Geez naza you take these extreme views on things. Everything is black and white for you, but life isn't like that and nor is rugby or the ability of the people playing it.
I find that those people who think this player or that is extraordinarily good or extraordinarily bad are way off the mark most of the time unless they are great players or very poor ones. If they are very poor players they don't get to play many games and folks who criticise Oz players year after year as being poor have to ask why they are constantly picked by different people for the Super 14 and for Wallaby teams.
Perhaps their opinions are not justified.
Sure Waugh is not the player he was but I would have hated the Tahs to play that crap game on Friday night without him. I watched him closely during the evening, not least because I was sitting next to his dad who is a friend of mine, and incidentally next to him was Matt Burke's dad, and we all thought that Phil went OK. Hardly an unbiased group you might say but his dad is a harsh critic.
naza said:
It was obvious against the Canes and even blind freddy could see in the Chiefs match that Phil Waugh is finished.
Obvious to you otherwise you wouldn't have bothered to type out the words, but not to others. For example: you thought he had a poor match against the Canes but in the NZ Rugby Weekly News magazine they give match reports and give out points to 3 players on a 3-2-1 basis. Waugh got the 2 points.
Don't give a knee jerk reply that I think we have to take the opinions of Kiwi journalists as gospel; we don't, but I just mention it to point out that there are opinions about Waugh that are different from your own that are just as valid.
People may want to post that Waugh is behind Smith and Pocock in the pecking order now and that Waugh may not get topped up by the ARU when his contract expires, because of the funding crisis, but I already know that.
In anticipation of that Beau Robinson should get more and more time during the year as part of succession planning for the time when Waugh is gone and Robinson and Coridas take over. I would even have Beau start in a few games.
But I've said this before.
Yep, before you mention it you are entitled to your opinion, shabby though it is.
NTA
Agreed on Mumm and Caldwell. Mumm doesn't surprise me but the big improver this year including during the 2 trials that I saw, has been Caldwell. It is well that the S14 season is so short, else we would be in trouble even if they can trot out on the park for every game. The toll has to tell. Mind you Caldwell played every minute of every game in 2007; so I guess it's possible.
I watched lock Thompson when he came on the other night and also against the Canes when he replaced Waugh when he got his head stitched, and players moved around. He is the 3rd ranked lock and not filling me with confidence.
I watched Doherty closely in the curtain raiser and he looked a class above guys like Dave Dennis. As soon as he is up to speed we should whack him onto the bench as the lock reserve.
Agree about Mowen - he plays a light game, but he's quite good in the lineout. Maybe Doherty can shift into 6 sooner rather than later. He has a bit more grunt.
