sides having time with ball in hand. The Reds were lackadaisical and weak in contact, stifled by the Waratahs lightning quick line speed. The Tahs, on the other hand, looked razor sharp. Nick Phipps was hitting runners on the burst, and they were making the gain line with ease. The visitors’ problems were compounded by a number of early penalties, which put the Waratahs in prime scoring position. They took advantage, first with a penalty goal to Kurtley Beale and then to a try from a lineout maul to Michael Hooper.
Nothing was going the Reds way, and a yellow card for repeated infringements was handed to captain Rob Simmons soonafter. The Queenslanders had a few good chances while a man down, though, with Eto Nabuli and Chris Feauai-Sautia looking dangerous. The latter had the best of the opportunities, breaking down the right hand touchline only to be thwarted by a brilliant try-saver from Beale. This was the closest they would come for the half.
The Waratahs then put the foot on the pedal. They found numbers on the left and Zac Guildford broke away, his grubber setting up a try to Matt Carraro. They would score again from the ensuing kick-off, with a brilliant five phases ending in a try to David Horwitz after a beautiful Nick Phipps flick-pass. The score was 20-0, and would remain that way until half time.
The Reds started the second half strongly, getting on the board thanks to a penalty from Ayumu Goromaru, who entered the game after an injury to inside centre Henry Taefu. They had the better of the opening 20 minutes, with errors starting to creep into the Waratahs game. Penalties started to go to the Reds, especially at the scrum, and they found themselves with prolonged possesion for the first time in the match. They used it well, and after some nice forward bursts Jake McIntyre scooted over from close range to put the Reds right back in the contest at 20-10.
Unfortunately for the Reds, this only served to spark the Waratahs into action. Shortly after the restart they scored another cracking try, with Matt Carraro making a break on kick return, finding Beale in support. He put through a lovely chip, which was chased down by Phipps for the try. All of a sudden the margin was back to 17 and the Reds had a mountain to climb. Another Waratahs penalty (a strange decision considering they were only three tries ahead of the Reds) put the game beyond reach.
The game fizzled out a bit, with the Reds failing to add to their tally despite ten minutes of possession in the Waratah 22. It ended with a whimper, and the Tahs registered their first win in the season.
Random Observations
The game drifted for long periods, but I thought the skills were pretty good for a round 1 game. Especially from some of the Wallabies, who you would have forgiven for being a bit rusty after a shorter pre-season.
Kurtley Beale was the best player on the field. His play was quick and precise, he kicked well and was incredibly slippery in contact. Nick Phipps was probably second, and gave Beale the perfect platform to attack.
Many of the Waratahs’ standouts were the newcomers. David Horwitz was impressive, feeding off Beale nicely. The same could be said for Zac Guildford, while Jed Holloway made the most of his chance to finally start. The Tahs precision in attack was good to see, and they played at incredible speed, mainly thanks to Phipps sharp delivery.
For the visitors, their strongest work was done at the set piece, with lineout and scrum both dominant. Away from that, however, it was less than impressive. After a couple of phases things tended to break down, with the ball often being passed to flat-footed forwards. They just lacked a bit of spark.
I liked the play of Nick Frisby, who was the Reds player most likely to break the line. Karmichael Hunt was also impressive, and it was a shame the Reds couldn’t get the ball to him more. Greg Holmes and Saia Faingaa did a load of work in the tight stuff, but the absence of Liam Gill was telling.
The pieces are there for the Waratahs. Set piece needs work, but that’s been the case for about three years now. The backline looked electric at times, and the linespeed and work ethic in defence was also impressive.
The Reds showed enough to suggest they can win multiple games this season. If they can tighten their structure and release their outside backs they will score tries, and their scrum is an absolute weapon. And the guts they showed to get back in the game in the second half should not be understated.
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The Game Changer
Nick Phipps try in the second half hit the Reds right when they looked to be back in the contest. It was the type of ‘from the clouds’ play that the Tahs produced on multiple occasions, but sadly the Reds could not.
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The G&GR MOTM
The real deal Kurtley Beale came back with a vengeance tonight, leading the Waratahs around the field with aplomb. He played a key role in two Waratahs tries, and his huge tackle prevented a certain try to Feauai-Sautia. Honourable mentions to Phipps, Holmes, Frisby and Holloway.
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Wallaby watch
Karmichael Hunt showed his credentials tonight, looking a class above the other Reds backs. But it was mainly the old hands who excelled, in Holmes, Skelton, Phipps and Folau. The Tahs front row aspirants, Ta’avao and Ryan took a hit, thoroughly beaten by the Reds superior scrum.
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The Details
Crowd: 24,044
Score & Scorers
[one_half last=”no”] Waratahs 30
Tries: Hooper, Carraro, Horwitz, Phipps
Conversions: Beale 2
Penalties: Beale 1, Hegarty 1 [/one_half]
[one_half last=”yes”] Reds 10
Tries: McIntyre
Conversions: Goromaru
Penalties: Goromaru
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Cards & citings
YC – Rob Simmons (repeated infringements), Sam Talakai (not back 10 metres), Jeremy Tilse (scrum infringements)
