Waratahs vs Force - Super Rugby R7 2013 - Sunday 31st March

[Pfitzy]

All these arguments prove is that even when we have a side that is really playing footy and enjoying each week, even when we have players like Holloway being picked on merit from the Shute Shield, even when NSW natives like AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) come home to play for their home state, EVEN WHEN WE WIN A BLOODY GAME people still complain about the Tahs. never. bloody. ending.

Two games even. In a row!

 

[qwerty51]

Does Ryan Cross count?

Went to Force first wouldn't count it

 

[Braveheart81]

Tuqiri 2003
Tahu 2008

Tahu was a shocker but Tuqiri was a fan favourite and was a good Super Rugby and Wallaby player. He was a good recruit from League.

In relation to the whole crowd thing, I really think the biggest thing to bring more fans in is results. I feel like the Cheetahs game was really costly in that regard. If we'd won that game (which we should have), we'd have won three in a row, we'd be in the top 6 and there'd really be some buzz about the Tahs.

If that had happened I think we'd have really been looking for a bumper crowd to turn up in a few weeks time to watch the Chiefs game.

Saying that the recruitment of Israel Folau has disenfranchised Shute Shield supporters and players is a load of crap. There are no athletes anywhere remotely close to Folau's calibre missing out on a Super Rugby contract because he is playing union.

One Shute Shield player is potentially missing out on an 80k a year contract to train with a Super Rugby team and not get to play unless there are a litany of injuries.

 

[scaraby]

Long bow with the unfounded hate!

We sign a player who has played League, AFL and is on a short term contract, we have the biggest player pool in the country and we sign a guy who has potential but only for one year.

Another Rogers, Sailor, Tahu and Tuiqiri.. Do we need these players? Have they helped us get a title?

No wonder our crowd numbers are down. There is no community spirit, we dont support our Shute Shield players by passing them over with imports, what do the players in the Shute Shield think when we pas them over with the likes of Folau, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) or Mitchell?

They should be thinking..."If I want to play Super Rugby then thats my benchmark". So should we pass on genuine quality test players just to test some Shute Shield players who have been playing the game for years and still can't get selected. ??
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and Mitchell are both great guys, have great attitudes...If you can't see Folaus value present and potential you are not watching the same game. He kicked twice right in front of me on Sunday,both pure and both found touch . As he was running around to the right they both hooked a bit right to left so didnt get quite the distance he could have. The second kick would have had 50m of travel...which game are you critics watching.?.did you see the air skills?..yards made? tackles broken and offloads ??.. so what if he played League ..he's with us now and embracing the game...give him a hug back.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

They should be thinking."If I want to play Super Rugby then thats my benchmark". So should we pass on genuine quality test players just to test some Shute Shield players who have been playing the game for years and still can't get selected. ??
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and Mitchell are both great guys, have great attitudes.If you can't see Folaus value present and potential you are not watching the same game. He kicked twice right in front of me on Sunday,both pure and both found touch . As he was running around to the right they both hooked a bit right to left so didnt get quite the distance he could have. The second kick would have had 50m of travel.which game are you critics watching.?.did you see the air skills?..yards made? tackles broken and offloads ??.. so what if he played League ..he's with us now and embracing the game.give him a hug back.

I was listening to the commentators talking about his kicking not being up to scratch for someone how had played AFL and came to the conclusion that apart from their general lack of knowledge about the game, they know nothing about kicking. Folau was getting some real purchase from the boot on the three occasions he kicked it on Sunday. On two of the occasions he had very little angle to work with but if he had they would have easily advanced the ball 50+m down field.

 

[qwerty51]

It's really incredible to think where Folau is at when you put some perspective on it and say compare him to SBW. I'd say he's playing atm as good as SBW was at the Crusaders. That was SBW's 3rd year in rugby, it took him that long to finally start asserting himself on the game.

 

[rugbysmartarse]

I'm a bit over people suggesting Folau should be able to kick because he came from AFL. Folau played in the Full forward position, where he was mainly expected to take a high ball, then with no pressure line up at a set of sticks and kick a long skinny ball end over end between them. This is a very different manner of kicking to what he is encountering in Rugby, with chasers bearing down on him and him having to find touch first, get distance second (with a rounder ball).

 

[Braveheart81]

The biggest difference with Folau's kicks compared to the couple by other players before it was that both of them found touch.

They went a reasonable distance and just went out. This compared with kicks by Mitchell and Foley (I think they were) that both travelled further but neither found touch.

I'll take the kick that travels 15m less and finds touch than the massive boot downfield that stays in the field of play (and is caught on the full) thanks!

 

[Pfitzy]

Not to mention the kick from the half back that went out on the full when we needed anything else

 

[wamberal]

Whatever he is getting paid, Folau is easily worth the money. He is performing very well, considering how little rugby he has ever played, and the fact that he has spent the last couple of years not doing any strength training (or very little, anyway). For the sake of the game, I really, really, hope the ARU and the Tahs manage to retain him for the next five years.


We desperately need drawcards in Sydney, and Izzy is one of the very few rugby players that those outside the magic circle of rugby tragics might have some interest in.

 

[rugbysmartarse]

I agree wamberal, and I think the only way to keep him is to cap him, probably on the EOYT. Show him what Rugby can offer that neither NRL or AFL can, an international tour representing your country.

 

[Quick Hands]

I'm still coming to terms with the absurd proposition that there are an army of Shute Shield players ready to be immediately drafted into Super Rugby. Does anyone out there really believe that there as yet undiscovered Folau-like players running around in Shute Shield? With the greatest respect, the idea that rugby should not actively recruit athletes from other codes is from another time. This is not saying that you don't put maximum available resources into talent development, it just means that you open your minds to outside the narrow world of club & school rugby. For decades league recruited talented rugby players to bolster their talent pool. Far from detracting from that game, their presence enhanced it. Likewise, it didn't cause the junior league development programme to fold up and die. It's competitive sport for heavens sake, when someone comes in who is better than you they get the spot. (You'll notice that I said the spot not your spot - because nobody owns any spot in any team)

 

[wamberal]

All rugby players, supporters, administrators - all of us, here in Australia - need to start thinking about the good of the whole game here. Not just our own club, or our own province.


We are a minority sport, we need to start adopting a siege mentality - a good siege mentality, one that brings us together, that enables us to make sacrifices for the greater good.