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Losing to the Brumbies annoyed Waratah coach Michael Cheika, but losing to the Sharks was worse.
Cheika wears his heart on his sleeve and, like most dyed-in-the-wool Randiwck men, doesn’t take losing at all well.
The coaches’ box door was worse for wear after the Brumbies, and a cameraman copped a gobful on the sideline during the Sharks’ domination. I haven’t got a problem with either of Cheika’s outbursts, although the purists would be tut-tutting.
“Never happened in my day,” would be the general comment. The hell it didn’t, it just wasn’t reported.
Come Sunday morning, Cheika has a game his troops must win. A loss will see some well-chosen words said.
The basics were awful against the Sharks, it was like watching the Australian cricketers play against Pakistan, the Windies, and India.
There’s absolutely no excuse for a talented side to look like Z-graders in chalking up 34 turnovers. I reckon the statistician was kind to the men in blue, the turnovers were more like 40-plus, or one every two minutes.
Further proof of how many times they bombed possession, the Waratahs ran the ball for 415 metres compared to the Sharks’ 297, yet the Waratahs could only score score one Brendan Foley try, while bombing eight others.
Adding to their misery, and Cheika having a large dose of the dirts, the Waratahs gave away 18 penalties to 8, with Sharks skipper Bismarck du Plessis constantly in referee Mike Fraser’s ear,
Now Cheika has a variety of worries even before the kickoff. Will kingpin Israel Folau be fit enough to play? He isn’t the be-all and end-all of the side, but he’s a vital cog in the operating machinery.
Rob Horne has a week’s holiday thanks to his swinging arm tackle against the Sharks, which was dumb rugby. Another kingpin in Kurtley Beale suffered whiplash from an equally stupid tackle, and winger Alofa Alofa is under an injury cloud.
Wycliff Palu is injured again, which is hardly news. This forces Cheika to look at captain Dave Dennis as No. 8, moving Jacques Potgieter to the side of the scrum, and bringing back Will Skelton as Kane Douglas’ lock partner. That’s a far better pack. At least there’s a chance they will remain on the paddock until Cheika rings in the changes when he’s good and ready, and not forced to.
The Stomers’ game has taken on a note of urgency, and not before time.