The Waratahs lost Kurtley Beale to a serious knee injury in the first 40 seconds of the Bulls clash at Allianz Stadium last night, but finished on top of the Australian Conference with a gutsy 31-8 win.
How fickle can rugby be?
Beale was medicabbed off Allianz, with the extent of his injury known later today, but it looks like he could be out for 12 months.
He won’t be on duty over the next two weeks when the Waratahs have their real litmus test against the table-topping Crusaders in Christchurch, and the Chiefs at Allianz.
The early loss of Beale stunned the Waratahs, and they took most of the first half to settle into their rhythm with David Horwitz the replacement.
By the second session the Waratahs were in command, with only winger Reece Robinson out of his depth in the game.
Why the fastest man on the field chose to twice kick ahead when the Waratahs were calling all the shots,defied description – Matt Carraro is a far better proposition.
Up front,the Waratahs got better and better as the game unfolded, especially with patience that was lacking early, pushing passes, and turning over possession.
The scrum was good, the lineout better than usual, and the understanding between the forwards was very evident once the pack settled.
The two locks Will Skleton and David Dennis were tireless, Michael Hooper his usual busy self, while Dean Mumm and Wycliff Palu upped their work rate.
But the man of the match was halfback Nick Phipps, who had a blinder. He not only scored two tries himself, but set up Mumm’s try with a perfect pass.
More importantly for the Waratahs future, Phipps was far more positive around the set pieces and in the loose – I only heard referee Glen Jackson call “use it” once.
That in itself was a massive improvement.
As a result the ball kept sweeping along the Waratahs backline in a game that was entertaining to watch, even if it wasn’t clinically correct with far too many penalties in the first half – 15 of them.
With no Kurtley Beale, Israel Folau took on more responsibility. By the look on his face he thoroughly enjoyed linking with the two new boys on the block – David Horwitz and fullback Andrew Kellaway.
Both have loads of talent and will play important roles in the Waratahs’ Super Rugby campaign from here on in.
Last night was a thumbs up performance for the Waratahs, especially losing playmaker Kurtley Beale so early.
Next Friday night in Christchurch will give a clearer indication as to whether the Waratahs are a good side, or potentially a Super Rugby-premiership side.
Scoring four tries last night against a tough Bulls outfit was a perfect lead-in to doing battle with the Crusaders.
That’s the Everest the Waratahs have to climb.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
This was the Tahs best game this season, I was at the stadium and the crowd was engaged throughout. Beginning of the first half was a grind and very even between the two teams, then the Tahs began to dominate and kept it up the rest of the game. Bulls were disappointing, all brute force but no attacking nous. Tahs scrum was again disappointing, being pushed back a number of times and giving up scrum penalties (although winning a few); quite a difference from last week, but not surprising given the difference in quality of the opposition. This said, I was very impressed with the lineouts, great improvement, and we were superior on the rucks (both of which are Bulls strengths). Well done to the forwards, hope they can keep it up on the coming weeks. If they do, then we might even get a look in. Very sad for Beale, but the backline still did very well. Young Horwitz slotted in fine and Kellaway continues to improve, very impressive. Phipps was clearly man of the match, truly playing very well. Disagree Reece played poorly, aside from the two poor kicks he did well. Does anyone have statistics on how Folau did defensively? The move to centre was never an issue from an attacking point of view, the question was defence. Rather than opinions, would be god to see the numbers. I think the Brumbies only won't win the Australian group if they commit multiple mistakes. The Tahs have an almost impossible task, only chance is beating the Hurricanes (in Sydney) and hoping that Canes don't do well against the other Kiwis. Even if we make it to the QFs, I doubt we'll make the semis (and neither will the Canes, if they make it instead). BTW, the vibe in the stadium was great with all the junior rugby players there. NSW should invite the kids every week, give them exhibition matches before the game, let them and coaches stay for free. Stadiums are never packed, plenty of space to fill. Creates excitement in the kids, gets them hooked on the game.
John
Guest
Entire study and work histories were made up, and lies were told about a relationship. One's career continued and blossomed, two did not.
Akari
Roar Rookie
I'll certainly keep an eye on young Harry Jones, the goosestepper, and look forward to the ARC this year if he's not given an opportunity in super rugby this year.
ThugbyFan
Roar Guru
Good point there Peter, it appears the rugby heavyweights pay lots of lip service to PI rugby, but are more than happy for the PI nations to serve them as breeding grounds for NH club rugby, with the good ones being picked up for their International sides with the joke 3-year rule. Having said that, to avoid the flying brickbats, I confess that Australia is not exactly innocent in this regard. The rule was initially brought in to assist Tier II nations quickly get experienced quality players into their national setups. Japan, USA and Canada have all improved thanks to this system. However we now are seeing Tier I nations such as England and Scotland having anything up to 4-5 PI players in their teams who have qualified solely under the 3-year club rule. I have always thought that for Tier I nations, there should be a limit of two players who qualify under the 3-year rule. Others have suggested make it a 5-year rule. However this rule change does bring problems, what do you do with players who have genuinely emigrated to the country they now play in (Billy Vunipola and Tevita Kuridrani)? How can you say one person is genuine while another is a sham? I have heard of NH club scouts offering Fijian and Samoan 15 year kids large sums (to an Islander) to join their junior academies. By the time the kid is 20, he has easily qualified to play for the national side that the club is housed in. Worse still, many of these clubs don't want their highly paid stars to play International rugby at all.
PeterK
Roar Guru
Kerevi was out for 4 weeks so he does make it back it time. Also since it was a hand injury he can keep running etc.
Bakkies
Guest
Your mate was fined $45,000 over the incident and several phones had been binned prior to the investigation. He had also been dropped due to poor form. He bizarrely got his free ride to Europe from his other mate Cheika. So it wasn't made up or deceit
ThugbyFan
Roar Guru
LoL Akira. During last years ARC, I asked Harry Jones of Stormer Fan fame was he playing as a ring-in for the Sydney Stars. He is another winger with a goosestep, but not in the class of David Campese of course. I also like the boy (20 years old) as he has the same birthday as me. :)
ThugbyFan
Roar Guru
Your right PK, I didn't know that till I went to the Tahs web site. Even so, surely Zac is a better bet on the wing than Reece Robinson. Especially in New Zealand, like the man does have some experience there. :)
Shane D
Roar Rookie
Cheers IF. As I mentioned in an earlier post you see more of these ruptures in the NFL. I suspect that's due to the size of some of those athletes & the tendency for them to target hits at the knee area with the hard pads they wear.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Cool, bring it on (and don't worry, I won't call you Inhumane for saying it) ?
jameswm
Roar Guru
Is that your tip Targa? Criusaders by 50+?
Internal Fixation
Guest
Hi Ben. There are a few different ways to rupture your patella tendon and the pattern of injury determines essentially how extensive surgery is and the subsequent length of rehabilitation. He would be looking at a range between 4-12 months depending on several factors. When "old" blokes like me or your mate rupture the tendon it tends to be in the mid portion and much worse than the younger athletes tend to get where it comes away with a small fragment of bone attached. Blake Griffin and Kyrie Irving both has this injury and returned to a high level in the NBA. Without checking exactly I think Irving was out for 5-6 months. I hope KB can have a similar outcome.
jameswm
Roar Guru
With Beale injured I'd go 9. Phipps 10. Foley 11. DHP 12. Kerevi 13. Kuridrani 14. Tomane 15. Folau 21. Frisby 22. Toomua 23. Not sure here
Internal Fixation
Guest
Correct Shane. A mid-substance rupture would be very unusual in an athlete. Tend to occur in larger people with diabetes. They are more difficult to repair and the tendon quality is usually poor. A graft is sometimes required. A temporary wire also sometimes needs to be used to support the repair which has to then be removed in another operation. if this was the case I would estimate 9-12 months out. If Kurtley has taken a sleeve of bone off with the tendon the bone can be reattached using bone anchors the repair is immediately stronger. No wire needs to be used and rehabilitation can start earlier. I would estimate 3-4 months out and a good prognosis if this was the case.
Moniano
Guest
Get off ur high horses and moral ground AC - seriously!!! Did the guy really upset you. He was retained because the employer have identified values on him for the job he was asked of him and does not deserve a death sentence you are barracking for. - The guy more than assisted Tahs to win championship -. In your own logic for any social group/individual that a prime minister has failed to deliver their social interests and values will be sentenced to prison term after every financial year budget. Leave the ethics and moral issues for the expert of such fields please.
John
Guest
The good ol Patston affair. Created by fraud, deceipt and gross mismanagement and completed with a cheque or two. But yes Kurtley, we need more time from you to repent.
Targa
Guest
The Crusaders will be very fired up after getting done by the Highlanders. It won't be another 96-19, but it could well be 50+.
Bakkies
Guest
Mitchell and Giteau are injured as well. Giteau has barely played all season.
Moniano
Guest
Get off ur high horses and moral ground AC - seriously!!! Did the guy really upset you. He was retained because the employer have identified values on him for the job he was asked of him and does not deserve a death sentence you are barracking for. - The guy more than assisted Tahs to win championship -. In your own logic for any social group/individual that a prime minister has failed to deliver their social interests and values will be sentenced to prison term after every financial year budget. Leave the ethics and moral issues for the expert of such fields please.
The Sheriff
Guest
This was the best performance from the Tahs that I can recall in years. People I have written off as passengers stepped up and played very well against a very good Bulls outfit. Wll Skelton was tireless until replaced; Mumm also extracted his finger: Phipps and Foley were great: Izzy seems to have settled into #13. Horwitz kicked poorly but did other good things. Lordy is correct about Reece Robinson: he should just run every time he gets the ball. The spirits have told Kurtley not to leave the Tahs. Take note of their warning, Kurtley. Alliance is your land, not some sloppy mud heap in England.