Super Rugby Pre-Season Trial: Waratahs v Reds
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Marce
John Thornett (49)
All Aussie franchises should copy the pre-season diet of Tahs
Hawko
Tony Shaw (54)
I thought Taleni Seu played quite well again. With Hanigan's knee injury Seu might start against the Brumbies.
The lineout was a mess tonight and requires a lot of work. It wasn't immediately obvious what the problem was but it did improve somewhat with Latu in the second half.
Defensively also we allowed the Reds to offload at will. Tackling lower seems to allow runners to get the ball away more easily so we have to devise ways of putting the man down quickly before he can offload. Easier said than done, but the good teams will kill us if we don't improve this area of our play.
Jorgensen looked quite at home on the wing after looking totally out of place at fullback last week. Maybe he can get the occasional spot on the bench this season to help him develop without totally ruining him.
Tuipolotu looked impressive at 13, I think that he can certainly back up Perese till his injury comes good.
I think the backline against the Brumbies will be: 9. Gordon, 10. Edmed, 11. Nadolo, 12. Foketi , 13. Perese/Tuipolotu, 14 Nawaqanitawase, 15. Donaldson. Fitness will determine the bench.
Up front the backrow is still overcrowded, though if the citing commissioner pings Gleeson it will simplify things. I reckon 6, Swinton, 7. Hooper, 8. Harris, 20. Gamble will be the lineup; though I'd swap Gamble and Hooper till Hooper has had a couple of bench games to knock the rust off. Locks for me are Seu and Holloway, with Hanigan or Sinclair on the bench, depending on Hanigan's knee.
The front row is in most doubt for mine. Despite his two good maul tries some of the lineout woes were down to Vailanu and I'd start Latu with Porecki on the bench. I'd like Bell at loose head and Holtz at tight head. Holtz is, I think, the best available tilll Johnson-Holmes returns but that can't come soon enough. I fear what Alaaalaatoa and Slipper might do to us next week. Lambert and Faulkner on the bench leaves me quite fearful. If Bell is still out we are in a world of pain. I wish we had an easier team first up.
The lineout was a mess tonight and requires a lot of work. It wasn't immediately obvious what the problem was but it did improve somewhat with Latu in the second half.
Defensively also we allowed the Reds to offload at will. Tackling lower seems to allow runners to get the ball away more easily so we have to devise ways of putting the man down quickly before he can offload. Easier said than done, but the good teams will kill us if we don't improve this area of our play.
Jorgensen looked quite at home on the wing after looking totally out of place at fullback last week. Maybe he can get the occasional spot on the bench this season to help him develop without totally ruining him.
Tuipolotu looked impressive at 13, I think that he can certainly back up Perese till his injury comes good.
I think the backline against the Brumbies will be: 9. Gordon, 10. Edmed, 11. Nadolo, 12. Foketi , 13. Perese/Tuipolotu, 14 Nawaqanitawase, 15. Donaldson. Fitness will determine the bench.
Up front the backrow is still overcrowded, though if the citing commissioner pings Gleeson it will simplify things. I reckon 6, Swinton, 7. Hooper, 8. Harris, 20. Gamble will be the lineup; though I'd swap Gamble and Hooper till Hooper has had a couple of bench games to knock the rust off. Locks for me are Seu and Holloway, with Hanigan or Sinclair on the bench, depending on Hanigan's knee.
The front row is in most doubt for mine. Despite his two good maul tries some of the lineout woes were down to Vailanu and I'd start Latu with Porecki on the bench. I'd like Bell at loose head and Holtz at tight head. Holtz is, I think, the best available tilll Johnson-Holmes returns but that can't come soon enough. I fear what Alaaalaatoa and Slipper might do to us next week. Lambert and Faulkner on the bench leaves me quite fearful. If Bell is still out we are in a world of pain. I wish we had an easier team first up.
Purce
Jim Clark (26)
That was good hitout. I thought the Reds were the better team and left quite a few tries out there.
My takeaways:
Lynagh was good, he is quite a mature player for his age. Almost always makes the right decision. With both him and Henry the Reds have a very good kicking duo. Henry was great. I really rate both he and Flook. Up until now I was saying you can't leave Paisami out but the rugby IQ of those 2 makes a huge difference. Actually all 3 or Lynagh, Henry and Flook are proper rugby players with good rugby brains. Flook keeps improving, he is going to develop into a great 13 in the Conrad Smith style I reckon.
Really unimpressed with our back 3 (backs). Daugunu is rocks and diamonds, more rocks unfortunately. Floyd is a bit too raw for this stage. He shouldn't be making the mistakes he is. Petaia just is not suited to back 3 imo. He appears to be an instinct player, 13 is his most suited position. When he is more involved he makes much better decisions, get him closer to the action somehow. Even if its on the blind wing Marika style. I'm not sure what the best back 3 combo at the moment is except for Campbell at 15.
Donaldson and Edmed had good touches however I think Lynagh controlled the game better. Tahs Centres were solid but nothing spectacular. The young winger looks very good, some great defense as well as great touches in attack. Mark was quiet. Young Taj did well with his limited time for the Reds.
Tate solid, reds have 2 good running 9s.
The Reds backrow was very good. Well balanced with Wright at 6. He was good on his return as was Fraser. Harry was massive. great game from him, his role needs to be in the wider channels as it is where he excels. Great speed for a big guy, reminds me a bit of Keiran Reid out wide. Huge engine. All the backrow do actually.
Tahs backrow were outplayed. Gamble the pick of the bunch, jeez he looks solid. Such incredible depth at 7 in OZ. Hooper, Mcreight, Gamble, Wright and Wilkin. All highly talented and capable players. Well done to Swinton on his return, I thought he did well. Harris was very quiet and didnt do anything of not from memory. Gleeson was busy and effective when he came on. Physical, powerful player.
Both 2nd Rows were fine, a couple good performances off the bench. Some big boys. Hopefully Smith's injury isn't a concern. Quickly running out of Locks.
Both front rows were busy, nice to see Latu put in a solid performance on his return. I didn't pay much attention to the scrums, can anyone shed some light on how they went? Ravai was very good in the loose, excited to see how he goes this year.
All in all a good hitout for both teams in pretty tough conditions. Good on the Reds/Stan for putting some real effort into television the game. Eddie really racking up the frequent flyer miles.
My takeaways:
Lynagh was good, he is quite a mature player for his age. Almost always makes the right decision. With both him and Henry the Reds have a very good kicking duo. Henry was great. I really rate both he and Flook. Up until now I was saying you can't leave Paisami out but the rugby IQ of those 2 makes a huge difference. Actually all 3 or Lynagh, Henry and Flook are proper rugby players with good rugby brains. Flook keeps improving, he is going to develop into a great 13 in the Conrad Smith style I reckon.
Really unimpressed with our back 3 (backs). Daugunu is rocks and diamonds, more rocks unfortunately. Floyd is a bit too raw for this stage. He shouldn't be making the mistakes he is. Petaia just is not suited to back 3 imo. He appears to be an instinct player, 13 is his most suited position. When he is more involved he makes much better decisions, get him closer to the action somehow. Even if its on the blind wing Marika style. I'm not sure what the best back 3 combo at the moment is except for Campbell at 15.
Donaldson and Edmed had good touches however I think Lynagh controlled the game better. Tahs Centres were solid but nothing spectacular. The young winger looks very good, some great defense as well as great touches in attack. Mark was quiet. Young Taj did well with his limited time for the Reds.
Tate solid, reds have 2 good running 9s.
The Reds backrow was very good. Well balanced with Wright at 6. He was good on his return as was Fraser. Harry was massive. great game from him, his role needs to be in the wider channels as it is where he excels. Great speed for a big guy, reminds me a bit of Keiran Reid out wide. Huge engine. All the backrow do actually.
Tahs backrow were outplayed. Gamble the pick of the bunch, jeez he looks solid. Such incredible depth at 7 in OZ. Hooper, Mcreight, Gamble, Wright and Wilkin. All highly talented and capable players. Well done to Swinton on his return, I thought he did well. Harris was very quiet and didnt do anything of not from memory. Gleeson was busy and effective when he came on. Physical, powerful player.
Both 2nd Rows were fine, a couple good performances off the bench. Some big boys. Hopefully Smith's injury isn't a concern. Quickly running out of Locks.
Both front rows were busy, nice to see Latu put in a solid performance on his return. I didn't pay much attention to the scrums, can anyone shed some light on how they went? Ravai was very good in the loose, excited to see how he goes this year.
All in all a good hitout for both teams in pretty tough conditions. Good on the Reds/Stan for putting some real effort into television the game. Eddie really racking up the frequent flyer miles.
Lightblue
Arch Winning (36)
Good summation of game. I concur!
wamberal
Phil Kearns (64)
It's not a game, it's a trial. No points on offer.
Silverado
Dick Tooth (41)
The prestigious Santos Cup was up for grabs
LeCheese
Peter Johnson (47)
The 25k wouldn't have gone astray to be fairThe prestigious Santos Cup was up for grabs
Rugby follower
Darby Loudon (17)
I agree with other posters it was a really good quality match given being a trial and hot conditions. Very impressed with the game management of Lynagh , def the future 10 of the Reds. Guessing he will he need some time to fill out and be stronger in defensive contact however he is the best 10 prospect we have had for ages. The vibe around the start of rugby this year seems much more upbeat than for ages. Eddie has certainly put a spring in everyone’s step.
Froggy
John Solomon (38)
From a Tahs perspective, not a bad hit-out but a lot to work on. I don't share Hawko's concern with LHP, I thought Lambert was good. The Tahs scrum dominated until he and Holtz came off, when Faulkner and Sitaleki Latu came on the Reds got on top. Bell is crucial to the Tahs of course, but I'm happy with Lambert off the bench, reserve THP worries me more until HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes) returns. Gamble was excellent, huge in defence, the rest of the backrow were a bit anonymous until Gleeson came on. He's powerful but needs to watch his tackling technique. Vailanu is going to have to fix his lineout work, it was diabolical, until he does it's Latu and Porecki.
Gordon was directing play from 9, Edmed is solid but seems to lack creativity. In the back three, Jorgenson really impressed. He's not ready yet, but a real talent. Marky Mark (Nawaqanitawase) saw no ball, he needs to take a leaf out of MK's book and go looking for work. Donaldson was not spectacular but solid at 15. His positional play was good, seems to take the right options, has a good boot and safe hands. I think he may be our 15 for 2023, with Edmed, Bowen and Harrison, when he's back, to battle it out for 10
As a Tahs supporter I wasn't watching the Reds as closely, but I thought the Reds backrow and 9, 10 and 12 were dominant. Wilson had a huge game, I hope he gets a better run at the Wallabies under Jones, Lynagh looks the goods, and I thought Isaac Henry was outstanding, in fact best player on the ground for me. Petaia doesn't convince me at 15, Campbell much better imo, maybe wing as none of the other Reds wings really impressed. I think Henry and Paisami will be a very good centre combination for the Reds.
Gordon was directing play from 9, Edmed is solid but seems to lack creativity. In the back three, Jorgenson really impressed. He's not ready yet, but a real talent. Marky Mark (Nawaqanitawase) saw no ball, he needs to take a leaf out of MK's book and go looking for work. Donaldson was not spectacular but solid at 15. His positional play was good, seems to take the right options, has a good boot and safe hands. I think he may be our 15 for 2023, with Edmed, Bowen and Harrison, when he's back, to battle it out for 10
As a Tahs supporter I wasn't watching the Reds as closely, but I thought the Reds backrow and 9, 10 and 12 were dominant. Wilson had a huge game, I hope he gets a better run at the Wallabies under Jones, Lynagh looks the goods, and I thought Isaac Henry was outstanding, in fact best player on the ground for me. Petaia doesn't convince me at 15, Campbell much better imo, maybe wing as none of the other Reds wings really impressed. I think Henry and Paisami will be a very good centre combination for the Reds.
Wilson
David Codey (61)
My understanding is Jones was held back from this trial. Atko tweeted this after the squads were named:
Wilson
David Codey (61)
I won't be surprised if we see 12 Henry, 13 Paisami with Flook on one of the wings to start the season. Having Flook in the back 3 gives me a lot more confidence in them overall, particularly if Campbell is out.
That said I thought Daugunu had his moments in this game, just threw a few too many miracle ball offloads, which admittedly looked like a bit of strategy for then trial. Whether or not he could rain that in remains an open question though.
Purce
Jim Clark (26)
I agree and that's what I think they'll do. Campbell at 15 and Petaia / Vunivalu @ 14/23.
Daugugu looked slow in space as well(for him). I thought his decision making looked poor and was well beaten in defense a couple times. Shame as I thought he was going to go on to be a world beater until he had those couple injuries a few years ago.
Gillys_ghost
Dave Cowper (27)
My slight issue with Daugunu is it seems to me like he cuts inside to take on a defender instead of taking the space thats in front of him too often. I thought he was pretty busy though.
Wilson
David Codey (61)
There's a mini and highlight package on stan, haven't seen anything elsewhere yet