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Can the Waratahs beat the Crusaders?

10th May, 2018
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Michael Hooper will be a key part of the Waratahs in 2020. (AAP Image/Jeremy Ng)
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10th May, 2018
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You would think Michael Hooper’s Waratahs with 11 Wallabies in the starting line-up would be very capable of upsetting the defending Super Rugby champion Crusaders.

In your dreams according to the betting agencies which have the Waratahs at either $9 or $8.50 to win, and the Crusaders at $1.07, or $1.08.

How humiliating – $9 in a two-horse race.

In fact, the last time the Waratahs did beat the Crusaders was the 2014 Super Rugby final at ANZ Stadium, thanks to a 45-metre penalty goal from Bernard Foley’s trusty boot that crept over the cross bar at the junction with the right hand upright.

That’s all it took for the Waratahs to win their first Super Rugby crown in 19 years with a 33-32 scoreline, there were just centimetres in it.

But enough – both in distance, and in points.

The agencies aren’t impressed, nor are the frustrated Waratah faithful.

They have been watching their team commit one basic error after another, as if the Waratahs were just learning how to play.

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I excuse Israel Folau, Kurtley Beale, Sekope Kepu, and to some extent the skipper from that bollicking.

Not so according to Waratahs head coach Daryl Gibson.

“They are playing some really solid football both in attack and defence,” was Gibson’s explanation this week.

Really?

Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson

Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson (AAP Image/ David Rowland)

Like not troubling the scoreboard attendants against the Lions for the first time in 23 years.

Like the 21-24 loss to the Blues, who languish at the bottom of the New Zealand Conference table, while the Waratahs are on top of the Australian Conference.

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Like the 22 turnovers in that game and the 25 missed tackles, despite owning 57 per cent of the possession, and 67 per cent of the territory

And we’ll ignore the knock-ons, and over-running the support.

So how does Gibson view the Crusaders?

“We must be at our best, because they contest everything, and compete hard,” he said.

Hang on, isn’t that what we’d expect from the Waratahs game after game, as a bare minimum?

Hopefully the Waratahs are so humiliated by those agency odds they turn this into a David and Goliath clash, and get stuck into the best team in the competition from the get go.

Trust playmaker Beale to give Folau and Taqele Naiyaravoro some space to work their magic – Folau through sheer class, Naiyaravoro through sheer brute strength.

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Fingers crossed Hooper plays like a leader from the openside flanker position, and not once swan around in the backs, getting in the road.

Michael Hooper

Waratahs captain Michael Hooper (AAP Image/Jeremy Ng)

Why Gibson has picked Nick Phipps for his first starting appearance of the season as halfback defies description.

But he’s there instead of Jake Gordon, and must make the most of his reprieve.

Hopefully Phipps has cleared his head after urinating on the bar at his bucks party, and stops telling refs how to control the game, and therefore concentrates on swift and accurate service from set and loose play.

Foley, and Beale, deserve nothing less.

Upfront there are five Wallabies in props Kepu, and Tom Robertson, plus locks Rob Simmons, and Ned Hanigan – four of the tight five that should be able to more than hold their own against any side, at any level.

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And if Hooper sticks to what he does best, there should be plenty of good ball for Phipps to send it on its way.

Throw in the trusty boot of Bernard Foley, and some of the frustrated faithful might be in for a very healthy payday.

But if most of the above doesn’t happen, it will just be a case of same old, same old.

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