Very salty from MB considering the Fiji boys were dishing out plenty of niggle themselves, not to mention getting plenty of leeway from our favourite Qld ref Nick Berry…. a couple of blatant knock-ons, offside etc. nothing to whinge about in reality. They’ll get better every week , but so will the Tahs with Hooper/Hanigan and RWV still to return to the team.

Fair enough, I shouldn’t have called you a clown. Apologies.

Clearly I was referring to the fact that you consider he hadn’t done enough of the hard yards in Super rugby. In reality though, not many have done harder than him, 162 games of super rugby, 95 test matches and probably another 50 across professional games in UK and France. There’re obviously a plenty of morons with money in World Rugby, because they seem to keep wanting him to play for their clubs for big bucks.

Neither Rennie or Marinos, (or DC for that matter) have made any promises to pick him. All have expressed their respect for his commitment to come back and compete for half the wage he would be on elsewhere.

Posters on here agree and disagree about anything and everything that gets a run here, I wouldn’t be taking too much comfort from that mate. Maybe you should ask yourself why coaches across the world are continually throwing money at him to play for their club? But feel free to write him off…. whether he makes it back in the gold or not, he’s got plenty to be proud of, not least putting his country before his pay check. Wish we had a few more like him….

Hard yard of Super rugby? Only played 162 super rugby players you clown. Only Stephen Moore and Nathan Sharpe have played more super games for Australian teams, so by your logic there are only 2 players that qualify as doing the hard yards…. what’s the benchmark mate?

Beale was ‘granted’ (encouraged) to be released and head off o/s the same as Hooper, Hanigan, Holloway etc to massively reduce the Waratahs player wage bill at the early stages of COVID. It’s been repeatedly stated that the Tahs were focused on avoiding insolvency via the release of their best players who could earn more o/s. The fact that he is now returning on 50% of his current salary tells you all you need to know. Comparing him to Rodda is chalk and cheese.

NRL Hypocrisy 101:

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Mt 7:3)

This bloke either has no clue or is having a laugh…

Plenty of high quality depth at wing with the likes of Dungunu, Vunivalu, Kellaway, Perese, Petaia, Tom Wright, Muirhead, the list goes on… Even the next generation of up and comers have the potential to go to the next level… guys like Lachie Anderson, Dylan Pietsch, James Ramm, llaisa Droasese. Not to mention that they could still pick Korobeite if they wanted to.

No doubt Lynagh is quality but there is more than ample talent here to cove that slot.

I know, playing contracts always prevent that…… well picked up though!

He’s listed on various sites at 1.9m 105 or 108kg
Similar dimensions to Kerevi, who’s listed as 186cm and 108kg……
He’s a large unit…. recent photo if you follow this link
https://www.facebook.com/nswwaratahs/photos/10159064637702144

Is RWV doing any training at 12? Man he could change the whole shape of the team with a 110kg IC. Kerevi style. This combo could give the Tahs more punch in attack…
Bell..
DP..
Smith/HJH..
Holloway..
Swinton..
Hooper..
Harris/Halohalo..
Gordon..
Donaldson/Harrison..
Ramm..
Rahboni WV..
Foketi..
Perese..
Donaldson/Harrison

NSW has one professional rugby team and 9 development officers that try to cover the entire state of which one is designated for the entire central west NSW.

Sydney alone has eight well funded NRL teams who all have semi-professional junior programs, their own development officers and professional coaches. On top of this the NSWRL have their own development programs and officers, all fully paid positions. There are another 2 NRL teams close by in Newcastle and Canberra who also boast the same level of resources. Lots of cash = lots of development officers = lots of visits…. get it?

I keep saying it’s about money because it is.

This is David vs Goliath, but unfortunately David (RU) hasn’t got any rocks in his bag right now so he’s not even in the fight. RU don’t have anyone to go into the missions because they don’t have any cash.

This is not elitism mate, this is cold hard economic reality. No cash = no development programs = no visits. I’ve tried to make my point, if you don’t get it, well nothing more I can say.

My personal experience coaching/recruiting in junior rugby says the exact opposite. The kids/families go to RL because they start getting cash/scholarships etc at the age of 15+. The fact is that most/all junior rugby is amateur with very little cash whereas the poker machine funded RL clubs like Panthers in Bathurst have cash to splash. RU is not elitist, it is cash strapped, and the kids/families understandably go where the best financial opportunities for them are. Rugby wants them, they just can’t afford to compete against the financial clout of RL, in the juniors especially.

I said I’ve never seen elitism in my experience. I have no idea what your personal experiences are. I’ve never commented on your experience other than to say I’ve never seen it ((elitism), ever, in over 50yrs associated with club rugby in Sydney.
What I am saying is the reason there is no top grade rugby in Far Western Sydney is because there has NEVER been any top grade rugby in Far Western Sydney. The Emus were never a competitive Shute shield club in their entire history. They were promoted to the Shute shield when the game was still completely amateur as an initiative to grow the game there but it never came to fruition. In spite of the club having access to coaches like Scott Johnson, John Muggleton etc over the years. Are Melbourne or Perth Elitists cities because RL can’t grow over there? No, it’s because they prefer other sports for various reasons, mostly what they grew up playing and watching. If you want to know why RU isn’t successful in the Far West of Sydney you need to look a bit deeper than easy boogeymen sound bites like “Elitism” and face facts.
Just as an FYI by the way, I grew up in a housing commission area in Western Sydney, have primarily working class friends and family, have played coached and administered rugby for around 50yrs and have many (including PI) friends and colleagues who wear high vis every day. I would absolutely love rugby to be successful in Penrith etc. I’ve been there dozens of times over the last few decades as a player and coach and nothing would make me happier to see them succeed. But anything short of a Billionaire dropping money over there to start paying and signing up every quality player over the age of 15 is doomed to fail.

Does my postcode somehow invalidate my argument by the way? We all know that “Drummoyne ain’t Penrith” but facts don’t change based on where you live. Try playing the ball not the man.

Parramatta area if you must know

They weren’t kicked out, they couldn’t field teams. They kicked themselves out by that criteria. My old senior rugby club no longer exists but they weren’t kicked out either. The demographic of the area changed and the number of kids playing rugby started to dry up. This club had a proud history of producing wallabies in the 70’s and now no longer exists at all. Went from 2nd division to Kentwell cup to no more in the space of 20 years. There was no elitism, just the reality that a lot of kids either no longer want to play contact sport or prefer to choose a club or sport with ‘better facilities, proximity, better run etc’….. where have we heard that before? Sorry to burst your bubble, but the elitism argument is BS and really just diverts attention from the actual problems that are anything but elitism.

Every rugby club I’ve been associated with, and there are quite a few over the years both Senior and Junior, have never been elitist. This is one of those lines that is repeated over and over until everyone believes it’s true. Without exception I’ve been welcomed and have welcomed anyone who turns up and I’ve never seen a rugby club that wasn’t the same. I played with CEOs and grave diggers in the same team, doctors and brickie’s who all share the same values and love of rugby we all clearly do. People say it’s elitist, but I’ve only ever seen the opposite in my 50yr association with the game. The elitist tag usually comes out when it’s easier to blame the bogeyman rather than look in the mirror and face reality. The Penrith Panthers are a massive force in Western Sydney and ARU/NSW do not have the financial clout to take them on, it’s the reality of the situation. You said it yourself, your kids chose RL for a variety of reasons…. proximity, facilities etc with the added bonus of potentially an earlier pay check to boot. But saying you get looked down on because you wear high vis workwear is not something I’ve ever seen before in Sydney rugby clubs. Every junior and senior rugby club in the country have plenty of high vis wear to be seen every night before training and most weekends. BTW every rugby club I’ve been involved with is west of the ANZAC bridge.

Unfortunately Penrith have never been consistently competitive in the Shute shield. They were a 2nd division club from their inception as Nepean in the 70s through to Penrith in the 90’s and onward. They have probably been the recipient of more support from NSW & Sydney rugby over the last 20yrs than any other club. The problem has never been cash. It’s always come down to junior development, pathways and club administration. I personally know a number of the high quality coaches who have had stints there over the last 20yrs and the major problem was always retention of their best players and to a lesser degree, running the club professionally with amateur local administration. This is not meant to be a criticism of those great people who volunteer their time, just that they generally don’t have the management skillsets or vision to move the club forward. As you would know, most Western Sydney juniors play both RL and RU. We all know where the money starts. High quality kids who choose RL start earning cash and signing contracts early and that’s where they end up going. We have many wonderful PI families in our junior clubs. Most of which have bigger families (4+ kids v average 2) and are not always in the highest paying jobs. As a result the extra money is quite rightly a huge factor for them when deciding where to play after school. When RU can offer the same financial incentives to juniors as RL, then the west could be won, otherwise it’s just more of the same undeserving criticism of ARU etc who aren’t exactly swimming in cash right now………….

Whatever your views are on the technical validity of the decision after watching many angles and slow motion replays, in the nearly 200 years and thousands of matches ever played, in real time, with any other referee, that knock down would have resulted in a scrum to Australia. End of Story. And in many instances may have even been a yellow card to the Welsh player…….

The answer seems obvious to me… HJH is too light to be a world class prop, but has all the attributes to be a world class hooker… Mobile, hard working, strong carrier and defender, also very good over the ball. Is it just me who looks at him every game and thinks why hasn’t somebody else seen this and slotted him in there by now? Generally one of the Tahs best players week in week out..

The smug hubris coming from this article is sadly typical of a large minority of NZ rugby fans…. you hate us cos you ain’t us in other words. Met plenty like this in Japan during RWC 2019. The condescending attitude, the sarcastic derision of other non NZ fans was noticeable at match functions, bars and games. The only question was who will we beat in the final?
This was quickly followed by sour, excuse ridden complaints after the NZ team was destroyed by England in the semi-final. Next were the desperate attempts to sell their final tickets as they couldn’t bear watching the game if their precious team wasn’t playing. BTW tickets were gladly snapped up by the many England fans who flew to Japan in droves shortly after the game….
I’ve many a kiwi friend who are gracious in victory and defeat, are true fans of the game, but unfortunately there are also many of the other lot too.

DC recruitment strategy and noticed this little bit on the Reset 22 profiles..
Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco Centre/ No.8.. Perhaps DC is thinking a bit differently about the squad makeup and could have a very left field but tasty combination that solves a lot of the squad dilemma…………
How’s this for a slightly different matchday 23..
1. Angus Bell
2. Porecki
3. HJH (or A. N. Other TH) Need this slot filled above all else.
4. Douglas/Caird..? still weak here
5. Whetton/Williams/Hanigan.. as above
6. Swinton
7. Hooper
8. Holloway or Will Harris
9. Gordon
10. Harrison/Donaldson
11. Perese – (Potentially a Korobeite style everywhere man)
12. Warren-Vosayaco.. this is the wildcard. Could be a game changer at 12 giving us that big body we need.
13. Foketi/Walton
14. Ramm
15. Harrison/Donaldson.
That configuration gives us the backline we need with a big unit at 12, a gun winger in Perese..
We’ve got a ton of backrowers, so RWV won’t be missed in that slot.
Solves a few problems, worth a try in my book.

60,000 fijians live in Aust, of which just over 50% live in Sydney, mostly in the western suburbs. and 100% of them are rugby fans………

Seriously? Delivered for the last 2 years Brett, the previous 10yrs the Reds were a basket case. The Brumbies have had a great run the last couple of years, with the Tahs poor the last few. The last 2 Reds/Brumbies games have been amazing but you’ve jumped the shark here mate.

Most of the Brumbies players come from anywhere but the ACT. They don’t have a serious rivalry with anyone, but if you had to pick one it would be with the Waratahs , not the Reds….

This match will probably produce some great matches for years to come, but it’s not in the same galaxy as the NSW/Qld rivalry. Anyone that seriously believes that has been smoking something that causes pigs to fly.. !

The biggest issue is that whilst we produce over 50% of the players, we only have 20% of the contracts….

You then have Brumbies/Rebels etc. plus NRL poachers (sorry… talent scouts) at all the NSW junior state rugby championships, School rep games etc. trying to cherry pick the best youngsters and recruitment becomes a lottery. The Tahs end up having to bet $$$ on untried potential and then you win some and lose some. Blokes like McCauley, Greg Peterson etc get a 3yr deal and barely play a game whilst we lose blokes like Tom Wright etc first to NRL, then Brumbies. It’s BS that it’s come to this… Tahs should really get first option for any NSW produced players that come on the market.

Shaking my head at the vitriolic stuff on this thread. Tahs are actually in this position due to crappy recruitment by the Kiwi connection of Gibson and Hore who both bailed out after the playing roster was gutted….

And as far as NSW produces the best players…. here’s a quick selection of the players NSW produces playing elsewhere in SR AU… This is not a complete list btw.

Brumbies

Allan Alaalatoa
Scott Sio
Folau Faingaa
Billy Pollard
Nick Frost
Tom Hooper
Cadyrn Neville
Nic White
Bayley Kuenzle
Tom Wright

Reds

Brandon Paenga-Amosa
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto
Izaak Rodda
Harry Wilson

Force

Bo Abra
Tom Robertson
Feleti Kaituú
Fergus Lee-Warner
Ryan McCauley
Tim Anstee
Jack McGregor

Rebels

Matt Gibbon
Cameron Orr
Ed Craig
Steve Cummins
Matt Philip
Josh Kemeny
Michael Wells
Brad Wilkin
Theo Strang
Reece Hodge
Lachie Anderson

Plus 80% of their own squad

Anyway, carry on…