The one thing that sticks out when you look back at highlights of former Wallabies flanker, and former Waratahs skipper Phil Waugh’s career, is that he really only seemed to have one gear.
Flat out.
Whether he was running out of the line to smash someone, or cleaning up at the back of the lineout, or even carrying the ball, there was never any doubt of his intent – to get wherever he was going as fast as possible and generally in the straightest possible line. Sidestepping was for mugs, and stop him if you can.
In all, Waugh played 79 Tests for the Wallabies, and captained his country three times for three wins. At the time of his retirement in 2011, Waugh held the record for the most caps (136) and most games captained (58) for both the Waratahs and NSW Rugby overall. Prop Benn Robinson went past Waugh’s record for most caps in this Super Rugby season just gone.
Like Stuart MacGill to Shane Warne, and even Chris Whitaker to George Gregan more locally and closer to the mark, Waugh spent much of his career competing with and being compared – rightly or wrongly – to George Smith.
Over the ball, the two of them were very similar. Quick to the contest, hard to remove, and relentless in competition for the ball. Smith was preferred more often than not – 35 of Waugh’s Tests came from the bench – because of a better all-round game. Waugh didn’t necessarily have the attacking subtleties or abundant head of hair that Smith possessed, yet he still started more Tests than he didn’t.
But for a good while there, between mid-2003 and the end of 2005, the two of them did play side by side. In all, Waugh and Smith started together 23 times (Waugh started 44 Tests in total), though five of them came at the end of 2005 with Smith playing at No.8.
Of the 18 games the started on either side of the scrum – Smith on the blind side, Waugh the open side – the Wallabies won eleven of them. The record in Bledisloe Cup Tests was two wins from five starts.
When John Connolly took over from Jones as Wallabies coach in 2006, he never used the combination again, and Robbie Deans used it just once, in the first few months into his tenure from 2008.
It was a combination of Waugh’s excellent form at the time and Eddie Jones’ determination that set-piece rugby was so 1986, and that mobile forwards was the key to dominating the international game, that led to the unusual pairing. The debate and the pro-and-con arguments at the time were scarily similar to what’s happening in 2015 around David Pocock and Michael Hooper.
But in fairness to Jones, his gamble was only one extra time wrong-footed drop goal from a modern great of the game away from coming true.
In all the footage of Jonny Wilkinson’s 2003 Rugby World Cup Final winner, it’s hard not to notice Waugh hanging off the open side of the ruck.
In fact, so keen was Waugh to pressure Wilkinson, that referee Andre Watson had to stop him from jumping the gun. And being forced back onside like he was might have been one reason – I think – why Wilkinson switched to the right foot, particularly when Smith was able to get the early jump on the blind side of the ruck.
That passage of play, as hard as it is to view even twelve years on, sums up Waugh’s career so well. It was the 100th minute of the game, a Rugby World Cup Final no less, and here was Waugh – already out on his feet – pushing himself to the absolute limit to launch one final pitch at winning a game.
The memories of Phil Waugh the player are all very similar.
They’re of him tearing into tackles, not unlike Hooper currently. They’re of him smashing into defence with ball in hand with all the subtlety but half the physical presence of Will Skelton. There was no quarter given, none taken, and certainly no half measures with Phil Waugh.
He was very much ‘all or nothing’.
It meant that he spilt more blood and changed more jerseys than the average player, and the flowing but thinning locks meant that he did closely resemble JRR Tolkien’s orcs when in full flight. And like the Orcs, Waugh was all muscle, which combined with his stature meant that more than a few opinions over the course of his career suggested he be converted into a front rower.
A tremendous ‘follow me’ type or leader, it’s hard to think four years on of a current forward would maintained the same energy levels. He genuinely just never stopped.
Nick
Roar Rookie
very skilled, even in juniors he'd have to be watched like a hawk & constantly challenged... - unfortunately a grub of a bloke... - spat in my face one day in a State team camp ... - decided to put some 21mm decorations on his balding head in return in the next Club level game... - another few years & that needle'n'thread signature will surface, albeit a save by a trip to advanced hair... - fun times.
Markus
Guest
I'm not a fan. I don't question his work ethic and commitment, but he was a fairly limited player who was solid but not outstanding at Test level. At Super Rugby level he was a great player, but for all the criticism of player power within the Brumbies camp during the 2000s, his massive contribution to the direction of the Waratahs horrible conservative game plan and choice of coaches seems to largely fly under the radar.
Paulo Penteado
Guest
Add to the coaches his fellow players, who keep on giving him awards year after year. But nah, what do coaches and players know?
John Rugby
Guest
Last year at a Tah's game Waugh's kids kicked a ball in the stand and knocked over me mates beer. He apologised, but didn't replace it. Not that any of us was going to have a word to the big lump. True story.
Johnny Boy Jnr
Guest
Well Pocock is a QLDer so you can't have it all your own way I guess. No problem with Gill missing out - he's possibly on par with Hooper in super rugby but needs to bulk up a bit more to convince me he wouldn't get cleaned out by effective quality test packs. As for where you were going, I think you'll find every other Aus super rugby supporter recognises the corruption involved in test selection favouring NSW. Even when the Reds ruled Super rugby last RWC they still couldn't get more players in the squad than NSW.
George
Guest
Just can't see the point of your article.
Harry Jones
Expert
Excellent essay, as usual. He was a strange looking bloke, but you couldn't take your eyes off him
The Slow Eater
Guest
Yeah. I really liked Waugh. You could never question his commitment- he was game on every time
Frank O'Keeffe
Guest
There's two things I want to comment on: (1) Waugh finding a way to play with Smith. (2) The success he had with Smith. Waugh is very underrated in Australia. A bit like Joe Roff, people accuse him of only being great at Super 14 level, which is nonsense. (1) If you watch the DVD "Living With the Lions", which documents the 2001 Lions tour to Australia, you can see a halftime speech by Martin Johnson to his side. It's almost exclusively devoted to: "How to we get George Smith out of the Test." This was the halftime of the first Test which the Lions were leading easily. And yet there was panic over George Smith. I know some people who regarded George Smith as one of the five best players in the world from 2000-2002 - if not the best. And Phil Waugh replaced him. And Phil Waugh nudged him aside and found room in the side during 2003. There's two ways to think about George Smith. One is to see George Smith as being one of the best players in the world from 2000-2004 and viewing that as his peak. Or alternatively that he was always awesome (which he was), but just not in McCaw's (and sometimes Burger's) league around 2005-2008. It has to be said, though, that George Smith got outplayed so badly by McCaw from 2005-2009 it isn't funny. I remember accepting the arguments from people that Smith's declining play was due the declining Wallabies forward pack. I notice a huge difference in every opensides play when they play off a huge scrum - look at Hooper against the All Blacks in the Test the Wallabies won this year. And look at McCaw in that game. Then look at the next Test and see McCaw's improvement. But I am very influenced by 2008, when George Smith destroyed Daniel Baird in Sydney, and then got belted by McCaw the next week. It's not just the team, it's that McCaw is the greatest rugby player of all time. Comparing Smith to McCaw is like comparing Hammond to Bradman. Wow I took a tangent.. (2) The highpoint of Waugh/Smith was beating the All Blacks in the 2003 World Cup Final. The Wallabies forwards brought it that game (see Giffen's tackle in Muliana), and it seemed like Waugh/Smith was the way to go. But Elsom provided a better line-out option. With hindsight, Smith/Waugh should have continued their partnership, because Elsom was a walking penalty machine back in 2005. Waugh's legacy is hurt by two things IMO: (1) He received a lot of MOTM during 2005, which to this day remains the worst year for the Wallabies I have ever seen. (2) Smith/Waugh couldn't get it done against Rodney/Richie/Jerry. The reality is, from 2005-2007, the All Blacks were light years ahead of the rest, and Waugh was ineffectual against them. With the exception of 2010, I don't think the All Blacks have had another period quite like 2005-2007. It's just that the Wallabies haven't really gone forward in the last decade or so.
Stin
Guest
Trolls? I thought we were talking about Orcs.
MatthewSkellett
Guest
I always felt Phil Waugh was the epitome of a private school rugby jock but not the ladies-man kind. He kinda played dumb on the field and was really a mealy-mouthed yes man off it . I can see why he's employed by fox -they need a mealy-mouthed yes man yo be a contrast to people who actually have controversial and forthright opinions. .
Shanghai'd Tah
Guest
It wasn't a game of rugby unless Phil Waugh bled...
Crash Ball2
Guest
Gutsy, uncompromising player. Far and away my favourite rugby troll (understood to be gainfully employed currently as a rural livestock bridge attendant). As mentioned previously, his brutal, forehead-first clashes with David Croft were what defined his shirtfront play most for me. Wholehearted footballer. Not an ambitious or gifted on field tactician.
pjm
Roar Rookie
Sort out the trolls Brett that only seek to antagonize or you'll start to lose the good people around here.
Tui
Guest
Quasimodo
Markus
Guest
Hard to blame some of the coaches, several attempted to address the issue within the squad and the board left them high and dry.
Markus
Guest
Hooper has speed, agility and ball skills in his repertoire far above those that Waugh possessed though. Waugh really was just a tough stocky guy who hit as many things as possible during the 80 minutes of game time.
JimmyC
Guest
Surely the Welsh duo of Neil Jenkins and Robin McBryde are in the race
IceBlue
Roar Pro
Wyatt Crockett could give Retallick a run for his money
IceBlue
Roar Pro
I have never seen an orc play a good game in the loose forwards. They make reasonable enforcers, but their ball-skills are poor, and they concede too many penalties for beheading opponents. :P