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Review: Templeton Cup stays in Queensland

Moses February 23, 2013 72

No GravatarThe Tahs went north to Banjotown in pursuit of the Templeton Cup.

The Match

The opening quarter saw some entertaining and open rugby with both teams running the ball, and finding opportunities when they did. The Reds looked better for their hit-out last week and made fewer errors, turing their opportunities into points. Dom Shipperley went over first, busting through Israel Folau and Adam Ashley-Cooper. Ben Tapuai was in the right spot to take an intercept and run over the line, which had the home team up 17-3 after 20 minutes.

chibba hanson simmons

Photo c/o @chibbahanson

The second quarter kept the home side scoreless, while the Tahs missed two penalty shots at goal, the second of which was for a late coathanger tackle that had Ashley-Cooper seeing stars. It also featured Quade Cooper who must have taken some confidence from his recent boxing debut; his full bag of tricks was on show tonight from the accurate and long bullet pass to the behind-the-back flick.

Kane Douglas came oh-so-close to scoring what could have been the forward’s try of the season: after charging down a Quade kick he kneed it on and showed surprising pace in a race to the line. Unfortunately for Kane the TMO ruled it was knocked on just before the line.

Cheika must have torn the Tahs a new one at oranges, as the Waratahs were impressive in the third quarter with Israel Folau and Volavola both popping their Super Rugby cherries. At the 60-minute mark the scores were even at 17-17.

The final quarter saw the Reds retake the lead thanks to Mike Harris’s reliable boot, and a damaging midfield run by Ed Quirk that granted Tapuai his second meat pie. In the final play of the game Quade showed great intent when the Waratahs knocked on after the siren by taking a quick tap. In doing so he risked giving the Tahs a losing bonus point in the pursuit of claiming a winning bonus point for the Reds.

The Game Changer

Benn Robinson coming off the bench. Within two plays from Fat Cat coming on the Reds had gone from a 5-metre defensive scrum right in front to a defensive scrum on their own 10-metre line. The whole Waratahs team lifted, and a comeback was on the cards.

The G&GR MotM

Ben Tapuai not only scored two tries, he also took over the captaincy at a point when the Waratahs were really threatening to take the points.

Wallaby watch

Bernard Foley has the makings of a very good 10, Dom Shipperley was very impressinve, and Waratahs replacement Ben Volavola looked superb with every touch until he kicked with 20 seconds on the clock at 8 points down.

The Details

Crowd: 35,801

Score & Scorers

Reds: 25
Tries: Shipperley, Tapuai (2)
Conversions: Harris 2/3
Penalties: Harris 2/2
Waratahs: 17
Tries: Folau, Volavola
Conversions: 2/2
Penalties: McKibbin 1/3

Cards & citings

None

TAGS »
POSTED IN » NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds, Rugby, Super Rugby
About the author: Moses View all posts by
Moses spends far too long on G&GR, dealing with the totality of the strength and conditioning, the medical, the rugby side of things, strategy, the review, preview of the internet itself and also the individuals. A Waratahs apologist and rib-eye steak enthusiast, he is often found working behind the scenes keeping the G&GR juggernaut afloat.

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Discussion »

  • Munks

    What a farce of a game. Didn’t even come close to living up to all of the pre-game hype.

    • sane

      Trnaslation: Tahs loss

      • Brumby Runner

        I don’t agree. That was an atrocious game from both sides; errors galore. I don’t think I’ve seen so many dropped balls in any three other games. Cooper was awful. His passing was generally good, but his decision making was nowhere up to scratch. And he looks like he isn’t even half fit. That the Reds led for most of the game and ran out deserved winners speaks volumes for the defensive effort put in by the Tahs. I felt so sorry for Hooper having to play in that shite.

        • Johnny-boy

          It was horribly humid in Brisbane last night. The ball would have been very diffcult. That said it was fun seeing Drew Mitchell’s bad karma bite him on the arse for constantly bagging Reds players last year in his free undeserved Wallaby jumper

        • jrsONE

          bad karma? you’re talking about a guy who has been struggling with injuries for two years, largely stemming from a broken ankle that was the result of being tripped by a reds player off the ball. In 2010 Mitchell was one of the best wings in the world. If you’re trying to find bad karma then you need to look closer to home chief.

        • Train Without A Station

          It wasn’t a trip you knuckle head. He got shouldered off the line as Higgers turned around. Even Drew admitted he had done it plenty of times himself. He’s moved on, maybe you should too.

        • Rex Munday

          Mitchell is fast revealing himself to be an ARU sycophant and knob. He’s obviously worked out that brown nosing the NSW rugby establishment equates to undeserved caps.

      • Munks

        Just so you know, I hate both of these teams passionately.

        • Brax

          Dirge

  • Sambobly

    Ed Quirk was my MOTM. He was everywhere, busting and making tackles. Involved in everything. Setting up the gamewinning try was the icing on the cake.

    • Robson

      I tend to agree. The try he set up for Tapaue was a great exhibition of strength and out and out determination towards the end of the game when everyone else was showing signs of heat exhaustion.

    • D

      Got to love a firey Ginger. Quirkey’s 7′s experience showed this evening in both one on one (or up to one on four) attack and defense. Gill, Cooper & Diggers all had good games also. Great to see Cooper more confident in his defense. Who was the Tahs #7? Michael Who-per??? Didn’t see him all night.

      I thought Foley & Mitchell played well for the Tahs. Drew looked like he was back to his best. Izzy had a mixed game. I really don’t think you could ask much more from someone with no Super Rugby experience. He could have been a little more dangerous if he didn’t cough the ball up so often. It didn’t help that Diggers was over him like a rash all night.

      Cheika complaining about Harris’ tackle on Two Dads was a little off the mark I thought. It was his own team mate that hit him in the head, not Mike Harris. Typical Tahs, they lose and have to cry foul!!!!

      • Johnny-boy

        Who-per – that’s gold. An all Wallaby pack ? What a freakin joke. Unfortunately for Australian rugby the idiot foreign wallaby coach clearly thinks it is funny selecting a B team for internationals.

        • Patrick

          I grind another mm off my teeth every time I hear that wallaby pack shite for the same reasons.

      • http://twitter.com/SmithStinsmith Justin Smith

        Didn’t think Who-per was totally MIA, at least he was trying to gee up his team mates, but Dennis I really did NOT see. Supremely disappointed in that.

        • Blinky Bill of Bellingen NSW

          Agree Justin.

          I was waiting to see what the new Captain would do when things weren’t going quite right. Perhaps it was so subtle that I missed it.

  • Red Kev

    Superb stuff from Tapuai for the second week in a row but it was Quirk’s game that was the most impressive, he dominated the incumbent Wallaby blindside Dennis.
    Benn Robinson shut all his critics up (including me).
    Volavola was outstanding when he came one, he’ll be dangerous by the end of the season.

    The Reds needs to drop Harris. His boot is nice but he got skinned for pace too many times. Use Lucas (when Genia is back) or Lance (my preference) or Morahan at fullback. Cooper (or Lucas or Lance) can do the goalkicking.

    • Old Weary

      Completely agree except for Lucas. To many balls behind Cooper stifled any forward momentum, and his kicking put too much pressure back on the team.

      • Handles

        Lucas might not have been perfect, but he was a lot better than Frisby. Frisby’s passing game is awful.

    • HappywiththeWin.

      Ed Quirk was great- he was EVERYWHERE! Goes to show that the Tahs having a all Wallabies back row is more to do with Robbie Deans’ Tahs obsession then talent scoping.

    • Patrick

      see all the other comments about ‘wallaby incumbent’ in the context of Tahs…!!

  • Joker

    Looks like Izzy might be another expensive, over-hyped lemon for the Tahs. Oops.

    • http://www.facebook.com/alan.grouse Alan Grouse

      Your name suits you well! Bit premature dont you think?

      Twas not a perfect debut but he will get better and 1 try from 1 game is not the worst return

      • Rex Munday

        Tough task to score a try when running at an open line.

        • http://www.facebook.com/alan.grouse Alan Grouse

          While his try will never make a highlight reel he still scored on debut. Ive seen plenty of occasions where players have dropped the ball with the line beckoning and his wasnt the easy of takes. Of course Izzy being the high profile signing and playing his debut will get a bigger mention, its the nature of pro sport

          Bottom line is that it sounds pretty stupid to proclaim a player a success or failure after only 80mins!

    • Patrick

      I’ll be the first to admit he had a poor game on debut, but he and volavola and foley are all very good players in the making. Foley has the same problem Beale does at the Rebels – he has to pass straight to his outside three ;)

    • http://cycloschat.wordpress.com/ Cyclopath

      Except more of his “Pay” is from the ARU than the Tahs, so it would expensive for all Oz rugby. But I’m sure you know that.

  • Redsfan1

    Another year ANOTHER OVER-HYPED Tahs team. I read about 5 articles here about how awesome the Tahs Pre-season was & THIS was their year.

    Good game Reds!

    • Brax

      Isn’t it sweet? Then you see comments like Munks & I just get all warm & fuzzy.

  • Robson

    An excellent game, full of movement with the ball seeming to have a mind of its own from time to time and played in mostly a great spirit by both teams. Right up there with the spectacle provided in Dunedin last night. In Wellington Kirwan got through his first night nerves with a win, but in Brisbane Chieka still awaits that experience.

  • M.J.Tamoua

    I hate negative comments, both teams are missing key players, both teams had the goods although the tahs with wallabies studied forward pack they were missing barnes for kicking and reds with a mixed young bag of questionable up and comers. The game really could have gone either way. As a loyal reds supporter I like how the Tahs look this season, anyone baging izzy is a fool, the man is tested in NRL, it’s only a matter of time when he proves his worth (awesome for our code) he still scored a try! Back to the Reds, frigin love how Ed.Q has been playing, he was Scottie’s shadow for the last two years but now he has shown and proved capable!

    • Patrick

      The tah’s young players were their best – it’s the old ones that aren’t any good ;)

      Quirk was a machine.

  • James

    As a Tahs fan, at half time I thought it was going to be the same old story after being carefully optimistic. However, I have to say that the Tahs showed a bit of heart in the comeback and started on the right foot by chucking the ball around, all the passes will begin to stick, so regardless of the loss, there were definitely still some positives.

    As a Wallabies fan, I was so happy to see the Reds back doing what they do. The Quade confidence had him playing well, making good decisions and even a few decent tackles, looking forward to the rest of his season if he continues (quiet but mature performance last week). Tapuai has always impressed me, so good to see him again, Shipperley always hungry for the try line and Digby was industrious and effective again. Chris F’Sautia is such a talent and could absolutely be our version of Manu Tuilagi at 13, and in my mind has even more skill than him, so could be a gamechanger.
    But it was the reds forwards that impressed me most. It was a battling and gruelling effort that gave the backs front foot ball, and possible even went some way to causing those many Tahs handling errors with the pressure.

    Great game though, thoroughly enjoyed it

    • Blinky Bill of Bellingen NSW

      Agree about the Tahs. Even though we kept on shooting ourselves in the foot, we never dropped our heads. We just needed to stop dropping so much ball and we were a chance. But I thought we were plucky and I liked the look of what we were trying to do.

      Also I’m not good with this excuse of ‘our first game’. We’ve had loads of time to prepare and the trials. Based on what I’m seeing with the NZ teams, they don’t need several weeks before they can pass and catch a ball. Day one the ball sticks. We need to up our skills.

      I liked Foley at 10. To me McKibbin makes too many errors and I’d have liked to have seen someone else given a run in the last 20.

      I’m not happy with the loss but let’s see where they are near the end of the season. Hopefully significantly better.

      Sorry for the disjointed rant. The floods have robbed me of much sleep. :(

  • james

    AAC seeing stars was a boot from a teammate in the head while on the ground after Harris obstructed him (was nothing in that bit of it).
    Seemed weird at full pace so rewound a couple times

    • Redsfan1

      Yes I thought it was sour grapes Cheika tryin to blame Harrris for AAC. The big nailing on AAC was from a team mate. Anyway hope AAC is ok..

      • Train Without A Station

        Yeah from what I saw, Harris just put an arm out in the line, not a shoulder charge like Cheika was moaning about. Hooper cleaning him up clearly did all the damage.

    • SuckerForRed

      Live at the ground it looked more the result of an awkward fall than anything else. Will review on the recording when I get back home monday.
      Good to hear this morning that scans are all clear and he will only be out for a week. I am hoping he will be lieft in the 13 jumper by the Tahs this year to show what he can do. But then again I may be a bit bias.

      • Gallagher

        I’m a Reds fan all the way, but at the game I had my head in my hands in the 2nd half until Quirk broke the line and ran like only a Reds back rower does, with Heart! We still need Horwill and Samo back bigtime. If I take off my Reds glasses I see a Tahs team that will get much better this year, they have a BIG and POWERFUL pack that just needs to eliminate the errors, don’t underestimate the Reds, Brumbs or Tahs this year, all are looking the goods!

        • Scott

          I hope they all do. Nice to hear someone else hoping all the Aussie teams do well. Congrats on the win – Reds are always tough at home and just had that little bit extra at the end.

          Tahs really need a good established centre pairing. I think I saw Carter miss about 20 tackles on Saturday – how does that bloke still get a run?

        • Rex Munday

          I thought he’d sooked off to play for the Eels!

  • Number_Four_Newcastle

    I agree re. Ed Quirk. Outstanding. Well done Ed.

    A quick comment on the debut of Israel Folau: was owned in a tackle (and I can’t believe I’m going to write this) by Quade Cooper. Izzy was also quite effeminate in defence which was also an unpleasant surprise. The only way is up, I guess.

    I’m not a Quade fan, far from it, but I also thought he was fantastic last night. Quade, I’m sure you’re reading, well done and keep up the good work.

    • Rex Munday

      Shipperly had Folau’s number

  • Nutta

    Just backing up a few comments already made.

    Hello Quirk. MOTM

    Good gear Taps. Close 2nd.

    Welcome back Robbo. I’ve been patiently waiting for that… thankyou.

    It will take a lot more than what I saw last night to think anything more then shite about QC. Germ.

    No excuses for Tahs – beaten fair & square – and well done to the Reds. But I am a little sorry such a centre-peice game of Oz rugby was spent this early. It would have been a better game and market-spectacle in another week or two when both sides were more back in groove of regular rugby

    • Blinky Bill of Bellingen NSW

      Nutta – Good on you for making the point that the Reds deserved their win.

      So often we’re caught-up in where our team can improve that we fail to tip our hats to the efforts of the other team. The Reds pounced on opportunities that we served up for them & rightly so.

      Also the Brisbane crowd were fantastic. Loud & energetic. How I wish the SFS could be that way. They’re a simple folk up there. xxxx beer and ‘we are R…E…D…” But hey it works for them! ;-)

      • Nutta

        Cheers 3B’s. One must call a spade what it is… Besides there’s been a bit too much OTT one-sidedness creeping into the site of late. Whilst I’m no ABC reporter, we have to be fair and recognise the good whenever/wherever it’s found (even if it’s amongst a mob of uneducated,13-fingered, in-bred, banjo-playing, Deliverance extra’s) and if I’m not prepared to do it myself then I have no right to at least expect it of others.

  • Dally M

    Gotta love the way the Reds supporters conveniently forget how bad the Reds were their first week while bagging the Tahs for exactly the same thing.

    • http://twitter.com/SmithStinsmith Justin Smith

      And does anyone remember round 1 2011. Tahs smashed the Reds. What happened that year? Reds won the thing and Tahs died.

    • Brax

      You Tah fans do a good enough job at bagging your own team. The only thing I take issue with is you all say how bad your team played & give no credit to the opposition. Typical really.

      • Dally M

        Seriously? The number of missed tackles & dropped ball by the Tahs, you win by 8 points – 7 due to a intercept & you want credit for playing well?

        • Brax

          Yes seriously! Nearly all tries in all games come from mistakes. The intercept came from good pressure. This is why everyone hates NSW in all sports…. you can’t look past your own misgivings & give credit where it’s due. As I said typical. I wish you all another season of dread & woe.

    • Redsfan1

      Gotta love how the Tahs boasted this year (& every year) because they bought a new player, went for some runs & lifted some weights that they were the real deal. If only your lot played as well as you talk!

      • Dally M

        Sad that you can’t tell the difference between the Sydney media and Waratahs. They said nothing of the sort.

        • Rex Munday

          Lots of thumbs up DallyM…not

        • Scott

          Actually I’m with Dally M. I haven’t heard one Tahs fan talk them and…and even the media this year have openly acknowledged that, while they are trying to build interest, it could all go wrong again. It seems the only people who talk the Tahs up are bitter supporters of other teams who, for some reason, always want them to fall flat.

          I for one hope all the Aussie sides go well because it is good for the game in our country. The rest of you should seriously consider having the chip removed.

        • Brax

          Nah, I’m rather fond of my chip re: all things NSW sport. It’s part of our DNA. The Templeton Cup is the domestic equivalent of the Bledisloe…. do you want the anti All Black chip removed from the national psyche? Sorry Tah fans, but you’ll just have to deal with the fact that the rest of the country hate your teams guts.

        • Redsfan1

          Refer to previous articles on this website e.g. Tahs Pre-season hype. Refer to Brett Harris in Australian ‘Tahs to steam roll Reds’. Numerous Folau articles in Sydney. You can downplay it now that you lost but ther was the usual Tah hype. I’m not bitter far from it- it amuses us Qld when the Waratahs with all their freebie Wallavy jerseys fail.

        • Dally M

          Gotta love a one eyed Queenslander. There were plenty of articles about the Reds too (Chris Feauai-Sautia, Ed Quirk & a couple on Quade) & of course they are going to write about Folau because he played in QLD and it was going to get bums on seats at your home ground & people to tune in.

    • D

      The reds weren’t bad last week. The brumbies were just much better. I thought the reds were actually softer against the Tahs in the rucks and mauls than they were against the scumbies.

  • http://twitter.com/thebigcode Julian Jefferis

    Watching on tele, it looked like the Tahs were going to run over the Reds in the last 20 minutes. The Tahs looked fitter, but I think the extra match last week gave the Reds the extra bit of something they needed. They have developed the ability to win games in the last two seasons, and they are damn hard to beat at Suncorp.

    I thought the quality of rugby was poor, but at least it made for an entertaining game. Lots of handling errors from both sides. The Reds backrow was outstanding, and the forwards generally out pinned the Waratahs ‘All Wallaby’ forward pack that was meant to be the difference… Gill in particular was excellent. Hooper is not an openside, his work is almost non existent at the breakdown. His running game is brilliant, but the Tahs will need a true 7 this year… Tapaui was deserving of man of the match, and Folau showed some promising signs but made far too many mistakes. I would move him to the wing and have Volavola at 15, he looked the goods. Foley will be their long term 10 if they give him the support. The Reds need Frisby starting until Genia gets back. Lucas’ pass is too slow and his kicking game woeful.

    Much improvement is needed from both sides to take on the Brumbies for the top of the Aussie conference.

    • Pedro

      Hooper IS an openside, he had plenty of pilfers for the brums. He just (as is the case with many quality players) gave up rugby to play for the tahs.

      • Rex Munday

        Hooper got two pilfers, if walking into the side of the ruck and picking up the ball counts as a pilfer…

        • Pedro

          Richie McCaw based his career on that.

      • http://twitter.com/thebigcode Julian Jefferis

        He is an openside, if for no other reason than I am not sure where else he could play. What I meant from that comment was he is not an on the ball openside like Gill, Pocock or McCaw, he is more of a South African style openside I guess.

        He is still a quality player, and will get a few turnovers, but won’t be as much of a threat at the breakdown as Pocock and Gill. I think the Tahs might suffer because of that.

  • Patrick

    I am most pleased, as a Victorian, about the talent shown by the newbies:

    As a backline, what about White, Foley/Volavola/Godwin, Shipperly/Tomane, Tapui/Lealifano, Smith/F… Sautia, Kingston/Mafi, Folau/Mogg

    None of whom has ever been capped (except Shipperly?)!!

    And for forwards we can do something similar, although Squeaky is still heads and shoulders above the rest, and we’ve capped a lot of props.

    Palmer, Charles, Ryan, Pyle, Fardy/Wykes, Quirk/Neville, Gill/Alcock, Mowen, and whilst that seems light-on compared to the backs, the likes of Hooper, Douglas, Simmons, Slipper and Higgers who are all fairly young anyway.

    It’s a few years since I saw that good a pipeline in Aussie rugby.

  • Johnny-boy

    For the record, let there be no doubt Folau will be given an armchair ride in to the Wallabies by Deans, regardless of how well he plays.

    • Rex Munday

      Yep. It’ll be in his contract to be given at least 20 jerseys to burn at the expense of the careers of players like Morahan who’ve worked hard through grass roots progression.

  • Rex Munday

    Doesn’t matter that the Reds won and beat the Tahs up front. Expect a Tahs dominated pack (6 or 7) plus AAC, Mitchell and Israel (who’d have received his Wallabies jumper in his Tahs information pack.

    • Scott

      Mate it’s one game lets talk about this come mid season. Reds weren’t too good last week in THEIR first game were they?? Personally I’d take the Tahs scrum over the Reds scrum.

      • Brax

        As the old adage goes, you’re only as good as your last game…..

      • Rex Munday

        Why talk about it midseason? It’s not as if super 15 form has any impact whatsoever on who pulls on a Wallabies jumper

  • Piggy

    Good win for the Reds, missed the cool experienced heads of Horwill, Genia and Ant for a while there – a bit of the lapse in mental in the middle phase. Good to see Sanchez running the water though and giving his normal bark in the huddle.

    Tahs looked rusty in the first half (like Reds previous week). I’d love to know the difference in wage bill between Volavola and Izzy, great start by the young kid. I wonder if Izzy is being somewhat ‘hidden’ at fullback until he gets some condition back on his frame, his fat levels from playing AFL will be really low, will need to be managed in contact until that returns. Got caught out in positional play a few times at fullback (as did Harris who isn’t a natural fullback either).

    Loved Quirk and Shipperley’s game, I think they’d both run through walls if you asked them. The Reds definitely seem to be missing Ant at 13, F’Sautia probably still has a year of apprenticeship to finish.

    Gill outplayed Hooper, although Hooper seemed to be given the job of cutting down Quade which seemed to take away from his other roles. Disappointed with Schatz still, I would have thought after three years of playing with Quade he should be expecting to get short little pops off his 10 – still struggles with that part of his game IMO.

    Mitchell still seems to be hampered by his injuries (fair enough really), his first instinct seemed to be to kick the ball down field (some of them did work well mind you) rather than stretch out and test the legs.

    I’m already predicting a mutiny at the Tahs. I just cannot see certain members of that team being happy with getting a right old bollocking from Cheika at every half time.

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