Ignoring fans’ pleas to play with flair, the NSW Waratahs will be happy to win ugly against the Lions in Saturday night’s Super Rugby match at the Sydney Football Stadium.
More than 100 diehard supporters vented their frustrations at the Waratahs at a fan forum on Thursday night, urging the competition’s ugly ducklings to play with verve and stop kicking the leather off the football.
But Waratahs skipper Dean Mumm, deputising for injured captain Phil Waugh, said the side’s priority was to bag the four competition points to retain their place in the top six a month out from the playoffs.
“For me, it’s all about winning,” Mumm said at Friday’s captain’s run.
“Quite clearly, if we want to make the finals, we need to keep winning matches.
“I mean, you’d love to promise some things. But I just want to win the match and certainly that’s the focus of the team as well.
“We want to play with ball in hand and play the opportunities that are in front of us, whether that’s kicking or running, we’ll have to wait and see when we get out there.
“But the focus is on winning.”
Chris Hickey was a coach under siege at the fan forum, savaged for trying to use statistics to demonstrate that NSW had actually been reasonably successful in 2011, despite suffering a raft of injuries to key personnel.
Hickey, though, on Friday brushed off the fans’ fury as “part and parcel” of the job and vowed to continue business as usual this weekend.
“I got up this morning, had a good breakfast and it’s a beautiful day and we’ve got the Lions in front of us, so that’s our focus,” Hickey told reporters.
“People obviously wanted to get some things off their chests. That was fine, we listened to what they had to say.
“Obviously we’ve got to go away and digest and analyse what the comments were and see if and what we need to action from that.
“But that takes time. It doesn’t happen in 10 minutes.”
The Lions are running last, but roared to life last week with their first-ever win over the Brumbies in Canberra.
“That was a pretty good performance from them down there and certainly to win against the Brumbies at home is good for any side,” Mumm said.
“So that certainly put us fully aware of how dangerous they are.
“We’re certainly aware of what they’re capable of and are not taking them lightly at all.”
Mumm said any side coached by John Mitchell, and containing experienced dangermen like former All Blacks playmaker Carlos Spencer and World Cup-winning Springbok Butch James, deserved respect.
“John Mitchell, if you look at all the sides he’s had in Super (Rugby), they’ve travelled well,” Mumm said.
“The (Western) Force were particularly good in South Africa (under him) and the Lions look like they’re good in Australasia so far.
“And to have Carlos there directing what can be a reasonably potent backline and with Butch James in this weekend, that adds another dimension as well.”
The Waratahs are sitting just one point ahead of the seventh-placed Highlanders and four in front of the eighth-placed Bulls with five rounds remaining.
The Tahs head to South Africa on Sunday for a pivotal two-game run against the Bulls and Sharks, making the Lions game a must-win affair.
Hickey on Friday confirmed that Waugh’s hamstring injury had ruled the flanker out of the South Africa trip.
AC
Guest
The curtain raiser was a cracker of a game -- Subbies rep team vs Country Cockatoos. Both teams going hard at each other for 80 minutes. I left after that -- I didn't want my night spoiled by the Tahs who again decided to give their fans half a game.
IronAwe
Guest
Agreed. Great first half. Might have only been for 40mins but that's 40 mins more than we've had recently. Keep it up boys!
p.Tah
Guest
Well done Tahs. Great first half.
Mike
Guest
I take your point that the fans expect big things from them BUT - they have been missing wallabies in key positions for much of the season. They have distressed me in some games - especially the Cheetahs and the first half of the Blues, where they seemed to not want to compete for the ball or pressurise the opposition for prolonged periods. However, for the most part, the reason they have been below par is unforced dropped ball or fumbles in contact. I don't buy into this "they kick all the time and "ugly" mumbo jumbo. Fans at the forum bring up kicking - when Hickey brings out stats about them not kicking - People bollock him for using statistics... Makes no sense. What does make sense - is the Tahs concentrating on ball security and aggression in competing for the pill. If they do this, the rest will follow. As far as competing in a tight sporting market - do you think the Lions, Blues or Reds have this on their mind when they are playing the Tahs? No - they make a plan for each team they play and winning the match is enough to think about.
Brendon
Guest
If the Waratahs fail to qualify for the finals due to not enough bonus points then winning ugly doesnt matter. If Waratahs are not going to walk away with 5 points from lowly ranked opposition from home games then they are dropping a point. In a match like the upcoming Lions match a bonus point isn't really a bonus - its mandatory, Theres simply no need for the Waratahs to win "ugly" against teams like the Lions at home.
sheek
Guest
Mikeylives, This 'Harlem Globetrotters' comment is the other end of the spectrum, & a convenient excuse by the Tahs to ignore all they've been told by fans (as being too outlandish). Clearly, they neither understand, nor wish to understand the message. Fans aren't expecting them to be the Harlem Globetrotters. Even discerning rugby fans know you can't throw the ball around willy-nilly. But with a backline full of Wallabies (most of the time), you would expect them to be capable of playing a more expansive game than they are. And with a pack full of Wallabies (most of the time) you would expect them to dominate most sides they play against, or at least seek parity. Nor can any of us escape the fact we Australians live in the most competitive football market in the world, with rugby union, rugby league, association football & Australian football all competing hard for players, fans, media exposure & revenue streams. Comparisons are inevitable with other codes, & the quality of entertainment they are providing their fans & sponsors. While it is important to be the best you can be, to ignore the other football codes entirely, invites ignorance then mediocrity, & ultimately irrelevance. We have a unique situation in this country where we can pick up ideas from other codes, be it a style of kick or play (like running angles), to training & recovery methods, & implement it with modifications in our own game. It ought to give us an edge in flexible thinking & innovation over other countries. We should embrace the fact we 4 different football codes, & learn from each other.....
p.Tah
Guest
Far from it bear. This was my first interaction with the Tahs at this level and I recommend everyone to attend a forum such as this if they get the opportunity. I was surprisingly impressed with the calibre of staff, from the CEO to the marketing and sponsorship guys who took time to speak to me after the forum. The articles in the paper on the forum and the one above have been quite sensationalist. All the quotes were said but the forum wasn't one of disgruntled fans venting, the mood at times was light and there were a lot of laughs. The players and the coaches were very honest and up front. They recognize the way they have played has been boring, they don't actually enjoy playing this way, it is NOT their game plan. It turns out that way for a number of reasons but primarily because of poor execution. Some may point to Hickey et al. about this but there are a whole range issues to address to fix these and its not an overnight fix. Waugh and Hickey were very diplomatic they didn't point fingers they took the criticism on the chin. They are not the Reds, Barnes isn't Cooper and Burgess isn't Genia, however when the team gets it right they can be 'entertaining. Frustratingly they haven't got it right very often this year. Judging by journalists take on the fans forum I expect Mumm was set up to answer this way. 'Dean we know that you want to play entertaining rugby, but if it gets tight and the championship is on the line will you win ugly' .. And Mumm replies 'yes, we'll do what we have to'. The headline in the paper the next day ' Waratahs want to keep winning ugly'. Let's see how they go. I have new found respect for those at the Tahs after the forum.
bear
Guest
So the fan forum was a waster of time- they're not going to change anything? What was the point?
p.Tah
Guest
Nice one Mikey. The temptation after this week would be to throw caution to the wind. If they did and lose to the Lions... And were dumped out of the top 6 The fans would be crying for blood.
mikeylives
Guest
I don't care how much they kick it (not more than other teams by the way) - As long as they don't fumble the ball and as long as they put pressure on opposition ball by driving them off it - ie no seagulling (from the tight 5) or having 2 men leaning on the opposition with outstretched arms in a defensive ruck !! Get into it for your team mates. It's not a huge ask, but if they do these 2 things, I'll be a cheering supporter. Good on Mumm for saying the main focus is winning, not trying to be the Harlem Globetrotters. Go the Tahs
Wall-Nut
Guest
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