After two weeks of strong debate and more than 140 comments, I have continued the process of looking at the 2009 Waratahs under the headings of Current Situation and Solutions.
Current Situation
The Waratahs continued where they left off last week.
1. Again the forwards held their own in the set pieces, winning 7 of 8 scrum feeds, 13 of 15 lineouts and stealing 4 of the Stormers’ lineouts. The Waratahs won 49% of the possession. For a young, unheralded pack, this is a good result.
2. There is minimal go forward from the forwards. There have been 8 linebreaks by the forwards this season! The Crusaders and the Chiefs have made 14 and the 18 respectively. The Tahs have broken 51 Tackles compared to 61 and 97 for the Crusaders and Chiefs.
3. Palu’s work rate is well down on last year. Last night, he made 10 tackles and 9 runs, each one of them tentative and relatively ineffective. He has made one line break this year after 8 games, in compared to 9 last season. He is breaking 25% less tackles, compared to last year.
4. The team’s defence is very good.
5. The principle problem remains the backs. Apart from the first 10 minutes, the Waratahs backs again played with uninspired game tactics.
6. When opportunities arose, their basic skills failed. For example, Tuqiri threw a blatant forward pass with the line open in the first half. Tuqiri, one on one with the Stormers fullback, and about 10 metres out, could not beat him and then failed to give a decent pass to and unmarked Turner with the line wide open. That cost a bonus point. The less said about Kepu and Fitzpatrick’s miscommunication late in the game to bomb another try, the better.
7. Beale worked well off the bench as an impact player. One swallow doesn’t make a summer though!
8. They showed no cohesion in attack.
9. Other than workhorses Carter (11 runs, 12 tackles and 3 tackle busts) and Burgess (7 runs, 13 tackles and 2 tackle busts), and the individual brilliance of Turner and Beale, the other backs were again poor.
Solutions:
In order of priority:
1. Hickey needs to get the backs problem resolved this week, not next week. This week. Less kicking the ball away, more structured attack from set pieces, more running from Burgess, more direct play and support play.
2. The starting team for the next two games should be Burgess, Halangahu, Carter, Horne, Turner, Tahu and Sam Norton-Knight. Beale, Tuqiri and Sheehan need to get 30 minutes game time.
Three into two doesn’t go. Turner, Tahu and Tuqiri are vying for two starting positions. Tuqiri has not delivered.
By selecting Turner and Tahu on the wings for the next two games, the message will be clear. Perform or you are out. No more going to sleep and getting lazy in attack.
Wingers must be able to finish movements, either with their own skills or by setting up another player. Tuqiri blew two opportunities last night and with it, an important bonus point that will determine who gets the essential and lucrative home semi final.
Tahu is struggling. Being a senior player on the bench or being substituted would be very difficult. Tuqiri has not taken his opportunities. Tahu has the ability and desire. He needs someone to show some faith in him for more than 50 minutes.
3. The forwards need to go to the line, straight and hard and with support.
4. The bench needs to be used better. Kepu and Beale made an impact. Fitzpatrick’s blooding continued. Tahu, Thomson, Doherty and Sheehan had no impact.
Time is running out for the backs, as they cost the 2009 campaign valuable bonus points.
The Bulls will be a severe test next week.
Kicking the ball to the Bulls speedy backs could be disastrous. The provincial clash with a resurgent Force will be an equally physical and difficult, but must win, encounter.
bennalong
Guest
LAS How about the stats on Tuquiri? ....................................Did I miss them? The oppostion seem to worry about him.
LeftArmSpinner
Roar Guru
Aeisler, Horne is the forgotten man in all of this. He is a year younger than Beale and Turner. Yep, give Tahu a start on the wing, a full game, with the brief to get involved. OldManEmu, I agree about Caldwell. I thought Hocking and Kimlin would come through but they havent. Chisholm has also been invisible. Another to have stepped up is Mowen. Although e appears light for a 6, he is courageous and quick. Waugh has stepped into the leadership breach left by Vicks. Overall, the forwards have stepped up. Unpredictable? Geez, that may be the problem! No one knows what they are doing..... There is a middle ground between the Red Koalas and the 10 man rugby of the Tahs. We know that they can do it. They have done it on a few rare occasions this season. remember Horne going through in mid field and passing to SNK to score under the posts untouched. Easy with the dinosaur comments. The whole idea of the backs is to move it wider and at speed where the defence is thinner. Bofore the Force, dont forget we will see the Bulls V tahs. critical game for both teams. I am a fan of Sheehan. He is tough, competitve and has a good pass. He's not Burgess and that is good. StillMissit, I suspect Palu's drop in form/workrate has something to do with the court case. I agree, they are not playing as a team. I would lke to see some more straight running from everyone and with support play. Those underperforming are 1. TPN (throwing) 2. Palu, 3. Horne, 4. Tahu, 5. Tuqiri, 6. Beale, 7. SNK, 8. Halangahu (last week's goal kicking) Overperforming: 1. Robinson, 2. Palmer, 3. Caldwell, 4. Mumm, 5. Mowen, 6. Waugh, 7. Burgess, 8. Carter, 9. Thomson and 10. Turner. I worry about the bonus points or the lack of them.
stillmissit
Roar Guru
The Tahs continue to make one scratch ones collective heads to mix my whatevers. Tuquiri, well enough has been written here and elsewhere, so it must be a marketing thing those marketing types are always impossible to pin down. This week Turner truly stood up, whilst Palu was not up to his form last year. Who will it be next week? will it be Tuquiri's chance to throw us all a curve ball? The bottom line is they just aint playing as a team and havent for ages. Having 3 to 5 players going well whilst the others are out of sorts aint a bloody team 15 is a team.
ohtani's jacket
Guest
The Waratahs have been over-analysed and flogged to death -- the Tahs who front up for the next two games will be the team you've seen all season. They're not going to change after eight rounds. They've got good defensive forwards and they're strong in the set pieces. They're rubbish on attack, but it's offset by the strength of their pack. They're not a balanced side, but neither are the other sides in the Super 14. The emphasis from here on out will be a home semi not running with the ball.
OldManEmu
Guest
Caldwell has played himself into a Wallaby jersey. He has been the player that has truly "stepped up" this season. On form it is hard to identify a better second rower in Asutralia at the moment. Caldwell's emergence puts the lie to all the doomsayers who were predicting a bottom half finish for the Tahs this season. The line was being put around that becsue of the loss of Vickerman, Elsom and Lyons the Tahs forward were going to struggle. What a load of absolute hooey. Lyons played no meaningful role in the Tahs line up last season, so scrub that as a loss. Elsom has been adequately replaced by Mowen. Mowen is not as good as Elsom, but he has done his job week in and week out. At the beginning of the season I predicted Scott Fava would take on the Elsom role and how wrong I have been, but the fact is the loss of Elsom has not been felt. The true potential loss was always going to be Vickerman; hard, uncompromising on and off the field, a true leader, excellent set piece technician, dominat physical presence - on and on it goes. A once in a generation second rower all said. And yet Caldwell has some how filled these big shoes. No, Caldwell is not in the same league as Vickerman, but he has done a great job. The Tahs scrum is absolutely feasting on opposition scrums. The Stormers reverted to all the dirty tricks on the book on Satdee night and a cynic would suggest they pulled the ultiamte dirty trick by refusing to contest. The lineout has been effective. The Tahs are turning over opposition ball at the tackle at an acceptable level. All in all it would have to be said that contrary to pre season predictions the Tahs forwards are the team's strength. The backs. Interesting to note Rassie Erasmus' comments that the Tahs are actually playing quite an unpredictable style. He would know I guess, assuming that he has studied the Tahs videos in preparation for his team's game on Saturday night. I have only one major gripe with the Tahs backs. If there is not a better back up half back in NSW than Brett Sheehan we are in serious poo. Please tell me there is. Turner was magnificent on Saturday night and in fact has been all year. His pace off the mark is incredible and he does so much running off the ball getting back for kicks and on the kick chase. I think all is going okay wih the backs. Certainly there have been no sweeping backline trys from set piece that dinosaurs seem to regard as the holy grail, but which team has scored those sort of tries this season? The Tahs back line does not take too many risks and does not run the ball from its own half, but so what? The team is winning. I'd rather the Tahs approach than that being adopted by the Reds. Sure the Reds threw it around against the Force - have a look what it produced on the scoreboard. Nada! The greatest aspect of the Tahs backline is the defence - it is rock solid and IMHO could well be the decisive factor when the whips are cracking. The game against the Force is going to be a cracker.
aeisler
Roar Rookie
Hard for Horne to get in form when he's getting first phase ball. He hasn't had a 1 on 1 opportunity all season. Other than a bombed try, its hard to say that he's out of form but rather not getting an opportunity. I agree with benching Lote, he was lazy at times when he was chasing down the kicks. Why not start Turner/Beale at full back and give Tahu a start on the wing with Sam Norton-Knight up 5/8.
LeftArmSpinner
Roar Guru
The work horses this week were Caldwell, Waugh, Burgess, Carter and Turner. Each simply did their job.
LeftArmSpinner
Roar Guru
Well, Sheek, thats three of 7 run on team backs and add SNK and you have more than half the back line. I believe that he is seen as untouchable. Heaven knows why. 7 Runs; 1 Offload; 3 Tackles made; 1 Long arm penalties; 1 Error. Oh, and bombed two tries. Hardly worth $800,000 a season. When it comes to SNK, and I am a fan of his, he has done very little this season and in particular, in the past 4 weeks. I suspect contract negotiations have played a part and frustration at not being given a go at 10. But, his form has hardly been attention grabbing. Runs: Rnd 5: 3; Rnd 6: 3; Rnd 7: 2; Rnd 8: 2; Tackle busts: 0, 2, 1, 0; Line breaks: 0, 1, 0, 0; Errors: 1, 1, 1, 2; Tahu needs more game time, he has the skill, appears to be very nervous and trying too hard when he gets the ball. Get him on the field on the wing and blood him. he should be doing 80 minutes every week, and if his hammies dont stand up, well, bad luck. better to know it now!!!!! As they say, kill or cure it!!!
sheek
Guest
Leftie, Agree Tuqiri has not performed at his best this year. Why is he seen as untouchable (as in being dropped)? Beale at his best should be in front of Halangahu. So, it's a question of whether he has refound his touch? Horne is another struggling with his form.