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Waratahs' loss in 2015 is the Wallabies' gain

19th May, 2015
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Michael Cheika is on the cusp of not only glory, but also history. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
Roar Guru
19th May, 2015
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3865 Reads

With four rounds to play in the regular Super Rugby season it is clear that the competition is still very much open.

As an avid Waratahs fan I can honestly say that I will be hoping that the Waratahs can go back-to-back.

As a rugby fan I deep down know that they have Buckley’s chance of achieving this rare feat. My message to Waratah fans is to keep hoping but also not to get frustrated if and when they lose.

Last season I wrote article after article letting all and sundry know not to let the nay-sayers change your mind, that 2014 was going to be the year of the Waratah. This year is different. They do not look capable of taking out the title but that’s okay.

There is no doubt in my mind that with four rounds to go the inconsistent Waratahs are going to eventually usurp the Brumbies and top the Australian conference. The difference is that they are not going to have the luxury of a home final unless the Hurricanes falter at the penultimate hurdle.

That is doubtful because the Hurricanes look like a genuine championship winning outfit. They have the same swagger that the Waratahs had this time last year. It’s theirs for the taking. Yes, the Waratahs are the only side to beat the Hurricanes this year but I sincerely doubt that they could do this again in a grand-final. This is the year of the Hurricanes it seems.

The Waratah’s saving grace is that they will still top the Australian conference without really having hit top gear. I predict the Brumbies will obviously finish a very close second.

I predict that the Rebels will no doubt finish an honourable third but miss out on the quarter-finals, and that the Reds and Force will finish so far down the ladder it will make no difference. That seems obvious I know.

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What may not be obvious is that with no sole successful side there will be a silver-lining. With no real standout side this year errors made by the Test selection panel will be minimal.

Sure we hope that the selectors get it right but if they opt for one player over another here or there it really won’t make too much of a difference. Compare this to July last year when Ewen McKenzie opted to ignore some of the championship form players from the Waratahs straight after their triumphant final.

It went far too unheralded that by ignoring too many of the Waratah players, who were in red hot form, for the opening couple of Bledisloe matches at least, we lost all the momentum gained from the Super Rugby victory.

This year will be different. There will be no real momentum. There will be no triumphant Australian franchise and so we can just get on with supporting the Wallabies. I for one am going to try my best to let the selectors select the side, to let the coaching team dictate the tactics, to let the players play the tactics assigned, and just get on with being a Wallaby fan.

Sure I’ll have an opinion as we all will, but I am also going to be at peace if selections and tactics don’t go my way. It’s all going to be much of a muchness and the Test rugby will be as tight as ever.

Sean Fitzpatrick said recently that the Wallabies have more depth across every position in 2015 than ever before. I believe that is true and so I predict a huge 2015 for the Wallabies in the way of some silverware. We will win at least one of the major trophies this year, mark my words, and frankly I’ll take that over a Super Rugby title every time.

Let’s support our franchises for the next four or six weeks and then really get behind the Wallabies!

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