Waratahs Kurtley Beale lays on the field injured during their Super Rugby match against the Cheetahs at the SFS, Sydney, Saturday, March 19, 2011. The Cheetahs defeated the Waratahs 23-3. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
The NSW Waratahs – tryless, listless, and useless. The Australian cricket team – leaderless, spiritless, and careless. A miserable daily double overnight, the Waratahs mauled 23-3 by the lowly Cheetahs, the cricketers swamped by Pakistan to the tune of four wickets, with 54 deliveries up their sleeve.
The telling blow for the Waratahs – the small SFS crowd loudly booing them off the field – humiliation, and deservedly so.
* It was the Cheetahs first win of the season.
* Their first win in Australasia, since they joined the Super tournament in 2006.
* In Australia, until last night, the Cheetahs had lost all 10 games, scoring 137 points, giving up 338.
* In New Zealand, lost 10, drawn one – posting 152 points to 331.
Pre-game, betting agencies were giving the Cheetahs a massive 19.5 points start, but they won by 20 because they played rugby – the Waratahs didn’t turn up to play anything.
“We didn’t respect them enough,” was Waratahs fly-half Berrick Barnes honest admission.
“No excuses,” Waratahs coach Chris Hickey, with more honesty.
Next up for the Waratahs – the basket-case Brumbies in Canberra – but on last night’s pathetic performance, the men-in-blue are a basket-case themselves.
How can a class unit like NSW crush the Rebels 43-nil, and the Reds 30-6, with 11 unanswered tries playing scintillating rugby – then succumb to the Crusaders 33-18, and the Cheetahs 23-3, scoring only three tries, and giving up five – as if they had forgotten how to play?
A dramatic, and inexplicable, turnaround.
Not so for the cricketers, the writing has been on the wall throughout the World Cup, on the subcontinent.
This isn’t a side playing like a three-times in a row world champions, and pre-tournament favourite to make it four straight.
As I wrote (The Roar, March 17), the batting is so brittle, if opening batsmen Shane Watson, and Brad Haddin, don’t give the men-in-yellow a flying start, they are in big trouble.
The proof was last night with an opening stand of just 12, Australia all out 176.
* It was Australia’s first World Cup defeat in 35 matches.
* And Ricky Ponting’s first loss as captain, denting his record as the most capped World Cup captain, with 28.
* The last time Australia was beaten was also by Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup – Australia 265, Pakistan 8-275 – at Headingley.
* Last night’s 176 was the lowest Australian all-out total since 1992 – Australia 171 against England at the SCG – England won by eight wickets.
* It was expressman Brett Lee’s first bat in a World Cup since 2003.
* And Shaun Tait’s first visit to the batting crease, in 17 Cup games.
That’s one of the problems, the late order hardly gets a hit, little wonder when Australia’s under the pump, they’re lacking form in the middle.
But the real problem is Ricky Ponting, his form is crippling the top order.
The skipper made the facetious remark after the Canada game – “I’m not worried, I’m saving it for the big games”.
Last night was a big game, and again he failed with 19, dropping his current World Cup average to 20.40. But there’s more to it than runs with Ponting.
He’s against the review system, believing umpires should rely on the honesty of fieldsmen if they caught a fair catch.
But honesty is a two-way street, and last night Ponting “drove” an edge into the webbing of Kamran Akmal’s gloves, and stood his ground, to be given not out by South African umpire Marais Erasmus.
Did Erasmus give Ponting the benefit of the doubt on the “honesty” call?
Pakistan went upstairs, and Ponting was obviously sent packing – so much for honesty, he should have walked.
Add that to damaging a television set in the Australian shed after being run out in the first game against Zimbabwe, and the petulant dummy spit when team-mate Stephen Smith collided with him taking a catch against Canada, and the skipper is on the skids.
Just like his team…
Moaman
Guest
SNATO---NZ and SA commentators at least attempt to veil their bias...and it's usually the "expert" sidekick that are the worst culprits.It just seems to me that the Aussies have taken it to a whole new level where they try to replicate what Joe Blow in the stands would be uttering...sort of populist rabble-rousing.
Farmer
Guest
I was at the game on Saturday night and it was very poor. First 10 minutes it looked as though the predictions would come true. Plenty of line breaks, easily over the advantage line. There were sevearal scoring chances and my tipping comp selection of Waratahs by 26 looked good. Then the match started to change. The Cheetahs seemed to get some belief that all was not lost, that the Waratahs were not so hot and if they just hung in there ...... The 3rd string Waratah hooker had real problems with the throw in and the Tahs lost 3-4 lineouts in what should have been promising positions. The wheels startled to wobble for the Tahs. The Tahs were not effective at the breakdown and whatever ball was won, it was slow ball. I remarked to my mate that the Tahs were lowering their standard to the opposition. Before too long - the teams were evenly matched and the Tahs were looking mediocre. Then, as we have seen it many times before the Tahs resorted to one out attempts to ignite something. The backs becoame 7 individuals each trying to pull something from their individual bag of tricks ( chip kicks, grubber kicks, solo runs) to no avail. The Tahs had descended to a shadow of the pre match hype and lost all resemblance to a good side. Passes became 10th grade, handling fell apart, it became impossible for the ball to move along the backline without being dropped. The rot had settled in. The fans were booing. At least there were no queues at the bar lines as there was no risk of missing something if you went to buy beers mid game. We left early. The final siren sounded as we walked past the merchandise stalls outside the ground, the boos of the fans who had stuck it out drowned out the everpresent ground announcements. Where is the pride in the jersey. Where is the aim to dominate ( irrespective of the opposition) . The side picked showed a complacency that bit them on the behind - 3rd string hooker, 2nd string number 7, mickey mouse 13, 2nd string winger. Combined with Robinson and Palu departing early, it was a recipe for disaster Not good enough. This Tah's side has no heart and will only disappoint again this year. FACT. Why did I again spend $500 for a season ticket of 7 games again this year? This the the question I am finding increasingly hard to answer. A fan can only take so much. PS Iv'e always had a soft spot for the Reds. A bit too far to travel for home games though! But if the Tah's reproduce this rubbish, I am sure I will convince myself Suncorp is just up the road !
Chris
Guest
It is ridiculous to expect the Australian cricket team to play like "3 time defending champions" when more than 2/3 of the player were not actually in the last world cup, let alone the 2 before that and last time Australia played a WC on the sub-continent, they lost in the final. This WC was always going to be tough in these conditions. Australia need one of Watson, Pomting and Clarke to score a hundred in each match in a WC and esp in sub-continent conditions. Mark Waugh got us to the final in 96, Ponting, Symonds, Martyn and Bevan won us 03 and Gilly and Hayden got us the runs in 07. Watson has not scored enough 120+ scores considering his starts, which does not hurt the team as much in Australia as it does in the SC, and Haddin just needs to hit out or get out. Now they have to play India, who they would have had to beat anyway to win the tournament, so now is as good a time as any. They will need 300 plus and if it is a typical SC pitch they will need to win the toss and bat. Then one of Tait or Johnson will have to there to support Lee, who must now be considered one of our greatest ever one day bowlers. Kreszja will have to bowl out of his skin and if they take White into the match they are crazy, then need D.Hussey's off spin and in current form (esp in SC conditions) his 'big hitting' is superior to White - plus he can score off spinners. I don't think Ponting will contribute much, but I still have Indian friends who have nightmares about his 145 of 121 in the 03 WC final (out of 2-359), and if he can find something even half as good as this, then Australia will look a different team. Obviously India are favourtites, but if we can score 300 plus and get Tendulkar early, India are not perfect, they are beatable.But then we just have to beat Pakistan and then probably SouthAfrica. If Australia does win this world cup it will be their greatest achivement as with Australia coming back to the field, it is really close.
snato
Guest
Moaman I agree, but you can't have a go at the Fox commentators without mentioning the one eyed impartiality of both the NZ and SA commentators as well. All three countries should be able to produce decent commentators who can call a game without having to resort to the bollocks we are currently forced to listen to.
Ben C
Guest
I wonder if the Tahs weren't taking the Cheetahs seriously, expecting the easy win, and just didn't front up. They were playing like they were worrying about the next match and not focusing on the match in front of them. You deserve to lose when you don't respect the opposition. Also, the refereeing was shocking but the Cheetahs adjusted and Brussow began to totally disrupt the breakdowns so the Tahs never got any consistent ball. I can't bring myself to watch the replay of the match closely, but I have no recollection of seeing the captain, Mumm, approach the referee for clarification or just to try and get in his ear about the breakdown. In fact, I have no recollection of seeing Mumm at all. There is nothing like great leadership when a team is unfocused. That was not even piss-poor leadership.
Exref
Guest
I've been a die-hard NSW supporter since the '70s, but enough is enough. These overpaid rock stars are a joke and there's no way I'm going to ever pay to see them again. Total lack of spine. Pathetic.
joeb
Guest
"Next up for the Waratahs – the basket-case Brumbies in Canberra – but on last night’s pathetic performance, the men-in-blue are a basket-case themselves. "How can a class unit like NSW crush the Rebels 43-nil, and the Reds 30-6, with 11 unanswered tries playing scintillating rugby – then succumb to the Crusaders 33-18, and the Cheetahs 23-3, scoring only three tries, and giving up five – as if they had forgotten how to play? A dramatic, and inexplicable, turnaround." could it be the 'salary cap blues' looming large on the foreboding horizon is affecting their concentration? it jist gets tougher 'n tougher for the Tarts each 'n every year... it do. Players working more, not for less, says Halangahu http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/players-working-more-not-for-less-says-halangahu-20110319-1c1cc.html
Dcc
Guest
From the relative safety of the sofa in Somerset, the only Aussie rugby team to show some true grit and commitment this weekend was the Western Force and while I'm on that subject, hats off to Mathew Pierce and Joel Stransky - good unbiased and informed commentary. I reckon Greg Clark is blind given the number of wrongly identified players during his pathetic call. Who really cares how much someone weighs! I felt sorry for John Uligia, his combination with his jumpers looked like they had met in the carpark for the first time just before kick off. Ben Mowen tried and at least Kurtley tried something different most likely out of absolute frustration with what was going on in front of him. I'm not sure whose bright idea it was to put Lachie Turner at 13 but he did absolutely nothing.
ThelmaWrites
Guest
Oops, "temp" -> "tempt". Grandson wanted to play and I couldn't edit.
ThelmaWrites
Guest
Three things concern me about the Waratahs' defeat: First, would the results temp De Viliers et al to revert to their tactics of high bombs as in the 2009 season? Secondly, Sheek and Jason will pillory me for this, but the powder puffs need to toughen up, and I can think of no better way than to march them through the Brecon Beacon Hills or some such inhospitable terrain with heavily weighed loads. Thirdly, although the pick and drive may occasionally be successful, the way to the future is the offload. Second only, are the tradtional deceptions of the backline: the decoys, the cut-out passes, the loops, catch-and-pass. And how do you defend against a team that is attacking and decimating your defensive lines with successive off-loads?
Maximus
Guest
Go the Mighty Aucks Blues. Ever so unpredictable but a great side, to watch this season! Great job Pat Lam -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Swampy
Guest
You never want to hype someone as a saviour but what the hey this is what the Internet is for... 17yr old NSW quick Patrick Cummings bowled one of the best spells of fast bowling on Saturday that I've seen. And I've watched three solid decades of cricket. He is definitely someone to get excited about - especially when watching the pitiful display going on India by our almost impotent bowling attack. Brett Lee was putting on a display at one end giving us a chance to put Pakistan to the sword. Yet despite the huffing and puffing our attack at the other end could not sustain any pressure whatsoever. Earlier in the day back in Tassie Cummings bowled with venom, intelligence and most importantly bowled not a bad ball for 7 straight overs. How Cowan and Cosgrove survived the spell is anyones guess and maybe they just weren't good enough to get an edge. It was magnificent stuff. Copeland played his part by being a McGrath like metronome to sustain the intense pressure. The pitch in Colombo is a noted low scoring pitch (ave 237 or thereabouts) and clearly as the Pakistani bowlers showed, disciplined line and length and varied pace made life very difficult for the batsmen. Sadly Brett Lee aside, our attack just wasn't capable of doing the same. So much focus on the failures of the batsmen but I think just as much finger pointing should be at the bowlers (& the wise men who selected them). Can we expect Patrick Cummings to be given a chance at the next level - probably yes, but no doubt it will be in T20 which is just no indication of someone's capability at ODI's or Test level. Let's just hope we get one thing right in how to blood this young man because if he is good as he appears then our time in the doldrums maybe be short. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
mikeylives
Guest
"Turning down the three points in the opening minutes summed up the Tahs attitude towards the game." - Agree. It was a slippery ball and a high error rate was expected. We may have even won on a dry track... HOWEVER, they clearly outplayed us in both the loose and the set piece in the forwards. That allowed them to dominate with a simple game plan. What is most disturbing, was the lack of chasers following kicks, the lack of players helping out at the tackle and breakdown and the number of players looking at bootlaces. Toughen up, keep your heads up and if you happen to lose the game, go down fighting. That's all the fans ask. The Tahs deserved to be heckled and booed last night.
PeterK
Roar Guru
I agree they look weaker this year. But comment was about last year. The Aust teams on average finsihed way above NZ. SA teams were the strongest. This year NZ look a lot stronger than SA , and Aust weakest. Sharks were undefeated and then spanked by the weakest NZ team. A team that the brumbies beat. Bulls are way worse than last year.
Mary-jane
Guest
Great result, got on the cheetahs at 10 to 1. The tahs are simply flat track bullies, no heart. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Ian
Guest
Sorry, but 2 out of 8 is poor either way you look at particuarly since one of the two was against the lowly Lions!
Lolly
Guest
That leaves the Kookaburras who really are the best in the world but no-one is interested in hockey.
Aware
Guest
No. I am really making a point about how the vultures are always waiting to swoop when a successful outfit suddenly falls down. I agree, though, that the near future is probably not that bright for the current lot. They don't have the "aura" of greatness as someone said recently. Rugby is a bit different. We are always up against it due to the fact that most of our blokes are still partial amateurs, unlike their rivals.
Marissa
Guest
The Tahs are woeful at best and once again believed their hype. Your kidding yourself Peter if you think the Australian Conference is on Par let alone better than the NZ conference. It's good to be patriotic but please try to see it through both eyes. If anything when I think about it the Force are showing the most guts out of all the Australian teams. To win back home in Africa is no easy feat, it will be interesting to see how they go in NZ and their return fixtures with the East Coast teams at home in Perth.
Rob McLean
Guest
Aware, sports only about the here and now. That's why the cliche "you're only as good as your last game" rings true. I love the Aussie cricket team but there needs to be a wake-up call. We lost the Ashes in Australia for the first time since 86/87 and have now lost our first World Cup game since 99. This current team is a bunch of pretenders and the continual comments that everything will be fine suggests to me the Emperors are wearing new clothes.