WTF?
Tom Lawton (22)
He was scanning the opposition for AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)…..
Round 6 - Reds v Waratahs - Suncorp
- Thread starter Adam84
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PhilClinton
Geoff Shaw (53)
A shame the weather probably scared a few off last night. Reds v NSW at Suncorp always pulled the big crowds even when the Reds were shit.
I wonder if they could look to play that on a Sunday arvo in future years, Reds generally don’t have enough Sunday games in my opinion, in fact do they have any this season?
Broncos v Cowboys ‘rivalary’ clash happening right now at Suncorp, probably the closest regular season match to compare Reds v Tahs to and they would have 40k there easily (although it isn’t raining!).
I wonder if they could look to play that on a Sunday arvo in future years, Reds generally don’t have enough Sunday games in my opinion, in fact do they have any this season?
Broncos v Cowboys ‘rivalary’ clash happening right now at Suncorp, probably the closest regular season match to compare Reds v Tahs to and they would have 40k there easily (although it isn’t raining!).
Tomikin
Simon Poidevin (60)
I dont live in Canberra, I live in Brisbane.... and bit rich coming from a Reds support who lives in Sydney...
Tomikin
Simon Poidevin (60)
Tahs fault
Adam84
Nick Farr-Jones (63)
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Rugbynutter39
Michael Lynagh (62)
Fact: Reds won tahs lost.
Opinion: Everything else discussed.
Ok time to stick to the facts…ok reds won, tahs lost…umm I guess I am done then…
Opinion: Everything else discussed.
Ok time to stick to the facts…ok reds won, tahs lost…umm I guess I am done then…
Tomikin
Simon Poidevin (60)
I know mate
I thought Edmed looked like the most complete 10 the Tahs have run this season. One dud pass, but a lot of positives
Also Foteki looked far better at 13 than he has at 12
And that after 4 phases we still have no idea what to do
The work off the ball collapses so the ball receiver too often has no options with the one or two possible units focussed on being the cleanout ie as no options So he either wins a collision or we are fighting to stop a turnover Rinse and repeat
Also Foteki looked far better at 13 than he has at 12
And that after 4 phases we still have no idea what to do
The work off the ball collapses so the ball receiver too often has no options with the one or two possible units focussed on being the cleanout ie as no options So he either wins a collision or we are fighting to stop a turnover Rinse and repeat
Dctarget
John Eales (66)
I like Foketi but he's lacking the final killer blow. Don't know if it's pace or strength, he looks to always be about to break the line but gets constantly reeled in.
Pfitzy
George Gregan (70)
Who starts ahead of Harris in the Tahs squad so he can come on for "Impact"?
TBH that seems like a bit of a throwaway statement, and doesn't take team balance or game plan into account. Harris did not carry the ball very much - 4 runs for 2 metres according to ESPN, which I don't really accept as the gospel truth, but is a useful comparison tool, judged against itself.
On the same stats base, Wilson racked up 55 metres off 13 runs, but wasn't exactly blasting holes in the Tahs' defence. And he had Tupou out there with him who is a primary source of gain line ball. So did Wilson have a quiet game and maybe need some time off the bench?
For the record: I don't think either of the back rows were dominant - they all did a lot of the dirty work, they pretty much nullified each other on the main points around ruck time. The Tahs game was played wider and this is somewhat reflected in the stats. Number of carries top 5 according to ESPN:
QLD
- Wilson 13 (55m)
- Uru 13 (36m)
- McReight 11 (36m)
- Smith 9 (13m)
- Campbell 8 (107m) / JOC (James O'Connor) 8 (86m)
Nothing shocking there: Reds back row does a lot of ball carrying.
NSW
- Roberts 14 (49m)
- Marky M (Nawaqanitawase) 10 (104m)
- Edmed 8 (24m)
- Ruan Smith 8 (4m)
- Newsome 7 (67m) / Gamble 7 (24m) / Cridge 7 (6m)
There's a notable difference here: Tahs are using their backs more, while their bigger boys are just hitting up in close to try and suck in defence.
On the flipside: highest tackle count for the Reds is Stewart with 15 (2 missed), which reflects where the Tahs were putting the ball through Roberts. Midfield runs as a comparison: Roberts + Foketi 17 (107m) versus Stewart + Paisami 10 (39m).
The Reds had 6 players with double-digit tackle counts, while the Tahs had just 3. Similar number of overall tackles (QLD 134 / 128 NSW).
Worth noting off those stats - and I again stress that stats never tell the whole story - Edmed passed 30 times to JOC (James O'Connor)'s 16. I didn't see kick stats in there but I'll bet JOC (James O'Connor) played a lot of territory.
Excluding scrumhalves, the Tahs passed 109 times to the Reds' 69.
- Tahs 7 clean breaks to Reds 2.
- Tahs defenders beaten 20 to 15.
- Tahs offloads 8 to 5.
- Reds conceded 7 penalties - 2 of them cards - to Tahs 13.
What any stats don't tell you is where the penalties happened that meant a team could maul their way to a try instead of passing. Or how good the kicks were to set up field position and force the other side into another kick or take the pass option if the bounce/direction is favourable.
Or what the game plan was. In this case, Harris having a quiet night is probably reflected in the fact that he wasn't the fulcrum of the attack. The Tahs aren't the Reds, who rely on their back row to do a mountain of carrying with Tupou, and the other 4 forwards to cover rucks and support.
Diff'rent Strokes and all that.
Pfitzy
George Gregan (70)
Not that I'm aware of (Disclaimer: I'm not aware of much)
Edmed doesn't have quite the boot that Harrison and Donaldson have. Harrison was playing too deep last year because his pack was getting twatted. This year I think it would look a lot different if he had a second playmaker or a Roberts at 12.
The major positive for the Tahs was clearly Nawaqanitawase. He had an excellent game and looks to have taken big steps to being a more rounded player without major deficiencies. Definitely his best Super Rugby game.
Lalakai Foketi looked really good and was elusive as a ball runner.
Hugh Sinclair is such a hard worker and plays well above his size. A really good game in the trenches.
Cridge and Harris both had underwhelming games after being really good so far this season.
We needed to score points when up two players and failed to do so. Execution and composure have been lacking all season in these situations and we again couldn't get it together with sound options when it mattered. Credit to the Reds though who produced some excellent try saving tackles at various points (particularly Petaia).
Lalakai Foketi looked really good and was elusive as a ball runner.
Hugh Sinclair is such a hard worker and plays well above his size. A really good game in the trenches.
Cridge and Harris both had underwhelming games after being really good so far this season.
We needed to score points when up two players and failed to do so. Execution and composure have been lacking all season in these situations and we again couldn't get it together with sound options when it mattered. Credit to the Reds though who produced some excellent try saving tackles at various points (particularly Petaia).
Yeah. That didn’t need to be said.
Who starts ahead of Harris in the Tahs squad so he can come on for "Impact"?
On the same stats base, Wilson racked up 55 metres off 13 runs, but wasn't exactly blasting holes in the Tahs' defence. And he had Tupou out there with him who is a primary source of gain line ball. So did Wilson have a quiet game and maybe need some time off the bench?
8 Swinton 7 Hooper 6 Gamble
On and Wilson makes his charges in the middle - Harris is played wider in the Samu channels.
Boof1050
Bill Watson (15)
Brave its a general blight on most Australian teams when people are sent from the field. The Force vs Brumbies game was no different 15 against 14 and players kick the ball away while under no pressure whatsoever. The message should be from all the players as soon as someone gets sent, don't kick The Farken thing unless absolutely necessary!
Pfitzy
George Gregan (70)
The game plan against the Brumbies in particular seems to be "don't play in your own half" so that doesn't necessarily work.
Derpus
George Gregan (70)
Suprisingly, I think Petaia looks better without the ball than with it. He seems a bit hesitant in contact at the moment, looking for the step rather than hitting the line at speed. Ball security still needs work too.
He also has a pretty good boot on him.
Wilson
Michael Lynagh (62)
He doesn't need to be Wilson, or any other specific 8 (I didn't raise that comparison), but he does need to add value something he didn't do on Saturday night. Across the season so far he's had great moments but hasn't really had the impact across the game, going missing for decent periods, and that's reflected in his stats across the season. Whether the change is to drop to the bench for impact or look to sub him by 60 minutes I think he'd benefit from spending games focused on getting more done in less time. At his age and experience level he can definitely benefit from having his minutes managed a bit more and getting the chance to focusing on maximizing the value in his game. It's something that was done with Wilson at times last year and I think he and the team both benefited from it in the end.
As far as the backrow make up goes if he drops to the bench there are a few reorganization options as Hooper returns. At the moment I'd be looking at Gamble and Swinton/Sinclair (who I thought was excellent this game) as your 6/8 options, depending on when Swinton is back. If the tahs aren't looking for carries from their 8 then it makes sense to pick guys who are excelling elsewhere to get the most value out of them. Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco also an option when he's fit but that is more of a like for like swap for Harris.
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