The Soap Dodgers played terrible footy, and lucky for them our mob were even worse.
The loose forwards went missing in action leaving our ball runners to get isolated at the tackle contest. The Princesses and the other fatties that tried to help at the tackle contest with clean outs and trying to secure quick ball were essentially ineffectual - inaccurate, too high or flopping off their feet.
The lineout (not just the throwing which was pretty ordinary from both teams) did not secure good ball for us. What ball we managed to secure was pretty slow ball and allowed the opposition to easily repulse our subsequent attack,
For a scrum that was 70+kg heavier than their opponents, they were badly beaten time and again. Disappointing. Useless had a game he would rather hope was played at a venue without video facilities. He is supposed to be a scrummaging hooker rather than a hooking hooker yet our front row was badly beaten by a smaller but more technically proficient opponent. Enough said about his lineout throwing, and while he seemed to make most of his tackles, his work at the tackle contest was inefficient, although I can understand why Taylor didn't come on any earlier because little difference was made when he took the field.
In general our Ruck ball was too slow, and allowed the Soapies all day to get their defence line set. Well done to their piggies who did well to slow our ruck ball down and dictate the overall pace of the game.
Decision making and Discipline was poo gifting their opponents the game through a succession of simple 3 point kicks.
England's Roses didn't play like a team that could put 40 points onto the North Sydney Boys High 1st XV, let alone Scotland U20s. If they play like they did against us, they will get their arses handed to them by the Saffers in the SF.
I can't help but feel that we have blown our best chance in years to finish top of a pretty easy Pool, and subsequently get a great run in to the Final.
Credit to the Soap Dodgers, they defended exceptionally well against our rather one dimensional attack.
I thought that Tuttle, Mason, and Kennewell had good games in the circumstances. Sione T carried and defended well but he was let down by the lack of support around him. Our Single Digits played like they had met in the car park 2 hours before the game.
Our bench made little impact. Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda. Coach Thommo will not be happy.
Looking forward to the 2017 Curtain Raiser Cup and our next tilt for U20 RWC glory, cause we blew this one.
