Can NSW rugby tragics dare to dream? Has Michael Cheika provided an exodus to deliver long-suffering Waratahs fans from the whip of the rugby gods?
Last week Jaques Potgieter stepped forward and boldly stated that not only were the Waratahs going to compete at the pointy end of the season, but they were going to run away with the title.
That’s right. Win the tournament… and he was sober.
At the 30-minute mark of the Waratahs clash against the Hurricanes you could have been forgiven for thinking otherwise. It seemed to be a replay of so many games in past years.
After Adam Ashley-Cooper gave Julian Savea the don’t-argue to feed Rob Horne a five-pointer in the second minute, the Waratahs revisited ghosts and began imploding under pressure. Hooker Jeffery Toomaga-Allen scored a soft try for the Hurricanes and then pounced on an ill-fated pass by Israel Folau in the goal area.
It seemed that the Waratahs – especially in Wycliff Palu’s case – were literally throwing the game away. The Hurricanes kept the boot on the neck with a length-of-the-field break-out that was finished off in the corner by Savea.
It was, as the unheralded fullback Yogi Berra would say, “like deja vu all over again”.
The Hurricanes were on a tear in their last four games with Conrad Smith composing their midfield to feed a rampaging Savea and Corey Jane. In a breathtaking 13 minutes the Tahs went from 7-0 in front to a 24-7 deficit with half time looming and a season sinking.
Then it seemed that Potgieter’s words channelled into the hearts of the home team and we witnessed a turnaround of biblical proportions. Led by tireless captain Dave Dennis, NSW found flair and physicality to bully their way back into the game.
The final score of 39-30 could mislead one into thinking this was a touch rugby try-fest that our European counterparts often jealously accuse Super Rugby of.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
The man of the match, Michael Hooper, confirmed that he is the current premier openside flanker in the Australian conference with a performance that involved crucial try-saving tackles and scything runs. He was present at each breakdown and it seemed like their were two of him on the field.
Hooper’s tackle on Corey Jane at the beginning of the second half not only saved a try but halted the Hurricanes’ momentum with the game in the balance. With performances like this, Hooper will have David Pocock rethinking his own game to compete with the versatility of the Waratahs dynamo.
Another titan in the contact area was Will Skelton. Not since Owen Finegan has an Australian team been gifted with a giant of an athlete whose physical presence is simply out of proportion to the players around him.
When Skelton thunders onto the ball it almost always takes three people to slow him down. His soft inside ball to Stephen Hoiles showed that he is not just a scary big man with ball in hand. He singlehandedly dominated rucks against the Hurricane pack in the second half, freeing up the considerable firepower in the Waratah forward pack.
This is “the knife in the teeth” mentality that Cheika spoke of at the start of the season.
Their forwards were standing up and offering X-factor rugby in the contact area to complement the star-studded backline. At the final whistle, NSW went on to score an upset with a four-try bonus point. In doing so, they have put a hand up as serious contenders for their inaugural Super Rugby title.
Dare we dream?
bennalong
Guest
Putting in 'always' when talking about a team says it all! What are some of your other 'always' about other teams. Let me guess........Brumbies are always really good!
Sam Starr
Guest
As a Tahs fan I doubt they'll be winning the title this year but fingers crossed they make the top 6. I think they might need a couple seasons to become a contender.
BrumbyJack
Guest
Spot on ABC. And some very good points made Die Hard. If the Tahs do play to a tighter gameplan and eliminate a lot of unforced errors they will be able to at least compete with the Crusaders, Sharks and Brumbies. However we are taking about the Tahs here. As someone else on this thread rightly said, they have been dreaming all season. They have the cattle, but they do not have the mental capacity to win finals games away from home. The Tahs always have been a bunch of underachievers, and nothing is going to change this year.
ten four
Guest
Adam Coleman is a definite prospect and i would have him ahead of Skelton as far as bolters go
Broken Knees
Guest
To many silly school boy mistakes to be true contenders. They need to hold the ball and respect it.
abc
Guest
Start winning away games against quality opposition and then talk...
ben
Guest
we don't need him he was invisible against a big pack like the blues and got outplayed by patrick tuipulotu who is going to develop into a much better player than skelton in fact i would say he is already better, he was made to looker better than he is in the canes game because the canes played a loose game someone like kaino or read would soon sort him out in a test match.
Fin
Guest
Yes He is a Kiwi and therefore not all that bright. By your logic Walsh is making the rules up and then getting them wrong so he is therefore favouring the Çanes. Let me know if you have any other issues you want help with.
killaku
Guest
Walsh is sh$t and the Tahs were getting away with alot of lucky calls.Skelton save them heaps and should be poached back to play for NZ
Stu. B.
Guest
forget the horse put your money on the jockey,changed my bet fri for a tahs win,thanks Steve!
dru
Guest
I remember the game and the comment and thought it had value. Also thought the better team won (yes my glasses are red tinted). Haven't been able to say that recently.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
I look at it a little differently there James, there are plenty of Tahs haters out there which is to be expected but at the same time wearisome. However the fact there has been a few Tahs articles show plenty of people still give a rats and support the team. Tahs fans have just as much right to be passionate about there team than the other 4 provinces. Don't misinterpret this as title talk but this authors opinion, he is asking can Tahs fans dream, nothing wrong with that. Can the Tahs win it this year, probably not. They're form outside of Australia particularly in NZ is generally very ordinary. The other issue is lack of consistency. They have a decent run home with only one game outside of Austalia in Hamilton. The other 5 games are on the East Coast. If and it's a big if they make the semi's it will represent solid progress.
The V Man
Guest
I concur!
James
Guest
Im kinda sick of the Tah articles. There are 4 already today. Dont the other teams matter? Just one reason why I love watching the Tahs fail over the years. A team that is only good at being hyped up..nothing else. Not even a title to show for it. They beat the Canes at home. Big deal. Its not like they beat the Sharks, Brumbies, Chiefs or Saders or yet alone win an away game against a quality side.
Hertryk
Guest
At least for the moment anyway, they are leaving the Force alone..
The V Man
Guest
Win a competition? You must be kidding me. Having watched the Blues game live I can assure you the hardness to win a competition is not in this side. Jeep talking them up because they will crash.....like they have done for twenty years.
jameswm
Roar Guru
If the tahs win their 3 remaining home games and one away game (bearing in mind they play in Melbourne and Brisbane, both winnable), they'd be a good shot at a conference win. Even 4th (top wildcard) gets you a home semi, but the 2nd NZ team will be pushing for that too.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Good idea. Football (soccer) could learn from that zero tolerance approach too. Tahs let in two really soft tries - one from poor play behind their own ingoal and one from the kickoff I think. They played pretty well for about 60 mins.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Yeah I called it at 4-2. Theory was we win home games plus one of Brisbane and Melbourne. Win both and we're looking good. Must win at home to stop Brumbies taking the conference. Tahs might head to Brisbane last game needing to win to top the conference, or even the overall ladder. Wouldn't the Qld boys love to stop that happening?
jameswm
Roar Guru
The bye has come at a decent time for the Tahs. As someone else said, they get an easier game back after the bye than last time (home v Lions rather than away against Brumbies). Also Potgieter gets another week to get fit.