The Waratahs host the Sunwolves Saturday night at Allianz Stadium, Sydney. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 7:45pm AEST.
Heading towards the end of the season, Daryl Gibson’s Waratahs have surprised most pundits by skyrocketing to the top of the Australian conference.
Last week, they won a hotly contested match against an enterprising Rebels despite missing Michael Hooper and Israel Folau.
Folau is back today and will want to make up for lost time due to a one game ban. The Sunwolves are having yet another unsuccessful season, emulating the fortunes of the Western Force of old.
Japanese national coach Jamie Joseph is also at the help of the Sunwolves, has delivered noticeable improvements, winning three games so far this season.
The good news coming into this one for the Waratahs is that the result doesn’t really matter a great deal. The Rebels’ loss last night means they’re a certainty to finish on top of the conference.
The only way they could botch it from here is if the Tahs were to fall woefully short of the win in both remaining matches while the Rebels get a bonus-point win in the final week.
They’re the only team in the Australian conference with a positive points difference – up 69 – so it’s fair to say they deserve to be top dogs.
The Sunwolves, meanwhile, are the lowest-ranked team in the Australian conference and have the least wins of any side in the Super Rugby competition.
Things are set up well for the Tahs to get a win and put the conference victory beyond doubt.
Prediction
The Sunwolves have not won an away game yet. It is unlikely to change today, especially against an in-form Waratahs.
Waratahs by at 13
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Haters, CP? I, for one, love Bernard Foley. He is one of the best utility backs in the world. Committed, brave, and talented to a point. And he kicks a lot of goals. There just happens to be someone else in Australia with more skills aa a 10. On this game, Bernard did some great things. And some not so great things.
Katipo
Guest
Too many games are being ruined by these red cards. World Rugby has to fix this urgently or else more fans will choose to watch some other sport. Here's an idea. Maybe the offending player can not return to the field, but let the team return to fifteen players so we can have a spectacle.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Geez, we couldnt get a bbq started with this weather here. Good on you.
MH01
Guest
While it ruined the game, and myself I over reacted - it met the threshold from the rules point of view
carnivean
Roar Rookie
Tanaka's wasn't a lifting tackle, so was considered under the rules of a neck roll instead.
riddler
Roar Rookie
just to clairfy.. of course u never want to do intential damage.. unless u r a complete an utter culo.. but to lift a player up and twist and turn and push down.. we never ever train.. hence my point.. why do players still do it.. like a mate we all have who has a few beers too many and sees the red mist.. just don't do it.. keep going forward.. don't stop and lift and twist and push down.. easy solution..
riddler
Roar Rookie
didn't see it.. stopped at half time.. thought the yellow though was for a neck roll from what i read here on the blog. i could well be very wrong.. and apologies if i am..
double agent
Guest
Well why wasn't the other one a red as well? Tanake .Gordon got lifted - hands on legs - upended to land on head. Looked slow and calculated. The first one happened in a split second I doubt the tackler had any intention of doing an illegal tackle.
riddler
Roar Rookie
can imagine.. sums him up..
riddler
Roar Rookie
spot on wheel.. don't see why there is a discussion.. the law is clear. if they don't like the law then talk about the law.. but the tmo, touchie and ref did their job as per the law book
riddler
Roar Rookie
seriously... foley's momentum??? try again as u say without beer googles.. lifetd above horizontal and lands on head.. red every day of the week and sunday with the law as it and has been for ten years.. why players keep lifting players up in tackles amazes me.. we never ever do it training.. so why do players do it a game??
Brian
Guest
Agreed, definitely ruined the spectacle. Happy about the win, not particularly happy about how it happened.
Boonzie
Guest
I'll watch it again without the beer googles on tomorrow... But right now it still felt like Foley's momentum caused most of it. Regardless, it ruined the game (for wrong or right).
Melburnian
Roar Pro
TBH i thought Foley landed on his shoulder first and therefore thought YC at worst. Maybe even just let the try stand restart with a PK to the Tahs. TMO and referee seemed convinced though so who am I to argue. Highly entertaining first half.
Reverse Wheel
Guest
Immaculate
Boonzie
Guest
Was at the game. I actually thought Foley propelled himself after the initial tackle trying to break it and spun from that... Need to watch the replay again to be sure, but the red felt very harsh from what I saw.
Reverse Wheel
Guest
Lift above horizontal = yellow. Landing on head or neck = red. I'm really confused why people are questioning this, the guidelines on it for referees are really clear. For comparison, Folau have received an off field red instead of a yellow had O'Mahony not broken his fall with his hand. The citing officer said as much.
Brian
Guest
That’s a huge overstatement. As a die-hard Waratahs fan I really felt for the Sunwolves with that call and would have been happy with a yellow, but by the letter of the law that’s a red every day of the week.
Boonzie
Guest
Dempsey looked sharp in his suit on the side line... Is that what you meant ?!
Blinky Bill
Roar Rookie
I only saw the video that was attached to this articles and for the life of me I wondered why they were showing Izzy's try over and over again. So for me, at least on that angle, I didn't see anything too bad with the tackle on Foley. One would think a red card would stick out like dogs balls. Was it the late tackle or the lift that was deemed serious enough for a red? ?