Ewen McKenzie is as intrigued as anyone whether NSW’s new-look, exciting backline will risk living up to their early-season hype in a fiery Super 14 opener.
McKenzie, now opposing his old team as Queensland coach, copped enough ribbing in his five successful years as Waratahs mentor about their pragmatic forward-oriented game.
Successor Chris Hickey copped similar criticism as NSW’s backline failed to fire in 2009 when they finished fifth despite having the fourth-worst attacking record.
The defection of Berrick Barnes from Queensland combined with the recruitment of Wallabies winger Drew Mitchell and Chiefs flyer Soseni Anesi has raised hopes of a more expansive game plan.
But McKenzie hinted Saturday night’s interstate grudge match, a traditionally torrid affair, could be a bridge too far for the Phil Waugh-led Waratahs.
“Whether they play their much talked-about new attacking game or play their traditional style will be interesting, but we’ll be going out there to make a contest of it,” McKenzie told AAP.
“It’s a philosophical question, if they want to run it more.
“The question is how much risk they want to take. They will have a formula they want to play to, that’s what they have been doing, whether they stray from that will be interesting.”
Hickey has retained a powerful forward pack for the Suncorp Stadium encounter, led by a Test strength front-row and back-row.
He has opted to keep Dean Mumm at blind-side flanker with lock Will Caldwell shrugging off illness and a hamstring strain to partner impressive New Zealander Cam Jowitt in the second-row.
Mitchell has also overcome a hamstring niggle to be named in a dangerous back three with fullback Anesi and Lachie Turner, while Kurtley Beale will combine with Tom Carter in the midfield, with Barnes pulling the strings at five-eighth.
Hickey admitted it was a tough decision to separate Beale and Daniel Halangahu who shared the playmaking duties in 2009.
“It was a matter of going through and seeing which one gives us most balance in the backline,” he said.
Back in the Super 14 after a year out with Stade Francais in Paris, McKenzie denied he retained the advantage of inside knowledge.
“Time moves on,” he said.
“They’ve got a bunch of players I don’t know very well and Berrick Barnes knows our players pretty well.”
McKenzie is expected to name skipper James Horwill in the back-row, to oppose Mumm at No.6, in a bold move when he announces his team on Thursday.
“As I’ve said you don’t take a knife to a gun fight,” he said.
“It is a heavyweight battle against one of the very best forward packs in the comp so you have to deal with that.”
NSW Waratahs: Sosene Anesi, Lachie Turner, Tom Carter, Kurtley Beale, Drew Mitchell, Berrick Barnes, Luke Burgess; Wycliff Palu, Phil Waugh (capt), Dean Mumm, Cam Jowitt, Will Caldwell, Al Baxter, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson. Res: Damien Fitzpatrick, Sekope Kepu, Kane Douglas, Ben Mowen, Josh Holmes, Daniel Halangahu, Rory Sidey.
Hawko
Guest
Agree 100%. I wish either Nandolo or Betham were on the bench, if Mitchell's hammy gives way the rest of the team shape will have to be badly disrupted (Anesi to wing and Beale to FB) or Sidey has to play wing. I'd like to see both Nandolo and Betham get a full game before round 7, both of them could be something special.
Short-Blind.
Guest
The Tahs backline started to click in their last three games in SA last year. With Halang and Beale creating uncertainty and space for Tahu and Turner. Agree with the roarers above that this weekend will be piggies slogfest for 50-60 minutes with backs not featuring till late (unless slick first phase moves are played). Barnes for Halang is an OK trade and Anesi will offer great angles and unpredictability. dont talk to me about mitchell - will let in as many as he scores unfortunately (whats Lotes cousin's name?). As a Reds fan but a realist I say Tahs by 8 in a generally tight and cautious game.
Hawko
Guest
So last year they played with four backrowers at times. Pray tell me why most of the teams went through their forwards at the breakdown like a dose of salts. Did they have too many backrowers? Link's move (if he really does it) smacks of fear and desperation, given that he's up against a very good back row with only some second class cattle that the Force showed up last week. Even if the Red's backs are more dangerous its likely that any ball they get will be from a pack going backwards and that's notoriously hard to score with. My expectation is that the Tah's backline won't need to get that much ball because of the dominance up front. May not be pretty but with the Tah's very tough first four games, with this one the easiest, they have to start with a win. Let the razzle-dazzle start around round 5 and build to the semi's. This game is to set a baseline for the comp.
Banger
Guest
Interesting that they are talking the warratards backs up so much, considering that QLD is going to field three of the four best backs on the pitch. NSW will play to their strengths in this first game and that particularly against qld is their forwards. Very interested to see where Horwill and Ioane end up playing. Especially Ioane, whether he starts in the centres or if he is a given a wing role and a license to roam.
Tai
Guest
Horwill is a great lock who plays like a flanker only because he has the freedom to get to the breakdowns when he can so it was like they had 4 backrowers at times now by putting him on the flank u lose a mobile backrower and replacing him with a slow lock... Not to happy with this change...
Hoy
Roar Guru
Says you with Beale at 12. HA. I am fairly concerned that McKenzie is toying with the idea of the only true Wallaby Lock we have, playing number 6 this season. That is dangerous. Adam Byrne is worth about 30 penalties a game (as Horwill once was), and Van Humphries is getting old and was never really a world beater.
Jameswm
Guest
They will play it in the forwards for the first 50 mins against Qld. And why wouldn't you, when you look at their pack. They will wear Qld down in the forwards first. Unless of course Turinui starts in the centres - in which case they'll run at him all day.
Kento
Guest
I reckon I've got one more Tahs season in me; come on guys...play beautiful, attacking rugby this year please!