He looked damn quick against the saders again
Waratahs 2015
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He looked damn quick against the saders again
boyo
Mark Ella (57)
Waratahs hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau braces again for concussion report
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...in-for-concussion-report-20150504-ggtusp.html
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...in-for-concussion-report-20150504-ggtusp.html
formerflanker
Ken Catchpole (46)
Never seen Kelis before but I feel gutted too. The lack of penetration last night shows we can't switch styles/strategies when needed. These professional players have all day every day to think, plan, train and practice their running lines yet we constantly aim for one style only - what Dennis called the perfect game. I assume he meant the Cheika strategy of fast recycling and point of attack be a minimum of 10 to 15 meters away from the breakdown. When that plan doesn't work, our Tahs just keep plugging away at a failed objective.
There are many strategies the Tahs don't use (exhaust the sideline; close-to-the-breakdown running by forwards and the 9; unders runners) because of their inflexible commitment to "the perfect game". Madness.
Rant over. Still don't feel good though.
Quick Hands
David Wilson (68)
The only way to beat Foley ball is to take it head on in the forwards and win the physical battle. Moving it wide before this just leads to errors and more opportunities for the Force to slow things down.
Brumbieman
Dick Tooth (41)
Any word yet on Hooper's knee?
Only that Cheika said 'it doesn't look great' whilst alluding to Hooper being tackled without the ball, which he was at the time.
Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
There are a number of ways to take on the Foley tactic. Just look at how many times the Tahs were beaten when he was in charge there or even under Hickey. But a team needs to have the skills to execute the alternate plans.
What disappoints me most about the force game was the predictability of it. Once we saw the Tahs struggling in the first half with the same old tactics that won the game for the Force in Sydney its was easy to see what the outcome was going to be. I have seen on the match thread a lot of people making the same observation, that the Tahs struggle with conservative, risk free sides that has a good defence eg. Force and Stormers as examples. As I said on the match thread that is because as much as I bag the Force for playing a boring one dimensional game, the Tahs are just as bad except they don't (or rarely) kick it. The problem is that the players are not equipped IMO to play any other style. None of the back three can kick effectively. Beale remains hit and miss at the skill. Foley has improved to make it one player who can adequately execute a kick return type play who might be in the fullback or fullback support position. This makes the defence pattern against the Tahs so much easier as there will not be multiple players back to cover a kick that isn't coming, making the running returns of the Tahs so much harder.
As I said on the match thread this doesn't bode well for the Wallabies, when you consider that the side wasn't prepared for an opposition that was totally predictable.
One final point, Beale was very good last year and I had to eat the humble pie and admit as much. This year he is back to playing like the KB (Kurtley Beale) we know and love, chip kicks, crabbing across field and tackling like a wet rag. If the Tahs want to have an option of attacking in a different way they have to drop Beale from centre and have a straight running 12 eg. Horne. They also need to work on a kicking game in the back three, and that may mean moving AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to the wing, or Beale.
What disappoints me most about the force game was the predictability of it. Once we saw the Tahs struggling in the first half with the same old tactics that won the game for the Force in Sydney its was easy to see what the outcome was going to be. I have seen on the match thread a lot of people making the same observation, that the Tahs struggle with conservative, risk free sides that has a good defence eg. Force and Stormers as examples. As I said on the match thread that is because as much as I bag the Force for playing a boring one dimensional game, the Tahs are just as bad except they don't (or rarely) kick it. The problem is that the players are not equipped IMO to play any other style. None of the back three can kick effectively. Beale remains hit and miss at the skill. Foley has improved to make it one player who can adequately execute a kick return type play who might be in the fullback or fullback support position. This makes the defence pattern against the Tahs so much easier as there will not be multiple players back to cover a kick that isn't coming, making the running returns of the Tahs so much harder.
As I said on the match thread this doesn't bode well for the Wallabies, when you consider that the side wasn't prepared for an opposition that was totally predictable.
One final point, Beale was very good last year and I had to eat the humble pie and admit as much. This year he is back to playing like the KB (Kurtley Beale) we know and love, chip kicks, crabbing across field and tackling like a wet rag. If the Tahs want to have an option of attacking in a different way they have to drop Beale from centre and have a straight running 12 eg. Horne. They also need to work on a kicking game in the back three, and that may mean moving AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to the wing, or Beale.
It is pretty clear that Cheika does not coach an alternate plan, they play the way they are coached. Some weeks better than others.
He commented on the Rugby Club, with the smirk on his face, that he knowingly makes it hard for his halves because they have orders not to kick. (box kicks are completely banned)
Cheika's press conference after the Force game was all about not executing the game plan and not cleaning out past the ball.
We seem to so far lack that mental edge to play to standard against the "lessor" sides. Against the Ponies and Canes, they looked bloody good.
The intensity drop against the rest has been pretty obvious
Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
I agree, but I find it almost as frustrating to watch a side bashing up against a good brick wall of defence like the force had, it wasn't just because the Tahs underperformed, credit where it is due, the Force defended very well.
My point, and this goes for the Wallabies as well, that if the opposition, in this case the Force, the Stormers previously and this week the Sharks, if they have to cover a strong attacking side like the Tahs with a possible kicking game it would be a little bit harder to defend with that blanket momentum killing defence. Once the momentum is stalled it takes an enormous effort to get it going again in a particular phase of possession and the Tahs get effectively strangled out of the game.
Don't get me wrong, I rejoice in the Tahs actually looking to win games by attacking and using the ball, rather than outlasting sides like they have done since the early 2000s. I still would like to see a complete Rugby side, and that involves judicious kicking of the ball. The key is it has to be well executed, and for reasons that I cannot understand (most likely due to the ridiculous myth of running rugby) Australian players do not seem to be coached effectively in kicking skills.
A mutterer
Chilla Wilson (44)
yeah but i understand cheika banning any and all kicking, given how it becomes such an easy (bad) habit to fall into for aussie halves
waiopehu oldboy
Stirling Mortlock (74)
Naiyaravoro's visa issues look to have been sorted so he's good to go to SA & be let back into Aus:
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/rug...ro-cleared-to-travel-overseas-20150514-gh18au
Also opens the door for Cheika to give him a Wobs cap thereby potentially scuppering his move to Scotland.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/rug...ro-cleared-to-travel-overseas-20150514-gh18au
Also opens the door for Cheika to give him a Wobs cap thereby potentially scuppering his move to Scotland.
The delay was because on the form where it said 'do not write in this space', he wrote 'OK'.
Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
Naiyaravoro (sp) is prefered for fairly obvious reasons. Still some defensive issues but in attack his is rapidly improving.
It will be interesting to see if Mumm gets a run in South Africa. It's hard to see it being worthwhile unless there are injuries from the Crusaders game.
Gray and Dempsey have both had limited minutes in the last two games. I wonder if Cheika is trying to give some of those guys a taste of Super Rugby towards the tail end of the season. Maybe Jed Holloway will get a crack next if his knee is alright.
Gray and Dempsey have both had limited minutes in the last two games. I wonder if Cheika is trying to give some of those guys a taste of Super Rugby towards the tail end of the season. Maybe Jed Holloway will get a crack next if his knee is alright.
Joeleee
Ted Fahey (11)
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