Waratahs vs Force - Super Rugby R2 Sunday 23 February 2014

[Braveheart81]

The ponies seemed to play adequately (for round 1) against the Reds last Saturday night without having played a trial against a Super 15 team in the pre-season.

The Brumbies played a trial against the Highlanders.

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[Quick Hands]

Waratahs supporters know the reason for the performance of the Force. It's like watching a bad movie, you just know the ending.

 

[Scoey]

I do not accept that the "poor pre-season opponents in the trials" is a valid excuse for the Force underperforming on Sunday.

So by that logic you wouldn't expect a team to perform any better in round 4 as opposed to round I then HJ?


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[Hugh Jarse]

The Brumbies played a trial against the Highlanders.

I rest my case.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

So by that logic you wouldn't expect a team to perform any better in round 4 as opposed to round I then HJ?


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I hope that certain teams are still playing round 4 games like they were in round 1.

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[Scoey]

I hope that certain teams are still playing round 4 games like they were in round 1.

 

[Hawko]

i didnt watch the game and only saw the highlights..which were epic might i add. i went away from that thinking we (reds) were fucked next weekend. great to hear that they weren't all that good and force were just shit. yahoo. how good is izzy though! i feel a bit shit having toua as our 15 coming up against him. defensively at least.

Basically we scored six outstanding tries. These were scored on the six occasions we did not drop the ball, throw a pass at someone's feet or do something else really stupid. If our passing and handling improves the Reds are no chance and could lose by plenty. I hope it happens but the rest of the game was poor. The Force were as good as they could be, but they are a limited team with only a couple of gamebreakers. We need to improve our play substantially. The improvement is there, we just have to seize it.

 

[Scoey]

I sort if get what you're saying Hawko but it comes across as sounding like you think that the Tahs could score tries at will as long as the passes go to hand which I think is being quite complimentary. It also doesn't give the Force enough credit.

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[Hawko]

I sort if get what you're saying Hawko but it comes across as sounding like you think that the Tahs could score tries at will as long as the passes go to hand which I think is being quite complimentary. It also doesn't give the Force enough credit.

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That's what I saw. Thirty seconds of absolute brilliance followed by five plus minutes of poor play, then another flash of brilliance, followed by another patch of poor attacking football. Defensively we were OK but no better than that (Skelton for instance missed five tackles). [I know this because I had him in my fantasy team and he scored minus eight.]

The Tah tries were mostly scored from long range sweeping movements with several players handling in the movement, the Force tries were from close range. The Force play to a more limited plan because of their style and their strengths/weaknesses.

I'm not trying to be patronising, just explaining what I saw.

 

[Ash]

If you push passes and throw 50/50 or lower percentage balls every few phases you will drop a lot.

Every now and again those balls will stick for most of a game and you'll put cricket scores on teams.

Against teams who have the skills and structure to pressure you will drop more than normal.

If the Tahs win the comp with that style of play I'll be the first to praise them and sit there in amazement at what they've done, but right now, colour me sceptical.

The Tahs scored some cracking tries, they also showed the Force no respect and went two or more channels wide every phase edit: including when they had no forward momentum. Not sure those tactics will work against the top teams.

 

[tranquility]

Let them get excited, Its February remember. This is what they do!

 

[Forcefield]

The ponies seemed to play adequately (for round 1) against the Reds last Saturday night without having played a trial against a Super 15 team in the pre-season.

I do not accept that the "poor pre-season opponents in the trials" is a valid excuse for the Force underperforming on Sunday.

Nobody is giving that as a sole reason, but it is a factor and it is foolish to think otherwise.

I am saying that the Force were under immense pressure against an excellent, finals bound Waratahs team. I am saying that under that pressure, which have did not experience during trials, they did not perform. Pressure = Poor decision making and reverting to instinct responses (which sadly for most of the Force players means kicking). I am saying that once the Force are under less pressure (ie playing the Lions), or better able to deal with that pressure (ie conditioned to it), we will see a better quality game from them. It was also Zack Holmes' first game for the Force, which is worth noting.

The Brumbies did play a trial against the Highlanders, which was noted elsewhere. They were also playing at home and against a team that, on paper at the very least, is not as good as that of the Waratahs.

What I am saying might be an excuse, but it does not in anyway diminsh the quality of the Waratahs performance. Incidentally, I was very impressed with how the Tahs reacted to the Force rolling maul. In the first half you were under a lot of pressure and in the second you quickly adapted and totally nullified the maul as a Force weapon.

 

[caymantim]

My comment was about Mathewson, not Phipps, but if he falls into the same category so be it.

It demonstrates that the Hoff was relatively unconcerned about the scrum-feeds.

Yeah I got that... both of them were feeding into the row. Given that was supposed to be one thing the ref's focused on with the new scrum laws, it seemed strange to me. However I guess it was in line with a fairly average officiating performance. (which didn't affect the result)

 

[I like to watch]

Let them get excited, Its February remember. This is what they do!

Best month of the year for long term Tahs supporters!

 

[Shiggins]

Shiggins, I spent parts of last winter running the line in age comps all over Sydney and I heard the refs say every week scrum or line out in just these circumstances.
But I guess you'll just say that means its a Sydney only law.

Just happend then. In the tahs reds game. Your right