HOLD YOUR PRAISE
Nick Phipps is the Waratahs' fortunes writ small.
The nippy young halfback, firmly pigeon-holed for the past few years as the Wallabies' third-best option at No.9, had one of the best games of his career against the Hurricanes last week. He was decisive, aggressive and accurate. But don't try to congratulate him.
Phipps' house mate and fellow Waratah Michael Hodge tried that a few days ago and was told politely to take his praise somewhere else. Why? Because much like the Waratahs, Phipps is sick of the hero-to-zero roller-coaster and wants to start putting together good performances consistently.
"Last week we couldn't have been lower, we were really dejected after that Blues loss and I was pretty dejected with the way I played," he said.
"Then you come back and have a good win against the boys on the weekend and you're feeling good and people start talking about how well you played. I've had that for the last four or five years and I've learnt that you're only as good as your last game and you're only as good as your next game.
"I was talking to [Michael Hodge] this morning and he said 'gee you played well on the weekend' and I said 'mate let's talk about it after two or three good games in a row rather than one'."
Ahem. Could we bend your ear a moment, Nick? Do you think the whole squad could have what you're having?
"Definitely," he said. "We can have a good game – we beat the Stormers over [in South Africa] then we come home and lost to the Force. Things like that let the team down.
"We can front up for one game but it's all about being consistent in this competition because I know – fingers crossed – if we can get into the finals, then we can turn up for the big games."
Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/kane-douglas-saga-highlights-plight-facing-cashstrapped-aru-20140508-zr6zu.html#ixzz31AexXUog