The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Why aren't the Waratahs angry about their rubbish rugby?

9th April, 2017
Advertisement
Israel Folua has to choose between rugby and league - what if he didn't have to? (AAP Image/Paul Miller)
Expert
9th April, 2017
89
2974 Reads

There’s no argument Michael Hooper is a quality footballer, but he’s not a captain’s bootlace.

He proves every week in post-game interviews that he simply doesn’t get it.

After comprehensively losing in total points by 92 to 50 to the Lions and Sharks on the South Africa leg, Hooper proudly said the tour was a success on the training paddock.

And how many competition points were accumulated at training?

After the 38-28 defeat by the Hurricanes last Friday night in Wellington, Hooper said it was so frustrating winning the second half, but giving up early points.

“Winning” the second half, there’s the mindset.

If David Warner and Aaron Finch scored 21 runs off the first 11 deliveries in a ODI, that would be a cracking start.

But it’s catastrophic to kick off a Super Rugby game by being behind 21-zero in the first 11 minutes as the Waratahs were in Wellington.

Advertisement

According to Hooper the fact that the Waratahs outscored the Hurricanes 28-17 in the next 68 minutes was meaningful.

That showed character, determination, and guts to fight back, but it’s an 80-minute game skipper and the Waratahs had another big L against their name, and not a long overdue big W.

And that’s why the Waratahs have won two games in seven.

The reason?

Purely a lack of basics of pass, catch, support, and tackle. You would think, at Super Rugby level, those basics would be automatic.

Not so.

Against the Hurricanes the Waratahs boasted nine Wallabies in the starting lineup with 221 caps in the forwards, and 94 in the backs.

Advertisement

Add Nick Phipps’ 57 Wallaby caps off the bench, and there were 372 caps on duty.

Yet that star-studded side missed 37 tackles, and made 17 handling errors – totally unacceptable.

To be fair, the Waratahs aren’t the only Australian franchise playing rubbish rugby.

So far the five franchises have played their Kiwi counterparts 12 times for 12 losses.

In the process the Kiwis have amassed 438 points to 194, and crossed for 65 tries to just 23.

One-way traffic, bordering on humiliation.

That’s one of the reasons why the Australian franchises have won only seven of their 23 games this season.

Advertisement

And what’s being done about it, where is the whip cracking coming from?

Nowhere.

The silence from ARU boss Bill Pulver is deafening when he should be calling in all five Australian franchises and reading them the riot act.

The follow-up is crystal clear.

Subject the entire five rosters to the Wallaby legends of coaches Rod Macqueen, and Bobby Dwyer, with the two most successful Wallaby captains of the modern era – Nick Farr-Jones, and John Eales.

In the meantime, the Waratahs have a bye this week to lick their self-inflicted wounds.

They should be forced to watch repeated replays of those first 11 minutes in Wellington until they plead for mercy.

Advertisement

Then they will realise what their long-suffering supporters have to go through week after week.

That would be poetic justice.

close