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Beale and Holloway bring NFL to Super Rugby

Roar Rookie
9th March, 2019
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Roar Rookie
9th March, 2019
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There is a new back-line move in town, and it could easily have come straight out of the NFL playbook.

With the second half barely underway in the Waratahs’ 28-17 win over the Reds in Saturday’s Super Rugby clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the Queenslanders clear a kick from inside their 22, sending it at little past half way.

Kurtley Beale retrieves the kick.

Jed Holloway raises his hand signaling Beale to run a blind side. Beale obliges.

Meanwhile, Holloway runs the block play. He races to block a Reds outside defender with his 195-centimetre frame.

The obstruction is now in place, man mountain Holloway stands between the Reds outside defender and the touchline, thereby creating a five-metre gap.

Beale hits the line and passes the ball to Curtis Rona, who runs through Holloway’s obstruction gap, and goes on to score a try.

Comically, Holloway is seen laughing in the background as Rona dives over in the corner. It worked.

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What’s more, neither the touch judge nor New Zealand referee Glen Jackson picked it up. As the old saying goes, it is only cheating if you get caught.

Kudos to the Beale-Holloway play, it had the commentators mesmerised and touch judge bamboozled. Hopefully all are wiser for next time.

Were the Waratahs the better team on the night? Probably, but not by much. The block play aside, the game goes down to the wire. It was pretty scrappy affair.

To be fair, the SCG pitch did the spectacle no favours. Completely substandard.

The grass layered above sand is very dangerous for scrums and is a neck injury waiting to happy.

Further, the 46,000-seat stadium looked poorly attended on the broadcast. There seemed to be zero atmosphere on the ground.

A change of venue against the Crusaders in two weeks time is an absolute must. Surely at North Sydney Oval, the Waratahs vs Crusaders would be a sell-out with atmosphere to match.

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If not available, the Eels and Panthers play away games in Round 2 of the NRL, so the new stadium in Parramatta is an option. Something to think about.

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