Brumbies v Waratahs, round 12, Friday 1 May
- Thread starter Lindommer
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pissedoffihavetoregister
Bill Watson (15)
I thought he meant Sandra bollocks, but I could be wrong!
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pissedoffihavetoregister
Bill Watson (15)
Last week to looked liked TK had stuffed his shoulder again. He seemed to be ok this week. Any news. Boy we need him for WC.
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Hawko
Tony Shaw (54)
Locked inside Dismal's great humour, there is a lot of truth in what he says. The Tahs/Brumbies game was absolutely brutal. The intensity was at least two levels up on the Hurricanes/Crusaders game and that game consigned the Crusaders to missing the finals this year I think. There was lots of exciting running in the H-C game but it lacked that test match bite, good game though it was.
What I was celebrating was that it reminded me of some of the NZ forward intensity we have seen over the last ten years. Win or lose, the NZ team will know they have been in a game in this year's Bledisloe matches.
On a related note: the Waratahs train and play with great intensity. Watching the Tahs go one-on-one at training you can see they do not hold back. Yet they have the lowest injury toll of all the teams this year and last. From having probably the worst S&C and injury record four years ago they are now best-in-comp. You train as you play - if you train "hard" you play "hard" and you don't get injured. May we never, ever forget it. The Reds have and look at their last two years.
Back home in the bosom of my family in the beautiful Blue Mountains. As Braveheart so aptly put it, "Best trip down the Hume Highway ever!" That's the first time I've seen the Tahs win in Canberra, although I was quietly confident.
Random thoughts:
Match intensity. It was a very, very tough match. It'd be difficult not to award the physicality trophy to the Tahs, especially later in the game when both teams were tired and the result was still in doubt. At about the 60min mark I texted to my brother in Wagga (a fellow Waggatah and a better judge of forward play than me), "the Tahs are starting to get on top physically". They held the ball for six or seven phases and bashed their way up the middle to somewhere near the Ponies 22m line, which was up my end. There were glimpses of this continuous physical Cheikaball in the Rebels match in round 2 (and also in the second half of the England test on the EoyT last year); when it's done well it saps the energy and enthusiasm of the opposing team. Also, at that stage the Tahs looked fitter.
Five-eights. Foley's open field kicking looked much better this week, as was his place kicking. Balanced with that I was very impressed with Leali'ifano's play with ball in hand, he was far and away the best Brumby back. The rest of the Ponies backline looked a bit pedestrian to me, hard to fathom with one of Australia's best backs as their coach. The only adverse remark I could add about Christian's play on Saturday night was the turning-down of kicks at goal; take the points every time, son. CL's performance wearing 10 makes me wonder why the Ponies brains trust haven't at least tried a game with him at five-eight and To'omua at 12. There again, who'd be a coach?
Scrummaging. Good to see Oz coaches are putting some time and energy into improving our scrum performance. The Tahs scrum is much improved this year under Ledesma's tutelage, but the Brumbies pigs held them well. Both teams committed to 8 man shoves most scrums.
Hooper and Pocock. Wonderful to watch. You'd better grab a strong drink because what I'm going to say will astound you: Pocock's better close over the ball while Hooper does his best work a tad wider; David's the better player when his opponents have the ball but Michael excels with ball in hand. Defence from both breakaways was exemplary. IF I had to make a decision I'd start Pocock against England and the ABs, Hooper against Ireland, Wales, France and the Bokke and rotate them for other matches. I WOULD NOT START A MATCH WITH BOTH OF THEM.
Defence. Individual and collective tackling from both teams was excellent. Apart from Kurtley Beale, he tried to tackle someone right in front of me in the first half and succeeded in giving the Pony a gentle cuddle; why hasn't his defence been fixed? Bodes well for the Wallabies.
Waratah hookers. Sad to see TPN go off with concussion again, surely the end looms for this courageous player. The Tahs have been bloody lucky to find Latu hanging off a forklift at the Sydney Markets, he's gotta be in the frame for a gold jumper later this year.
Refereeing. Once we saw the officials' appointments list with Jackson's name down for this match we knew what to expect: somewhat of a free-for-all at the breakdown. There were many instances before the final maul when players from both sides infringed, equally. For Brumbies supporters to cry foul they were robbed doesn't wash. I thought you blokes were better than that.
Random thoughts:
Match intensity. It was a very, very tough match. It'd be difficult not to award the physicality trophy to the Tahs, especially later in the game when both teams were tired and the result was still in doubt. At about the 60min mark I texted to my brother in Wagga (a fellow Waggatah and a better judge of forward play than me), "the Tahs are starting to get on top physically". They held the ball for six or seven phases and bashed their way up the middle to somewhere near the Ponies 22m line, which was up my end. There were glimpses of this continuous physical Cheikaball in the Rebels match in round 2 (and also in the second half of the England test on the EoyT last year); when it's done well it saps the energy and enthusiasm of the opposing team. Also, at that stage the Tahs looked fitter.
Five-eights. Foley's open field kicking looked much better this week, as was his place kicking. Balanced with that I was very impressed with Leali'ifano's play with ball in hand, he was far and away the best Brumby back. The rest of the Ponies backline looked a bit pedestrian to me, hard to fathom with one of Australia's best backs as their coach. The only adverse remark I could add about Christian's play on Saturday night was the turning-down of kicks at goal; take the points every time, son. CL's performance wearing 10 makes me wonder why the Ponies brains trust haven't at least tried a game with him at five-eight and To'omua at 12. There again, who'd be a coach?
Scrummaging. Good to see Oz coaches are putting some time and energy into improving our scrum performance. The Tahs scrum is much improved this year under Ledesma's tutelage, but the Brumbies pigs held them well. Both teams committed to 8 man shoves most scrums.
Hooper and Pocock. Wonderful to watch. You'd better grab a strong drink because what I'm going to say will astound you: Pocock's better close over the ball while Hooper does his best work a tad wider; David's the better player when his opponents have the ball but Michael excels with ball in hand. Defence from both breakaways was exemplary. IF I had to make a decision I'd start Pocock against England and the ABs, Hooper against Ireland, Wales, France and the Bokke and rotate them for other matches. I WOULD NOT START A MATCH WITH BOTH OF THEM.
Defence. Individual and collective tackling from both teams was excellent. Apart from Kurtley Beale, he tried to tackle someone right in front of me in the first half and succeeded in giving the Pony a gentle cuddle; why hasn't his defence been fixed? Bodes well for the Wallabies.
Waratah hookers. Sad to see TPN go off with concussion again, surely the end looms for this courageous player. The Tahs have been bloody lucky to find Latu hanging off a forklift at the Sydney Markets, he's gotta be in the frame for a gold jumper later this year.
Refereeing. Once we saw the officials' appointments list with Jackson's name down for this match we knew what to expect: somewhat of a free-for-all at the breakdown. There were many instances before the final maul when players from both sides infringed, equally. For Brumbies supporters to cry foul they were robbed doesn't wash. I thought you blokes were better than that.
MonkeyBoy
Bill Watson (15)
I believe Jesse Mogg got it... I'm not sure how!
Merrow
Arch Winning (36)
Lilo was Brumbies MOM announced at the ground.
On Mogg's performance, MB, I was up that end and on that side where Mogg caught all those kicks in the second half (his left hand side). The crowd screamed at him to run the ball back, but there was never any intention other than a kick return down the left touch line. Moggy HAS to add a decent run return with a linkup with his fellow backs to his repertoire before he's considered the finished article. Having a big boot's all well and good, but all it does is give the ball back to the opposition. The moment screamed for a run return on the other side with either Kuridrani or Speight in a bit of space.
Jakeball still lives on in the Brumbies psyche.
Jakeball still lives on in the Brumbies psyche.
I like to watch
David Codey (61)
Mogg is a man playing with zero confidence.
I don't understand why everyone is not playing to him.
I don't understand why everyone is not playing to him.
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