Befuddlement. It’s a funny word. One of those words that sounds funnier the more times you say it. But it’s one that aptly sums up the mindset and the decision making of the Waratahs in 2016.
It was on display again last night when the Tahs went down to the Blues with a bonus-point loss on a soggy Eden Park.
The result has left them with the forlorn hope that the basket-case Force will reverse a season’s worth of shocking form to beat the hitherto table-topping Brumbies and deny them a losing bonus point in the process tomorrow night.
That’s the only and highly unlikely scenario that will see the Tahs scrape through to the playoffs.
Stranger things have happened, but I’m going to go out on a massive limb here and suggest it’s a scenario this ain’t going to play out and NSW are finished for this year.
And it was largely muddled thinking that cost them a chance to beat the Blues and heap a whole lot more pressure the way of the Brumbies.
The best thing that could have happened for the Tahs was obviously a bonus-point win. This would have required the Brumbies to win with lots of tries tomorrow to ensure they advanced.
But instead of trying to settle for the next best thing – a win with no bonus point, the Tahs ended up with the worst thing – a loss, by not taking every point on offer.
A chance of scoring three more tries than a growingly rampant Blues outfit was always going to be slim, especially so when the heavens opened in the lead up to the game to grease up the Eden Park surface. Despite the conditions you’ve got to go for it, I get that.
And things looked promising when Tahs loosehead Paddy Ryan popped Blues’ tighthead Ofa Tu’ungafasi for three scrums in a row close to the Blues line to win his team a penalty try after 22 minutes.
From the resulting kick off a Nick Phipps special – a pass to absolutely nobody – immediately put his team back under pressure and sure enough, two minutes later big Blues lock Patrick Tuipulotu crashed over in the corner for a quick reply.
This was to set the pattern for the night. In a remarkable stat, every time the Tahs scored each of their four tries the Blues responded with one of their own less than three minutes later.
The only break in this pattern was when the Blues were awarded a penalty try for a collapsed maul close to the line four minutes after their own first try.
At this point, 30 minutes into the game, it should have been bleeding obvious to the visitors, dominant scrum and all, that they were never going to jump three tries clear of their hosts.
So they needed to bin this quest and ensure the win with Bernard Foley banking every point on offer.
Yet they didn’t. Kickable penalty after kickable penalty was spurned as the Tahs went for the five pointers. Sure they were smashing it in the scrum, which netted them a second penalty try five minutes after the resumption.
However, if only they’d kicked the points on offer they would still have been able to exert scrum pressure, but from a position of leading, not trailing on the scoreboard.
As it was the scrums evened up considerably anyway when Charlie Faumuina replaced Tu’ungafasi immediately after the second penalty try was conceded.
Clearly the freshly minted All Black prop has a lot of work to do on his core role before he sees another black jersey.
And I still can’t quite work out how the Tahs failed to score in the shadow of halftime when Israel Folau looked to have busted through only to be held up, before bobbling an attempted pass to an unmarked Matt Carraro.
In the end the Tahs left themselves way too much to do against the Blues who grew more potent on attack as the game wore on, despite being on the wrong end of the territory and possession stats.
Questions must be asked of the decision-making ability of skipper Michael Hooper. Brilliantly dynamic player that he is, time and again this season he has made the wrong call in the heat of the battle which has cost his side dearly.
Is it time to hand the captaincy to a bloke who has a much better line of sight on what’s unfolding and isn’t running around like a blue-arsed fly for 80 minuted? Is Foley the better option?
On the other side Blues fans must already be salivating in anticipation for next season. They rounded out 2016 with consecutive wins against the top two Aussie sides in a resurgence that suggests coach Tana Umaga is beginning to reap what he has sowed in his debut year in charge.
Up front skipper Jerome Kaino is back to his brutish best as the hardest shouldered forward in world rugby while Steven Luatua is showing the sort of form that had him bolting into the All Blacks three years ago.
Ihaia West is looking a more and more accomplished general, while outside him Piers Francis has been the surprise package of the year to become the Blues version of Ryan Crotty, with the added bonus of reliable goal kicking.
Francis capped off a storming game when he zigged when the defences zagged for a great try last night. Melani Nanai is a strike weapon at fullback while George Moala returned from injury looking like he’d lost none of the eye-popping form exhibited for the All Blacks in the third Test agains the Welsh, scoring the Blues final try. And to think they’ve got Rene Ranger and a bloke by the name of Sonny Bill Williams to come in 2017. That’s just scary.
For the Tahs, well they’ve (in all probability) got a few months to rue what could have been and get some clarity into their thinking.
Ryanno
Guest
You do know that kicking penalty goals also requires you to exit your own half??? Better to have to do it with 7 on the board than 3. They would have needed 5 x penalty goals to achieve the same result. I can't remember a ref ever giving the Tahs 5 shots at goal ever in a half. I can't believe more hasn't been made of the non yellow card and the forward pass for the Blues first try. I can't ever recall a prop causing two penalty tries and not getting a yellow. SANZAAR needs neutral refs for every game in 2017. It's crazy to have an NZ ref deciding on a game with a final up for grabs. Same as having a former Chiefs player reffing their games too, surely someone at SANZAAR recognises that as a dumb idea.
Ryanno
Guest
"Beale is one of the better backs in Australia.. He is far from being one off the best backs in the world." Yeah right, so the money that he will be on in the UK to be the highest or close the highest paid player in the game is for charity. Better judges than you want him in their team.
Rory
Guest
at LEAST one yellow. That could have set the game up nicely with 1 or 2 Blues watching from the naughty chair. Every other penalty try from scrum dominance I saw this season resulted in the front row being yellow carded. And I think that's what they expected and were playing for. After all, the Waratahs' front rowers have spent MANY minutes on the sideline for their scrum inefficiencies in recent years.
kiwineil
Guest
By 2c - kiwi longterm resident in sydney (and happy canes supporter as an aside) Chatting rugby to a mate over a beer last night I said my view of the 2 Aust/NZ teams most likely to improve materially next year - the Blues and the Tahs. The Blues I think is self-explanatory ....but perhaps the Tah's less so ... my thoughts on a few things whoch should make the Tahs a better team next year.. 1. Second season to get team used to the way Gibson wants to play the game - adapt to not so new coach, his systems etc 2. Aided by cleaning out some of the older generation. Great servants, but arguably past their prime, replace with younger hungrier guys who are arguably easier for Gibson to shape the way he wants. 3. The young guys brought in this year will be better for the run .... 4. Folau will grow into 13. Hes a special player, and Ive also said for defensive deficency reason's he's better suited in the centres than FB.... So can the Tah's make next years finals ?- no reason against pretty weak Aussie franchises why they cant top the conf next year. Where could I be wrong? - if the Brumbies boot Larkham and replace him with someone who can get their (quality) backline firing, they would be also be big improvers.....
AndyS
Guest
I think it goes a bit further than that. The historic strengths of the ABs have revolved around Auckland, Canterbury and perhaps Wellington. But I wonder if the ABs would be what they are today if the NZRU had just concentrated all their time, effort and money on those three areas alone...
Sam
Guest
They definitely have, & that's in part due to the ARU administration being such a mess. & that's why NZ is so far ahead. Grass roots support, high school systems, academies, & willingness of everyone in the NZRU to put their ego's aside & do what's best for NZ Rugby put them on another level.
Bakkies
Guest
or bought with loads of experience but didn't produce.
Bakkies
Guest
Still waiting for Spiro and David Lord to throw their toys out of the cot over the Tarts not making the Finals
nerval
Guest
What must he be "loosing" Jumbo? The "blood-dimmed" tide of Yeats' poem, The Second Coming?
Jumbo
Guest
Wow an immortal in Aussies little league competition, does anyone even know those immortals outside Australia. Wallabies have one attack threat that the Abs can nullify, Abs got 15 threats right across the park. When did izzy win a bledisloe for ya? Nothing pleases me more than seeing izzy down on one knee after a loss with that look of disappointment, as well as the smug look on moores face after a game. How long has Folau been playing now? Still learning the game, he must like loosing that's for sure.
Sam
Guest
Funny all the players mentioned are Queenslanders. Is John a closet Queenslander?
taylorman
Roar Guru
Still no guarantee he'll succeed though. How many players in the position have the Blues tried to deveopmwhile losing matches?
Rugby Tragic
Roar Rookie
Jacko, I also have been critical of West, he has had 3 years to make the position his but for my liking he has been too flakey.
Rugby Tragic
Roar Rookie
TM, Otere Black is signed up to Hurricanes until end 2017. The Blues should pay out the contract if he would shift.
MatthewSkellett
Guest
I think I 've watched one too many games where the Tahs hand in another poor performance and have the hide to declare to everyone what a great time to be alive it is. The Old-school "find -another-creative -way-to-shoot-ourselves-in the-foot" Tahs is well and truly back with a vengeance .The same old lines -poor line-outs, TPN never learning to do a good line-out throw , bad mistakes that lead to opposition tries time and time again and letting the opposition do an easy score just after they've scored .It's far too cynical and depressing for me to think that that elitist/defeatist culture will ever change, it's part of the franchise woodwork- Cheiks just gave us a momentary holiday from the curse . i'm not following the Tahs anymore , it's hopeless , they are comfortable with losing and calling it a silk purse . I don't know what I'm going to do instead of watching Super Rugby but I'll improvise and use my imagination.
soapit
Guest
"future immortal at 20" speaks a fair bit about the worth of your opinions on this john.
Short-Blind
Guest
John, I should have been clear, it's his frequent poor passing whilst running and occasional ego not to give the ball to his outside men in better position - that's what gets me. Yes he can catch a ball and beat a man one on one right up with the best. But as a fullback, as mentioned below by others, his all round suite of skills are lacking, most notably his kicking game both long and short. TBH they are atrocious for this level.
richard
Guest
It depends on your definition of a bad patch.If all Australian fans judge their team based solely on beating NZ,then yes. I suggest you take a more holistic approach.Australia needs to improve its overall skill and fitness levels before it can think of getting out of its slump.I may be wrong,but it seems to me,Aus rugby seems to have regressed.
Jockey
Guest
How long has our bad patch been ?13 years now.
John
Guest
Lol Darwin....Beale was Australia's best outside back during the RWC by the length of the straight - the coach made a significant error not starting him throughout the tournament. His shortcomings are becoming well documented and will continue to be over the coming months. Beale hasn't become the highest paid player in English Rugby history for no reason. Was a walk-up start for the England series....the impact of his absense from the Tahs and Wallabies over the past two months is glaringly obvious.