Waratahs stick with winning combination

Correct....their scrum is certainly better and more idiot proof than their lineouts.

Short throws and rolling mauls are another valid lineout option. Sharpey to do his best "Martin Johnson" impersonation captaining the mauls.

Well, Dunning is injured, so you would have the same scrum that performed well against the Reds last week, and now with Baxter gone and Kepu to THP, and Mowen rather than Palu at 8, the scrum battle seems the only one the Force have any chance of winning.

I agree with the selection changes - Horne and Holmes should get a start. I can't understand the trait/trend of playing the hyped up stars ahead of good young players brimming with talent. if the recent roar debate about the state of rugby, where many bemoaned the lack of new young stars in the game, well, maybe this is the reason for punters staying away. its the new young talent that brings the crowds in, ie. jarryd hayne.....see the daily tele - they were pumping up a new young lad as the next superstar...we need to foster a culture of encouraging the young hotshots into first grade teams...(and I am a Kiwi, not a rusted on Tah fan)

The Waratahs would be well advised to forget the Lions game, any team would look good against them at this stage. The were fairly easily beaten by the Stormers and dispatched by the Bulls, even leading by 17 points at one stage. They have not beaten anyone of substance and by that I mean they still have to face the Crusaders and Brumbies, 2 of the best sides in this competition. The top sides have settled squads and for the Tahs to still doubt who is the best firstchoice players either points to amazing depth or an undercurrent of selfdoubt. I rate the Tahs highly in any case, they have a "big team" look about them and should not fear anyone but themselves.

Already happening RK with our best tighthead missing out and heading down to Canberra.

I'm not sure of that, the Force do have a solid scrum. Besides, they dont have any other options really.

Unsure how point 5 is relevant. The Tahs scrum is its most potent weapon and they will buckle the Force pack.

I agree 100% to above. Its also a game to rest Palu and give young gun Locky McCaffrey a game or is he at Aussie 20s???

Spiro, Completely agree with the proposed changes. I definitely think Ben Women deserves a start or at least 40 minutes a game. He is an exceptional player who has no holes in his game.

Do the Tahs have the guts to run it in an emotionally tougher "derby" game? Or only once they're ahead by 15?

GTW is obviously having a lend, but Former, you seem somewhat serious. Are you kidding? Attack the Tahs scrum? This, I humbly suggest, would be a futile move and about the last option that I would recommend. Would Dunning spearhead this? The Force's best chance will be to catch the Tahs napping. No disrespect to the Force, but they are injury riddled on the back of losing half their backline after last season and their lineup is just not up to the task at the moment. Start the mind games. Talk the Tahs up and start blowing smoke in the general direction of their rear ends then try and ambush them. If the Force can get out to a decent lead early with the support of the parochial home crowd, they might hang on for a narrow victory. If the Tahs get a sniff early, forget about it. Probably not as bad as Brisbane last week, but still not one for the grand kids to hear about. I feel bad for the Force and I have enjoyed watching them over the last few years, but this season has car crash written all over it. I just hope this doesn't result in others jumping ship.

I'd concentrate on point 5, and try to hammer the NSW scrum (but it is also pretty good). Lineouts were a disaster against the Reds, so concentrate on a short throw to 2 and roll a maul from there. Play 10 man rugby. Pack scrums all day if you can.

How the Force can win on Saturday: 1. Smash the Tah's no. 10. Long throws to the back of the lineout, run at the 10 and drag him into the ruck and mauls. No one wishes any permanent injury but a few hard knocks are part of the game. 2. Enjoy the hit. Instead of kicking the ball out from frees/penalty's, try an up an under that goes about 20 metres and allows the forwards to get there and smash whoever takes the ball. They get sick of being crunched after awhile and start dreading free kicks. 3. Make the opposition pay if they score a try. Short kick off's and smash them again. 4. Make tackling an offensive weapon to knock the ball free and gain possession. Once you've mastered and are enjoying tackling, then worry about the fancy offensive moves. Don't tell me the Force are enjoying their tackling at the moment. 5. If you're losing lineouts, have a scrum whenever possible. The Force has a good pack....use it. 6. Keep the plays simple. When your confidence is down, you're not going to pull off the fancy moves. Nothing discourages the forwards more than seeing hard won ball dropped time and time again during fancy backline moves. 7. Celebrate and encourage all the good plays/tackles during the game and point them out to all the players whenever possible. Never mention the negatives. Everyone knows when they've stuffed up and no need to rub their noses in it. 8. Building confidence is all about encouraging the positives until the whole game becomes a positive. The good lord knows the Force need some self belief and confidence building at the moment. 9. There's 18,000 blue maniacs at the game.....get them involved early by putting points on the board and giving them something to cheer about. 10. Beer tastes better when you win....that should be reason enough to have a red hot crack. Here endeth the lesson......for now.

Regarding using Kurtley Beale as an impact player off the bench, my friend Earle Kirton, an All Black, All Black selector and very good coach, used to always say: 'The best time to use an impact player is at the beginning of the game.' Another Kirtonism which Clive Woodward told me he always passed on to his teams was: 'If you get good ball to run at at the beginning of the game run it, it may be the best ball you get all match.'

I agree with all three Spiro. IMHO these guys are clearly superior. What worries me is that these high quality players, and I include Mowen in this category, may become disullusioned and head else where.

Yep no surprises from you that for sure. And it's hard to disagree on starting Holmes & Horne, if Horne is fully fit. Anesi I'm not so sure about. I suppose you are looking at Beale and where best to slot him in? But does he offer any more at 15 would be my question. I'd be inclined to have him off the bench as an impact player & let opportunities by injury offer him his start. Through my Tah eyes I watched the Force & the Lions last week and wondered which team was performing worst. I'd rate the Force as better than the Lions (I think) and if Mitch moves James O to 10 they might have a chance of pulling off an unlikely win. As for the Tahs they need to start as they left off against the Lions and not fall back into old habits, if they want to do well against the tougher teams.

It would be preferable for Mowen to come home to Qld to play 6, with Higgy moving back to 8. Houston needs to perform for a full season before his spot can be considered secure. Although I suppose Schatz and Eddie Quirk may have a few things to say about that, too.

Is Ben Mowen off contract anytime soon? He would be an excellent signing for the Rebels and could rightly feel unlucky that he has not been able to nail down a starting spot. Dave Dennis now seems to be in favour ahead of him. Although I don't think that this game is going to be a good barometer as to how the Tahs are travelling (neither was last week), I do think that a couple of games against, dare I say it, lesser opposition should help to build combinations and allow the team to gel. This could make it even harder for Hickey to make changes to the starting 15, however, I do agree that Anesi has looked flat. I worry about Beale at full-back, though. Wouldn't it be better to move Turner to 15 where he has excelled before and ease Horne back into things via the wing? He's defintitely fast enough.

When a side is winning there is merit in keeping the winning combinations together. But this is not, in my opinion, the best NSW Waratahs side. Readers of the Roar won't be surprised that I would start Josh Holmes ahead of Luke Burgess, and Rod Horne ahead of Tom Carter. It'll soon be time, too, for Kurtley Beale to get a starting position ahead of Anesi, who has been disappointing this season after a goodish start against the Reds.