Roar Guru
Joined November 2013
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If life was a game of rugby it would be half time and although I had a few ruck marks I'd be ready to get stuck right back into the second half. I'd be looking forward to the end of match drinks mostly!
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Have we seen enough of AA at loose head to call him good?
Perhaps you are right on this one.
You are incorrect about Slipper. He’s the 2nd best loose head at the reds let alone anywhere near the 2nd or even 3rd best in the country.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
yes sadly.
Matt Todd illegally bound to our loose head and they got a penalty and later a penalty try from that.
There were continual infringements with players coming from the side. Crusaders players taking out waratahs off the ball, and the referee then started pinning waratahs at the lineout for trivial infringements when the Crusdaers had also encroached across the 1m gap.
And the TMO ignored two obvious red card offences ( an elbow to Beales head that led to a try, and a spear tackle on the bell) and a yellow (Barrett no arm clean out from the side that has almost ended Hanigans season with a knee injury).
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
Not quite.
Poitgeter was always our lock that year alongside Douglas. Hoiles was a direct replacement for Dennis at no6.
Skelton played that season from the bench apart from 1 or 2 games.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
The way the finals works is that the Crusaders and Hurricanes can not meet in the final as they are going to finish 1st and 4th respectively, due to the conference system.
If they both win their quarter finals they will play each other in the semi final.
The Waratahs are set to finish 2nd because the SA conference have all played one or two extra games and this will probably allow the Tahs to real them in on the table.
This is important because as the 2nd place side they will host a potential semi which gives them the advantage to make the GF.
Now I’m betting on the lower ranked NZ team causing an upset in the semi, which would see the waratahs host the Grand Final.
If that happens as I predict, well than that gives the Waratahs a huge advantage as a home finalist.
If it doesn’t work that way and they make a final played in NZ I still give them a chance as they showed v the Crusaders they can perform in NZ. But it starts to become more likely that they’d lose in NZ.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
Piru
yes
they were exactly the same infringements.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
They’ve outperformed all 3 NZ sides they’ve played.
The law of averages says they won’t continue to be so unlucky
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
AA needs to play some loose at super rugby.
Its a completely different role and we need to know he’s still capable on that side of the scrum.
I recall a while back Kepu was asked to return back to the loose head side and he was awful.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
next year the two fijians will be, unless I’m mistaken
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
The reason we couldn’t stop the Crusaders is because the referee ensured they had the ball for 50minutes and could continually manipulate us off the ball with foul and illegal play, without consequence.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
ok that’s pretty much what I’ve said
and the tahs are set to finish 2nd on the table
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
Sorry I didn’t mean to offend you.
Fair enough regarding 2014 being a relatively long time ago.
At the time I used the waratahs victory as an example of how you didn’t need a strong lineout to win games of rugby or trophies.
But then we went to the RWC in 2015 and it basically cost us the world cup. There were two crucial moments in that match where we could’ve swung the momentum in our favour and on both occasions our lineout failed.
Stephen More was a good player but his line out throwing was too often poor. As is Polota-Nau’s.
For me Ftzpatrick should not be forgotten as a genuine test match option. He’s good around the park but his lineout throwing is exemplary. At the moment I don’t think there is a better more accurate line out thrower in the game. Anyways I digress.
It helps if you have a good lineout! can be the difference between success and failure in a tight match.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
Yes both were text book truck and trailer and were both identical.
odd
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
With the conference system and the bonus points system yes winning isn’t everything.
the fact that the Tahs picked up 2 losing bonus points against the blues and the crusaders may be enough to see them finish 2nd on the table and that may in turn be enough to see them win the title.
so… next
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
Yes its important that we win as many games from here on (with a few bonus points) in and if not pick up bonus points if we do lose any more.
Jaguares on 29 points just 2 points behind us but they have a negative for and against and they have played an extra game. So we can afford to drop a game maybe 2 and still beat them to 2nd, if indeed we pick up some bonus points or if they lose 1 more. We probably only have to finish on equal points and would have a better for and against. But its likely we’ll just finish with more competition points.
The Lions are 5 points ahead on the table but I think they are a spent force. They only have 3 games left (only 1 more game at home) because they have two byes. If they lose a game or 2 (which I think they will) they’ll likely finish 7th or 8th.
QF’s as follows;
1 v 8 Hurricanes v Rebels
2 v 7 Waratahs v Lions
3 v 6 Jaguares v Chiefs
4 v 5 Crusaders v Highlanders
SF’s
1v 4 Hurricanes v Crusaders
2 v3 Waratahs v Jaguares
Final
2 v 4 Waratahs v Crusaders
Winners – the mighty Tahs!
heard it here first!
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
Absolutely.
It was suspiciously overlooked by the TMO despite that it was the try scorer during the play that offended.
The right call was a red card. That call cost us that game in the end. Because from that point the Waratahs hardly touched the ball again and never had a chance to get the momentum back.
Moody gets the red card he so clearly deserved and we probably go into half time 29 nil up, maybe more.
It wasn’t just that Okeefe and the all NZ team of refs continued to referee just the waratahs from that point in time.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
‘probably’ a better lineout? My word you have a bad memory.
Our lineout in 2014 was our achilles-heel and almost cost us the championship. When we lost Dave Dennis to injury it went from average to deplorable.
This year it is our trump card in the forwards.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
Wal it is not just about results.
The way they are constructing tries at will against quality opposition is what I’m talking about.
Its the brand of rugby they’re playing that has me excited. The refereeing, the bounce of the ball, etc is what cost them against the Blues and the Crusaders.
Odds are they won’t continue to be so unlucky.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
I agree Harry.
When you think that there are players like Tupou, Kerevi, Dangunu and Tui from the Reds, Pocock, Arnold, Valentini, Naisarani, Sio and Allalalatoa from the Brumbies, and Coleman, Genia, Haylett-Petty, Ulese, Hodge, Korobite, Naivalu, Maddocks and Timani from the Rebels, along with the likes of Hooper, Folau, Beale, Foley, Naiyarovoro, Kepu, Rona, Robertsen and Dempsey from the Waratahs side, there is a lot to get excited by.
Some of these guys are world xv material or potentially so. Others are very much test quality standard.
And there are many more names we could mention.
We are going to have a strong wallaby side to take to the RWC.
I’m hopeful the dip in super rugby form over the past 2 years will be long forgotten soon. It was a coincidence that all fo our franchises were in a rebuilding phase at the same time.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
Hi James,
Robertsen is a decent scrummager but have you notived his workrate?
Fitzpatrick is going great and as you mention our lineout is all of a sudden excellent when for the past 4 seasons it has been dreadful. The lineout in my opinion is 90% about the thrower. This is why Latu is out of favour.
The lighter backrow is working. When we went away from it, against the lions, we got humiliated.
You like many seem fixated on size/weight. What is more impoartant is power and mobility. We have that and that is why we are looking so sharp.
For every clear out missed there are about 19 that we get right. Just look at the ruck percentage which is always in the 95% realm.
As for the back 3. Folau can kick long, he regualraly kicks it 50-60m and did as such last weekend, but the back 3 is not the back 3 as you think. Beale/Foley and Folau drop back and if we opt to kick usually its Foley or Beale that do the kicking.
ps Wells isn’t a lock, he’s a no 8.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?
Very wise.
I’ll see you in a week lauding them as tile contenders no doubt.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?