Rd 1 SRA 2021 Queensland Reds v NSFW Waratahs

[Rugby follower]

Not the way he's playing at the moment. White has a battle if Gordon stays fit. It is 2021 not 2020. If Gordon has a long term injury it is bad news.

I hope he’s back early as we don’t have the depth , however just don’t get the hype around him. I have been completely wrong before however.

 

[Adam84]

If I were a Tah fan I would be more offended at the ‘attack from everywhere’ and ‘50/50 pass’ game plan that they brought to the table

 

[Derpus]

If I were a Tah fan I would be more offended at the ‘attack from everywhere’ and ‘50/50 pass’ game plan that they brought to the table

Plenty offended by their performance, dont worry.

 

[KiwiM]

Typical first round game with lots of errors.

Some good play too though. Reds 8-9-10 axis looks really good. Throw in Stewart at 12 and that's a dangerous set up.

Helps when you dominate set piece though.

The Tahs. Yikes. Apart from Tizzano their forward pack was smashed. Really disappointed in the kiwi second row - they did nothing.

Poor Jake Gordon - plays his heart out and then hobbles off.

 

[Blackadder]

If I were a Tah fan I would be more offended at the ‘attack from everywhere’ and ‘50/50 pass’ game plan that they brought to the table

The Whittaker and Gibson show is back

 

[TSR]

Fair point - i think because it fucks the game up almost every time.

Leaving aside that I think your criticism of the ref/admin is misplaced in this case, I also don’t agree it was the Red card that caused the standard of the game to slip.

If the Reds had run in 6 unanswered tries in 20 minutes I would agree. But the Tahs actually put them under more pressure in that period.

Clearly a combination of it being the first game and heavy dew caused issues, but I don’t think the red made much of a difference at all.I guess a Tahs fan could argue that if they had 15 they might have scored an extra try or two, but I then return to my original point - blame Perese for being stupid.

 

[KiwiM]

It was 27-7 when the red card happened - it's not like it was close before then.

 

[Adam84]

For the Reds.

Uru was fantastic on debut.
Zander and Feao were impressive against HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes) and Bell, not just the scrum but around the ground.
Paisami, McReight and Wilson showing no signs of second season syndrome, they all played really well.
McDermott and JOC (James O'Connor) controlled the tempo really well as well.

I think Petaia was quiet and still looking to rebuild his confidence, and whilst Tupou scrummed well I thought he looked a bit sluggish when he came on. Sorovi made a couple of mistakes when he came on as well, basic knock ons at the back of a ruck, he is guilty of those far too often

 

[TSR]

Agree with the consensus on Uru and I otherwise thought our back row was the key difference. I thought Tate & Gordon were two of the best on Park.

 

[Derpus]

Leaving aside that I think your criticism of the ref/admin is misplaced in this case, I also don’t agree it was the Red card that caused the standard of the game to slip.

If the Reds had run in 6 unanswered tries in 20 minutes I would agree. But the Tahs actually put them under more pressure in that period.

Clearly a combination of it being the first game and heavy dew caused issues, but I don’t think the red made much of a difference at all.I guess a Tahs fan could argue that if they had 15 they might have scored an extra try or two, but I then return to my original point - blame Perese for being stupid.

Eh, maybe Tahs are just poo and im bitter. I thought the game was alive and we were looking to build back into the game when the red came. Maybe not. Either way, as a spectacle that was real poo.

 

[Adam84]

Nahhh mate, Reds are missing 5 players from the Wallabies squad, if the Tahs can’t beat them with that many key players missing then they ought to hike back to Sydney.

If they start now they might make training on Wednesday

 

[Blackadder]

If they start now they might make training on Wednesday
View attachment 12067

The Tahs trained?

 

[formerflanker]

Reds must be disappointed they didn't score when v 14, but ended up with a big win anyway.
I'm glad Edmed got game time and Grant looked sharp.
We'll bounce back!

 

[The torpedo]

Well how about that. Obviously not the greatest game but god it's good to see NSW get smacked.

The red to me was 100% the right call - late, well after the ball had moved on and dangerous

Also there's something that feels optimistic about rugby now - we've escaped the hell hole of fox and we're now actually the (sort of) flagship of a broadcaster - of all the C9 and Stan shows, by far the promotions of the rugby have been the most frequent I've seen around

 

[HJ Nelson]

i had uru as well

Agree. Uru MOTM for me

 

[Joe Blow]

Wilson has been incredible but I'm most impressed by McReight, he looks like he's put on some bulk, looks stronger than last year.

He will be pushing for a start at test level this year I reckon

 

[Happy]

Uru and Tizzano were impressive. Tahs were very disjointed, especially in the backs. They would finally manage to get themselves into good field position but then drop the ball or get turned over or smashed in the scrum.

Tahs have a lot of work to do. They need to find some cohesion, but their main weakness I think was the breakdown, where they were dominated by the Reds. Tahs would have 5 in one ruck, then none in the next one. I felt Gordon's frustration as he was trying to get some of his forwards into the breakdown instead of hanging back watching McReight snaffle another one.

 

[eastman]

While the tight five were disappointing (front row at scrum time, second row generally) - I think the major difference between the two teams was the assurance and cohesion of the inside backs.

Gordon was strong (and I think might become a bit of a talisman for this team without Hooper) but Harrison and Walton at this stage don't have that calming/ controlling presence that a young team needs. Admittedly part of this could be attributed to the inconsistent platform provided from the forwards.

PS Can we borrow a strike outside back from the Reds?

 

[Froggy]

Well that just demonstrates how far this Tahs side has to go. They were totally dominated in the forwards, particularly the tight five, and the backs looked like they had never met each other. I'm still happy there is a lot of potential in what is an extremely young side, but as a unit they are well short of where they have to be to compete at this level.

The Reds, on the other hand, are really starting to look like a quality side, even missing a few test stars. Their so-called second string front row dominated their opposition, Uru looks real class and will probably see LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) move to 6 when he returns, and Wilson and McReight were class. Tate was sharp, JOC (James O'Connor) completely controlled the back-line game, and Paisami really looks good, in fact I think he is now a more complete player than Petaia. Daugunu is devastating at this level, just not sure whether he can bring that to test level.

Looking for positives for the Tahs, Tizzano was excellent, by far the best player in light blue, and looks very promising. I thought Porecki was very good when he came on, can't be far off a starting spot, and I thought Grant looked very sharp when he was on. Maddocks tried hard to put a bit of spark into a malfunctioning backline.

 

[PhilClinton]

Obviously very early in the season but I’m wondering if Petaia will keep his starting spot longterm. I think all the years of injury and lack of development in a senior team is starting to catch up to him and he’s looking less like the next big thing young gun we all thought he would be.

In no way am I writing him off. But he’s definitely under the spotlight this season.