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Pre-match, Waratahs coach Michael Cheika predicted the Tahs would have to play the best rugby of his three seasons in charge to win.
They didn’t, but still managed to beat the Brumbies 13-10.
It was an ugly performance from both sides. Post-match Cheika said, “It wasn’t brilliant rugby, but it sure was physical”.
Spot on.
Both teams came to play, but only scored one try apiece because both defences held like Fort Knox.
The difference was a long range penalty from the boot of Kurtley Beale. The kick was reminiscent of Bloemfontien in 2010, where the Wallabies pinched the Test against the Boks 41-39 on fulltime, ending a 47-year drought at altitude.
That game was unforgettable. Last night, however was fully of forgettable moments.
How can so many Wallabies in the Waratahs line-up make so many bone-headed and elementary errors in a provincial game and still win?
If it wasn’t for knock-ons, poor passing, turnovers, or giving away penalties, the Waratahs would have won by plenty and scored a bonus point as well.
Fox commentator Phil Kearns kept praising the Waratahs for sticking to their attacking game plan, despite all the mistakes.
But the same commentator not once gave any reason why those multiple mistake were made in the first place.
Elite footballers don’t make those basic mistakes, that’s why they are elite.
The win left the Brumbies still on top of the Australian Conference with 32 points from 10 games, while the Waratahs have 31 points from nine.
Let’s not forget winning the Australian Conference is the only assured way to qualify for the Super Rugby finals.
The head-to-head between Brumby David Pocock and Waratah Michael Hooper was a split decision, with Cheika summing it up best by saying “They both play great every week”.
But that still didn’t give any indication as to whether Wallaby coach Cheika will give any thought to playing them both at the same time come the Rugby Championship – and the Rugby World Cup that is only 139 days away.
Both were in the heat of battle all night leading from the front – Hooper copping a deep head gash, Pocock twice dislocating fingers – but both played the 80 minutes.
And there’s still the evergreen George Smith to be considered, now he’s become eligible.
Matt Giteau is another eligible footballer to be bandied around the selection table, putting the likes of Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale, Christian Lealiifano, and Matt Toomua on notice.
Or is there are a possibility Giteau could be viewed as a halfback?
Food for thought.
My player of the match last night was behemoth Waratah lock Will Skelton who can now play the full 80. He was as damaging in the 80th as he is in the first.
He now has a Wallaby lock spot safely locked away for the Rugby Championship, and Rugby World Cup.
The strangest sight last night was Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham benching his skipper-hooker Stephen Moore with 13 minutes to go and the Waratahs leading 13-10.
The Brumbies at the time were hammering the Tahs inside their own half on a regular basis, quite often inside the quarter.
They had plenty of possession and territory, but couldn’t trouble the scorer.
That was even more apparent late in the game with the Brumbies on all-out attack and still not scoring.
That was a combination of losing patience, and the Waratahs’ rock solid defence that never looked like cracking.
Had Moore been on duty at that stage, I reckon the Brumbies would have won. They certainly had enough chances, but bombed them
In the end it was Skelton and Benn Robinson killing a messy maul near the Waratah tryline that earned the Tahs a penalty in the 81st minute that Foley happily deposited deep into the Gregan Larkham stand – as Steve Larkham ripped his communication piece out of his ear.