The Waratahs are roaring to the Super 14 finals

 
Spiro Zavos Columnist

By , 28 Apr 2008 Spiro Zavos is a Roar Expert

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The Waratahs Wycliff Palu dives over the Sharks Odwa Ndungane to score - AAP Image/Dean Lewins
Let’s hear it for a first year Super 14 coach who dropped his captain early in the season, and for two other coaches who’ve been sacked for presenting three tenacious Australian sides in this week’s thrilling Super Rugby round.

Philip Mooney (the Reds), Laurie Fisher (the ACT Brumbies) and Ewen McKenzie (the NSW Waratahs), you’ve taken plenty of brickbats this season, now it’s your turn to stand up and take a bow.

The Brumbies were helped, admittedly, but two curious refereeing decisions by NZ referee Kelvin Deaker. First, when the Lions were leading 21 – 8 they forced a kick through to the Brumbies tryline. A Brumbies defender swooped down for the ball. The Lions allowed him to get back to his feet, and then smashed him over and went for the ball. A try was on. But Deaker, inexplicably, penalised the Lions for not allowing the player to get to his feet.

This is a pet hate of mine, referees who rule on what they don’t see. Deaker did not see the Lions fall on the player before he got to his feet because they didn’t do this. Yet he made his ruling. Lucky Brumbies, unlucky Lions.

Then Deaker sin-binned a Lions forward for slowing the ball down, around the halfway mark! What was the point of this? With the Lions a player down, the Brumbies were able to level the score at 21 – 21.

With seconds left to play the Lions foolishly tried to drive the ball forward from their 22. A blast of the whistle and a turnover short-arm penalty to the Brumbies. A quick tap and a try under the posts kept the Brumbies’ finals chances alive.

However, a crunch match against the Stormers at Cape Town will probably put either the home side or the Brumbies out of the finals race.

The Reds are out of finals contention and they can only play the spoilers role, with the match against the Waratahs at Brisbane in the final round probably deciding whether the Waratahs have a home finals match.

What I look for with coaches is two things: results and improvement in the players. Mooney has achieved three wins this season, with the Blues, Crusaders and Waratahs to come, all difficult games. But even with no more wins, the season has been better than supporters could dared have hoped for in terms of results.

More importantly, and looking to next season, Mooney has established a long-term captain James Horwill, who has taken some of the thuggery out of his play and is now the leading second-rower in Australia, in my view. Quade Cooper, finally, is beginning to run the game for the Reds back line with the deft touches, vision and sharp running. Even a relatively old (only relative) player like Morgan Turinui has got back his pace, his skill at breaking the line, and has added some sound defensive work to his game.

The Waratahs led 3 – 0 at halftime against the toothless Sharks. As someone murmured to me in the press box,: ‘This is better than last week when it was 0 – 0 at halftime.’ The 3 points were courtesy of an outrageous penalty goal from Lote Tuqiri. I wonder how many players have kicked their first penalty in Super Rugby from 50m out? Francois Steyn, not to be out-done, kicked a penalty later on from well inside his own half.

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The Waratahs were patient and smart. From the kick-off, for instance, Kurtley Beale kicked a perfect ball to an isolated Sharks back standing by himself in the middle of the field. The defender spilled the ball and the Waratahs were immediately on the attack. They played intelligently, spreading the ball, and then bashing it up even though the points did not come. When they were in the red zone they ran hard and straight on to pop-up passes. The Sharks couldn’t hold runners like Wycliffe Palu and Tom Carter, and in the end 22 points and four tries were scored.

The Sharks play the rampant Crusaders at Christchurch and even though they’re still in the top four you’d have to believe that their finals run has come to a shuddering stop. As for the Waratahs, they seem to be roaring into the finals.

Come back Ewen McKenzie, all is forgiven …

Player Of The Round: the unstoppable Wycliffe Palu who gave the best imitation of Willie Ofahengaue since the great man himself steam-rolled defenders on his way to the try line in his glory days.

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