Hooker on standby as Waugh recovers
Greg Growden Chief Rugby Correspondent | March 24, 2009
THE pressure on Damien Fitzpatrick continues to intensify, with the Waratahs teenage hooker named as a candidate to replace captain Phil Waugh as the team's openside breakaway.
Waratahs coach Chris Hickey yesterday said the 19-year-old Fitzpatrick, the 2007 Australian Schoolboys captain, was among his options if Waugh were unable to play against the Blues in Auckland on Friday night because of an Achilles strain.
While NSW management will not make a decision on the skipper's fitness until the captain's run in Auckland on Thursday, Fitzpatrick, who made his NSW debut against the Crusaders on Saturday night, is on alert to appear at the front of the scrum or in the back row.
While Ben Mowen is the most likely alternative for Waugh, Hickey yesterday seemed keen to experiment early with the clearly versatile Fitzpatrick.
"We wouldn't dismiss using Damien as an openside flanker," Hickey said yesterday. "He played there in his younger days, and I've seen him play there in some games - not as a starting selection. The skills that he brings would allow him to adapt to that openside position quite easily, and would allow us to cover Phil if we had to."
Fitzpatrick received a harsh initiation when he came on in the final minutes of the Crusaders game, replacing Tatafu-Polota Nau. The Waratahs pack fragmented in the set-piece in which he was involved.
The other uncertainty in the team is prop Dan Palmer, who has been ill for several days with a viral infection. Palmer, who at 20 is a first-class front-row novice like Fitzpatrick, was ill when he played against the Crusaders, which only further amplifies what an excellent performance he had at tight-head when he replaced the injured Al Baxter in the 34th minute.
Palmer was a reliable anchor against the Super 14 titleholders, and it is hoped he will take over as No.3 after it was revealed Baxter will be sidelined for a month with a calf muscle complaint. "Dan has been quite ill, and we hope it won't affect his selection," Hickey said. "But these things can hang around for 24 hours, and we have to be on a plane to Auckland on Wednesday."
Hickey, who said injuries had forced him to delay announcing the team for at least a day, remained coy over Kurtley Beale's tenure at five-eighth. However, the uncertainty up front may well save Beale's spot - if only for the sake of consistency somewhere in the line-up.
Hickey was not too concerned by the team's second successive loss, saying that basic errors were letting the Waratahs down.
"Having looked at the video, we did create plenty of opportunities, and we believe 90 per cent of our game is pretty sound," Hickey said. "It's the 10 per cent, which perhaps are the easiest things, such as the handling errors, which is stopping us from scoring points. Conservatively, we probably wasted 19 points on Saturday night. That's not only 19 points on the scoreboard, but it also changes the momentum of the game considerably.
"When you analyse those errors, it was only one error from 10 players. It's not one player making five or six errors in the game. It's just those small errors that are individual which are undermining all the hard work, and means we are not maintaining pressure."
And Hickey is definitely not mentioning the dreadful fact that the Waratahs have yet to enjoy a Super rugby victory in Auckland - it has been six matches for six losses.
"You can always say it's one game closer to a win," he said. "Auckland has a fine record at home, and there's a certain comfort in having a home game. But that is not something we focus on. We have to keep the focus on our preparation."
�? Participation in seniors, juniors and schools that play in regular competition increased last year, the Australian Rugby Union announced yesterday. However, the overall participation figure dropped from 189,914 in 2007 to 183,810 last year.
