Waratahs 2021

[qwerty51]

Mac Douglas and Jeremy WIlliams two to keep an eye on.

https://www.rugby.com.au/news/2019/12/23/20-under-20-rugby-boys-rising-stars

Max Douglas has been playing 7 for Manly. He's been going well but doesn't look tall enough to be a long term lock I think.

At least both are playing 1st grade.

Just saw it listed Douglas as 2m. I don't think that's accurate.

 

[Braveheart81]

Maybe. But he should be making a few metres in contact every now and then. Watching him on the weekend pretty much every time he took the ball into contact he'd engage the defenders at the line and not make a metre past that. Which frankly isn't good enough given his overall physical presence.

I think most of what he is asked to do when he takes the ball up is a quick recycle. It's the reset play where they're trying to get a quick phase whilst they re-align and change the point of attack and also draw in defenders.

He's not trying to make post contact metres or beat tackles. The focus is entirely on the quick recycle.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Max Douglas has been playing 7 for Manly. He's been going well but doesn't look tall enough to be a long term lock I think.

At least both are playing 1st grade.

Just saw it listed Douglas as 2m. I don't think that's accurate.

I think they mentioned him on the TV game. He looked pretty tall to me.

 

[Blackadder]

Tom Staniforth has been signed for two more years.

Wow, really? He has had three years and has been rubbish. Poor re-signing. Desperate signing.

Next the Tahs will probably keep Beanpole.

 

[Blackadder]

I think most of what he is asked to do when he takes the ball up is a quick recycle. It's the reset play where they're trying to get a quick phase whilst they re-align and change the point of attack and also draw in defenders.

He's not trying to make post contact metres or beat tackles. The focus is entirely on the quick recycle.

But he should be.

 

[Dctarget]

Cool news is that two Waratahs players, Hunt and Maddocks, in consecutive weeks on the rugby ruckus podcast have attributed a large amount of their recent success to Jason Gilmore joining the club in June. Exciting that Aus has such an exciting coach in the ranks.

 

[Blackadder]

Cool news is that two Waratahs players, Hunt and Maddocks, in consecutive weeks on the rugby ruckus podcast have attributed a large amount of their recent success to Jason Gilmore joining the club in June. Exciting that Aus has such an exciting coach in the ranks.

Australia just needs to keep him

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Australia just needs to keep him

That's exactly what I thought when I read it.

 

[Tahtrajic]

Mac Douglas and Jeremy WIlliams two to keep an eye on.

https://www.rugby.com.au/news/2019/12/23/20-under-20-rugby-boys-rising-stars

Thanks for the info. One thing I worry about is that the biggest influence Simmons has had is on the lineout. He has been fantastic in his control of it and Hanigan has also been a menace on opposition ball this season. These skill take confidence and experience to achieve.

 

[Rob42]

Australia just needs to keep him

It would be great for him to stay around for the next few years, but really, to develop, there's no harm in coaches spending a few years overseas. Simon Cron is/was going to work with Steve Hansen in Japan, that type of experience has to be useful for a young coach.

I just hope we have someone in RA who keeps track of coaching development and ensures these guys know we are keen for them to come back to Australia.

 

[Froggy]

Re Tahtrajic's comment on the lineout, I note on Friday night Hanigan came on, within a minute was in his first Force lineout, got in front of their jumper and pinched the ball. The guy has had a bashing on this site over the years, but there are few better in the lineout.

 

[upthereds#!]

A squad should have 4 locks PLUS a development squad lock. Next year it will probably be Mccauley, Staniforth, Holloway and then the 2 development locks (from 2020) in Williams and Douglas. Not exactly good reading, but better with staniforth then without.

 

[The Honey Badger]

didn't I read they were keen to retain Hanigan? so is he definitely gone?

 

[qwerty51]

Yes he’s signed with a Japanese team

 

[Braveheart81]

But he should be.

At times, certainly he should be trying to bust tackles and make post contact metres.

Watch him (and others) closely though. There are a bunch of carries where it is clear that they are not trying to make as many metres as possible but are purely trying to get a quick recycle.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

At times, certainly he should be trying to bust tackles and make post contact metres.

Watch him (and others) closely though. There are a bunch of carries where it is clear that they are not trying to make as many metres as possible but are purely trying to get a quick recycle.

But what % of his total runs could feasibly be for the purpose of resetting the play. Because I cannot think of an example of Staniforth actually making metres in contact. Even at club level. At least not in the quantity a 4-5 year professional should.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

A squad should have 4 locks PLUS a development squad lock. Next year it will probably be Mccauley, Staniforth, Holloway and then the 2 development locks (from 2020) in Williams and Douglas. Not exactly good reading, but better with staniforth then without.

My issue with Staniforth is his lack of dynamism in the contact. While there are legitimate reasons to take the hit and drop as have been mentioned. It's probably in the minority of his carries where such scenarios apply. He a bit like Paddy Ryan and Ben Alexander when it came to scrummaging. Both had glaring technical faults that were never addressed by both coaches or themselves. In Staniforth's case it's the insistence of going to ground often without moving the ball beyond the advantage line. And while it's not always possible it would be nice to see it happen at all.

 

[Braveheart81]

But what % of his total runs could feasibly be for the purpose of resetting the play. Because I cannot think of an example of Staniforth actually making metres in contact. Even at club level. At least not in the quantity a 4-5 year professional should.

I would say most of them because that's what he's been given a job of doing. They're trying to get him to ground quickly and recycle fast. He's not trying to stay on his feet through contact and make extra metres.

I completely agree that he can't do these things because he's not a good ball runner. They're not giving him 10+ carries a game though hoping he does that and seeing it failing though.

 

[Pass it to Dunning!]

I don't see what Staniforth is good at. He's not that great a defender either. He's not particularly abrasive in contact. He doesn't do pilfers. He's at best our third best in the lineout. He's been in a professional set-up for seven years. When's he going to come good?

 

[Braveheart81]

I don't see what Staniforth is good at. He's not that great a defender either. He's not particularly abrasive in contact. He doesn't do pilfers. He's at best our third best in the lineout. He's been in a professional set-up for seven years. When's he going to come good?

I think he's a mediocre Super Rugby lock at best and ultimately we need to improve our squad to the extent that he's not in our best 23.