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After their win over the Lions in Sydney on Sunday, three statistics are relevant for the resurgent Waratahs: 19,639, 1200 running metres and five tries to one.
Admittedly it was a Sunday afternoon game played in coolish and dry conditions, perfect for running rugby. But the crowd number of 19,639 for the Waratahs-Lions match is a sign that finally the faithful Waratahs supporters are slowly beginning to believe in the side and in the entertainment and rugby value of Michael Cheika’s style.
The Waratahs franchise has a long way to go to convince their supporters that the team is not the old beast of the Hickey-Foley era that kicked the ball away incessantly and just as incessantly failed to chase and make the tackles to put oppositions under real pressure.
But the last two numbers come into play now. Towards the end of the game at Allianz Stadium, Phil Kearns mentioned that 1200 metres had been run in the match. This represents terrific entertainment and rugby value for the spectators.
This brings us to the five tries the Waratahs scored, a good result over a Lions side that ran the Highlanders very close to defeat in Dunedin the week earlier.
Admittedly, the crowd numbers are pretty pathetic from the point of view of what they were for the Waratahs – up to 37,000 – in the heyday of the team. And even compared with the 30,000+ crowds that the Reds (bless them) are attracting to Suncorp Stadium, there is a lot of leeway for the Waratahs to make up.
But considering that the Lions are not a visiting side, like say the Crusaders, that brings spectators with them, the crowd was a good result for the Waratahs franchise.
The 41-13 victory also take the Waratahs (34) to a point behind the Brumbies (35) on the Australian Conference table. And, almost as importantly, the Waratahs are well-placed to make the final six at the end of the pool rounds, with the Sharks on 40, Brumbies and Chiefs on 35, Highlanders and Waratahs on 34, Crusaders on 32, Western Force and Hurricanes on 31 and Bulls on 28.
There are complications in understanding the details of this list because of bye and numbers of matches played. But the bottom line is that the these leading nine teams are in contention for the final six, with the bunching of the sides on the points table somewhat reminiscent of the horses bunching up for the run home coming round the final bend in the Melbourne Cup.
This week Ewen McKenzie selects his squad for the Wallabies Tests against France in June. I had thought that he would have stayed with Quade Cooper and Matt Toomua as his five-eighths despite the fact that Cooper has been erratic in his play lately.
Now that he is badly injured, a decision to try out a new five-eighths combination has been forced on McKenzie.
One of the obvious aspects of the Waratahs win against the Lions was the outstanding play of Bernard Foley at number 10. Rod Kafer, about as knowledgeable on these matters as any one putting out a view, noted that Foley has the ability to play flat when the occasion demands this – unlike any other Australian number 10.
Foley showed this skill by having a hand – and on one occasion a foot – in all five Waratahs tries. His punting out of hand looked to be much longer than in the past. And he kicked all seven of his attempts at goal.
Foley is not big but he is feisty and he makes his tackles and takes his hits. It could be that McKenzie will look at a Foley-Toomua five-eighth partnership against France. Adam Ashley-Cooper was splendid once again in the centres, and although he is not a noted passer of the ball he seems to have made more breaks than just about any other centre in the tournament this season.
Another impressive Waratahs back was Rob Horne, who now has the distinct advantage, like Pat McCabe (who for some reason doesn’t get into the Brumbies starting line-up), of being able to play in the centres and on the wing.
I was less impressed with Will Skelton as a Wallaby prospect right now. He will play for the Wallabies, of course, but right now he lacks the mongrel to make more of his immense size. There is also a question mark over his lineout play.
He caught a short, sharp throw on Sunday which, apparently, was only his fourth lineout catch this season.
The two Australian teams playing in South Africa, the Western Force and the Brumbies were both beaten by sides they need to be to beat to be contenders.
The problem for the Force is that they are a team that has been playing above their talent in grinding out wins that in other seasons would have been losses. Against the Stormers, the Force were, as usual, brave and determined. But their opposition had too much speed in the backs and size in the forwards for the Force.
The Force need to beat the Lions next week at Perth to maintain their unlikely momentum towards a finals place.
Stephen Larkham was a bit ingenuous in his claim that ‘stupid mistakes’ by the Brumbies ensured their defeat by the Cheetahs. The point is that the Brumbies continued their tactics of last week against the Sharks and did not try to play any rugby in their own half.
Even towards the end of the game, when they had to open up to score crucial points, the Brumbies were still in a kick-and-no-chase mode.
The best thing they had going for them was Henry Speight who was big, fast and stroppy. The Brumbies should have tried to get the ball to Speight at every opportunity. But this didn’t happen, with Jesse Mogg now reduced to the cart horse role of kicking the ball virtually every time he gets it.
It may be that Speight makes McKenzie’s list and not Mogg.
If the Brumbies don’t recognise the match winner they have in Speight, then the All Blacks coach Steve Hansen does. He is calling for the 30 players in the Australian Super Rugby franchises who were born in New Zealand or are eligible to play for New Zealand to be eligible for selection.
The two players he specifically has on his radar are Speight and the Rebels fullback, Jason Woodward, who was splendid once again with his running, kicking and tackling against the Reds.
Finally, a couple of us good old boys were discussing the red card given to Jean Deysel in the 16th minute of the red-blooded match between the Crusaders and the Sharks. One argument put forward was that in the AFL players are not sent off but are disciplined after the match, if they indulge in unacceptable foul play.
This is what should happen in rugby, too, the argument went.
The counter-argument is that punishing someone for foul play after the match does nothing for the team that might have lost a player injured by the foul play.
I also pointed out that there are quite a few instances where teams with a man sent off early have recovered for a win. And when the Sharks had a second player yellow carded in the 63rd minute, they played for 10 minutes with 13 men. In that time they conceded a penalty and kicked one themselves.
In the end the Sharks scored a try from a lineout drive and held out a Crusaders side that just could not convert intense pressure and superior field position into tries for a famous 30-25 victory. The joy of the Sharks when the final whistle was blown was well-deserved. Sometimes guts and a do-or-die approach can be enough in a contact game like rugby to cover up a multitude of mistakes and penalties.
The Sharks often dared the referee to keep sending players off with their frequent law-breaking, especially near their own try line. There was method, though, in this madness. The Crusaders were rattled by a side that just out-enthused them in the quest for victory.
The Sharks, too, were helped by a bit of coaching genius. At the 73rd minute, with the scoreline Crusaders 25-Sharks 23 and the Sharks restored to 14 men, Jake White replaced the entire front row and also Frans Steyn.
The fresh legs did the trick. A penalty was won from a scrum. The ensuing lineout drive fragmented the Crusaders defence for a try and a conversion. And then the fresh legs kept the Crusaders out as they mounted a last desperate attack to snatch a try.
The Sharks proved at Christchurch that their defence is world class. And when they run the ball, which they did a lot more than the week before because they couldn’t afford to give the ball to the Crusaders, they did so with a purpose that bodes badly for all the other teams in the tournament.