Sorry ARU no refunds

[disco]

League convert Timana Tahu has become a $2 million rugby misfit


March 22, 2009

HE left rugby league as arguably the game's most dominant centre, but Timana Tahu has become rugby union's $2 million reserve.

Two seasons into the four-year contract that lured him from rugby league, Tahu has still not completed a full match in Super 14.

The Sunday Telegraph has unearthed statistics that show Tahu is getting less than 42 minutes a game.

On Saturday night, against the Crusaders, he was given only 16.

Former Australia full-back Glen Ella rates Tahu a "freak athlete", adding the Australian Rugby Union was right to invest in him. But he said it was a waste of money if they didn't use him.

"They're probably paying him an absolute fortune and he's probably getting paid under false pretenses because he's not on the field enough," Ella said.

"He came over from league to play union, not sit on the bench.

"He's a class player, he was a class player in the other code. He's got the best off-loads in the competition, you've just got to give him a chance.

"At the moment he plays one good game and he's sat back on the bench for the next game.

"He needs to play rugby at the highest level for a consistent period."

Despite playing four Tests in his first year of rugby, Tahu has only started six of his 13 games with New South Wales Waratahs.

Waratahs coach Chris Hickey continues to rotate his centres, explaining it's partly a strategy for injury prevention.

But there is also a suggestion that fly-half Kurtley Beale operates better with the steady Tom Carter by his side.

But Ella claimed the lack of consistency in the backline selection was just contributing to a stuttering Waratahs attack.

"I think that's the thing that would give (Tahu) the most frustration, he starts one week and runs off the bench the other week," Ella said.

"I suppose him and Tommy Carter don't know what's going on, and I think that's part of the contributing fact that NSW are not playing so well in their backline because they change their backline every week."

The most action Tahu saw on Saturday night was warming up behind the in-goal area. He wasn't even sitting on the bench at the start of the game, walking out of the tunnel after the first 10 minutes.

I think tahu has the goods but probably should be playing wing or outside centre ATM.

Tahs backline I'd like to see next weekend.

15.Turner 14.Tahu 13.Horne 12.Carter 11.Tuqiri 10.SNK 9.Burgess.

 

[Sully]

If only he had move to Qld The home of backline play in Australia. :lmao: :fishing

 

[Spook]

Mark Ella wants to bench Horne and play Tahu at 13, Carter at 12, Hangers at 10 and Beale at 15. :-\

 

[TOCC]

i reckon beale would go quite well at fullback

 

[disco]

Mark Ella wants to bench Horne and play Tahu at 13, Carter at 12, Hangers at 10 and Beale at 15.

Ella's having a laugh what position does want SNK to play? tighthead maybe.

 

[Pfitzy]

Something has to change - we need guys running onto the ball at depth to stand the opposition up. At the moment the backs look too flat to me and they can't execute under that sort of pressure. Opposing sides know all they need to do is umbrella the 2 and 3 channels and Beale will crack.

 

[disco]

Something has to change - we need guys running onto the ball at depth to stand the opposition up. At the moment the backs look too flat to me and they can't execute under that sort of pressure. Opposing sides know all they need to do is umbrella the 2 and 3 channels and Beale will crack.

Everyone knows Beale can't throw a good long pass all he does is take it to the line & give a short hospital pass.

 

[Pfitzy]

No I think there is evidence he can give a good pass cutting one or two. But he's giving them right at wrong times :nta:

In any case, running from depth is nothing about how far you can pass - its about getting it in the right spot in front of a bloke

 

[Spook]

Mark Ella wants to bench Horne and play Tahu at 13, Carter at 12, Hangers at 10 and Beale at 15.

Ella's having a laugh what position does want SNK to play? tighthead maybe.

Actually, I think I might be sligtly wrong. Hangers was on the bench and SNK was to play 10.

 

[Lindommer]

Mark Ella wants to bench Horne and play Tahu at 13, Carter at 12, Hangers at 10 and Beale at 15. :-\

Hangers or SNK at 10, it doesn't matter. Tahu's finding the lack of space at 12 too difficult to handle. He's a talented football player, we all know that, but finding his appropriate position in rugby is proving somewhat difficult. He should get substantial game time at 13 to see how he goes.

After Saturday's performance I'd go:

9. Burgess
10. SNK
11. Turner
12. Horne/Carter
13. Tahu
14. Tuqiri
15. Beale

Let's see how Beale performs at 10 at 2+ phase play. And he simply MUST improve his tackling or he has no future in top level rugby.

 

[Sagerian]

NTA's on the money there, no one is running onto the ball at any pace and the backline is indeed very flat in attack. Looks like having the lights off in the coaches booth doesn't make it any easier for Hickie to see this.

 

[fatprop]

I blame Wisemantel ("the reduction of skills coach") , the Tahs lack of a backs coach and the shear laziness of the Tahs team.

No one can possible accept that the cattle there shouldn't be showing some skills and structure.

No one can possibly accept the lack of effort in getting the basics right.

On Tahu, the guy is a damaging runner with great hands and solid defence. Why not give him the ball in some space.

 

[RugbyReg]

all was well and good when you were winning ugly, why the need to change it just because you're losing ugly?

 

[fatprop]

all was well and good when you were winning ugly, why the need to change it just because you're losing ugly?

I can cope with ugly, I can't cope dumb and lazy.

 

[Ash]

No I think there is evidence he can give a good pass cutting one or two. But he's giving them right at wrong times :nta:

No, his cutting pass still does not go generally go further than 6m. Vs the Crusaders (I think) was the first pass I've seen Beale throw all year over 10m, and there was just one of them. When Beale throws a few 15m+ passes in front of his man at chest height (see: Cooper), then there is evidence he can give a good pass cutting one or two. But a 6m flat cut pass is not a long passing game. For the record, I am sure he could do it (at least, right to left) given the opportunity.

 

[mark_s]

Someone who is knowledgable about such things needs to explain why the tahs backs don't play with any width in their game. On both attack and defence, the tahs backline would only stretch about 2/3rds of the way across the field. Beale isn't going to be doing too many 10m passes in this context, unless he is throwing big cutouts/intercepts.

 

[fatprop]

Mark Ella never through a lot a 15m passes and survived at 10 rather well. What he did do was loop and support.

And the runners worked the angles

 

[Scarfman]

SNK loves the long pass. He also loves lobbing it into the opposition centres, but that's another story.

 

[fatprop]

SNK loves the long pass. He also loves lobbing it into the opposition centres, but that's another story.

And getting his kicks smothered, and failing to break a tackle.

 

[PhucNgo]

i reckon beale would go quite well at fullback

For Wests Tigers maybe.