GlenGrant Rugby News | All posts tagged 'Waratahs'

24
marzo

Super Rugby – I Blues di JK si arrendo a tempo scaduto. By Giorgio Sbrocco

Un calcio di punizione messo fra i pali da Bernard Foley a tempo scaduto ha fruttato il successo ai Warathas di Michael Ceika che a Sydney hanno battuto i Blues del “nostro” John Kirwan. Neozelandesi avanti 24-10 al riposo, raggiunti e superati dagli australiani grazie a una ripresa che si è chiusa su un eloquente parziale di 20-3 per i padroni di casa. Per Waratahs: mete di Mitchell, Folau, Foley, il resto dai piedi di McKibbin e Foley. Per la franchigia di Auckland: mete di Parsons, Noakes e Piutau cui si sono aggiunti 12 punti di Noakes dalla piazzola. Nelle vesti di giudice di linea l'arbitro australiano/neozelandese Steve Walsh.Super Rugby - VI giornata Waratahs - Blues 30-27 Classifica (conference nazionali):Brumbies 23, Chiefs 21, Sharks 17Classifica complessivaReds 17, Crusaders 16, Blues 16, Bulls 14, Stormers 14, Cheetahs 13, Hurricanes 13, Waratahs 13, W.Force 9, Rebels 9, S.Kings 8, Highlanders 5Giorgio Sbrocco

22
aprile

Tags
Super15,
Waratahs,
Mark Ella

Crusaders meet the Hurricanes head on to win Easily.By Mark Ella

Last year the Crusaders made it to the Super Rugby finals against the Queensland Reds without playing a game at home after the devastating earthquake in Christchurch in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. They have won more Super Rugby trophies than any other team and the way they played against a desperate Hurricanes side on the weekend it looks like they are just starting to hit their straps. Every professional team in world sport knows the importance of winning at home and what a bonus it is to win away and that is what the Crusaders have been doing for years now because great teams can rise to the occasion all the time and not just every second week. After a slow start to their Super Rugby season there are ominous signs ahead for the Crusaders opponents starting with the Waratahs next weekend in Sydney. I expected a close contest between the two leading New Zealand provinces but after the first 36 minutes the Crusaders were leading the Hurricanes in Wellington by a massive 32-0. The Hurricanes playing is front of their home crowd were doing their best and not taking a step backwards against their more fancied neighbors but the Crusaders simply had too much grunt up front with their forwards dominating the game and too much speed out wide. All Blacks great Daniel Carter had been moved to inside centre to accommodate another rising No.10 Tom Taylor who played like a veteran and kicked seven goals out of nine attempts in an effort that we expect from Carter himself. It is amazing just how the Crusaders can continually breed their next generation of champions who of course play a big role in the structure of the All Blacks and young Taylor will get his opportunity soon. After scoring four tries in the first half to secure an early bonus point, including one to Carter playing in his 100th Super Rugby match, the game was over after the first 40 minutes. To their credit the Hurricanes didn't lie down and attempted to play positive attacking rugby at all times as was displayed when full back Andre Taylor gave his team some remote hope when he slipped around a couple of Crusaders players to score in the right corner on the bell of half time. They also scored the first try in the second half when All Blacks No. 8 Victor Vito crossed the line but the Crusaders put the final nail in the coffin when full back Israel Dagg put the game beyond question when he scored in the 62nd minutes. The Crusaders are littered with All Blacks both in the forwards and throughout the three-quarters with the likes of Andy Ellis, Carter, Robbie Fruean and Zac Guildford taking every opportunity to make the most from turnover ball by spreading the ball wide to willing runners. After watching a rather dull and unimaginative Waratahs side defeat the Rebels in Sydney 30-21 last weekend it will be a welcomed change to have a quality team like the Crusaders in town to show us rugby fans just what we are missing out on every weekend. Apart from the Brumbies who played with passion and commitment against the Bulls in South Africa, AustralIan rugby's other four Super Rugby franchises are way off the pace and doing their best to turn rugby fans off the code. New Zealand teams on the other hand like the Highlanders, Chiefs and particularly the Crusaders are playing with so much flair and adventure that they are a pleasure to watch. And I am not the one to want the Crusaders to defeat the team I played all my rugby with when I was a bit younger but a thorough shellacking by the Kiwi's over the Waratahs may make them realise just what it takes to earn a Super Rugby title.

01
aprile

Tags
Brumbies,
Waratahs,
Wallabies

Reds Title Defence Starting to Fall Apart. By Mark Ella

The Reds went into the 2012 Super Rugby season full of confidence as defending Champions even without their mercurial No.10 Quade Cooper leading the way. It was always going to be a difficult assignment without Cooper but it opened up opportunities for the next generation of players when Mike Harris stepped up to the mark to lead the attack when they defeated the Waratahs on the bell in the opening Round 25-21. Their next two matches against the Australian franchises the Force and Rebels were far from convincing but the critics gave the Reds the benefit of doubt seeing as it was early in the season. But after Round Six of the competition their hopes of retaining their title are quickly falling apart after three successive losses in a row and a team riddled with injuries making it hard for coach Ewen McKenzie to put a competitive team on the field after losing to the Force 45-19 last weekend. The Reds haven't lost three matches in a row since 2009 and unless they get their act together very quickly they are facing another embarrassment in Brisbane next weekend when they take on the in form Brumbies. The Reds have conceded 106 points in two games which is incredible for the defending Champions and even though they are missing many of their key players this part of their game is atrocious. It was only a month ago that the Reds faced the Force in Brisbane winning 35-20 in a hard fight game, but since then they have lost two crucial No.10's in Mike Harris and Ben Lucas with the incumbent Dallan Murphy selected straight out of club rugby. Murphy is a useful player but until he settles into the rhythm of Super Rugby it is hard to expect too much from him just yet and he looked uncomfortable and out of place playing at this level. Last year the Reds season was largely defined after winning three matches in South Africa, a feat no other Australian team had managed before but unfortunately this year their trek to the Republic could signal the start of their decline. They lost to the Sharks in Durban 27-22 before being smashed 61-8 by the Bulls and their game against the lowly rated Force team in Perth was meant to be the beginning of their revival. The Force have never had the consistency that it takes to be a serious contender as was shown after they defeated the Waratahs in Sydney 21-20 before falling to the Rebels in Melbourne a week later so their reputation was certainly on the line against the Reds at home. They played with enormous enthusiasm leading the Reds for the entire match with bunch of unknown players along side of Wallabies Nathan Sharpe and captain David Pocock who just get better with age. The Force scored the first 21 points of the match before Reds prop James Slipper crossed the line but they were never going to catch the runaway train and when replacement No.10 Ben Seymour scored early in the second half the game was over. Without Cooper the Reds lack the flair that set the rugby world alight last year and they play without the enthusiasm and drive needed to defend their title which is looking shaky. The Force scored five tries in a dominating performance with fullback Dave Harvey contributing twenty points of his own with 4 conversions and 4 penalties and the Reds were lucky that the score wasn't greater. The Reds season is now on the line when they face the Brumbies next weekend and though they are expected to regroup at home they simply do not have the depth in talent to patch up the gaps in their player line up.

25
marzo

Tags
Waratahs,
Mark Ella

Waratahs finally give their fans something to cheer about. By Mark Ella

Finally the Waratahs have responded to the harsh criticism they received last weekend when they went down to the Force 20-21 by bouncing back last Saturday and defeating the Sharks 34-30 in a hard fought entertaining match in Sydney. The word entertaining normally doesn't sit well with the Waratahs who over the years have done their best to disengage their fans fans by playing dull rugby based on kicking rather then ball in hand. Playing on a glorious Sydney afternoon for a change the Waratahs had to play at their best to defeat the ravenous Sharks whose big forwards were always going to test the mettle of the Tah's pack led by new captain prop Benn Robinson. So far this year there has been a lack of soul within the Waratahs but on the weekend they played like men possessed to finally give their much maligned fans something to cheer about. But as expected it was a tough match which went to the wire with young Waratahs winger Tom Kingston scoring the match winning try in the 76th minute in the right corner with five eighth Berrick Barnes converting from the sideline. Up until this game the Waratahs have been lethargic and lacking in creativity not too mention team work, self belief and few other rugby isms that can't be printed but under he enormous pressure from fans and critics they managed to play with aplomb and finish the match as deserved winners. The move by Waratahs coach Michael Foley to start Brendan McKibbon at No.9 in the place of Sarel Pretorius was a master stroke because the young half back played with enthusiasm which inspired his team-mates. Apart from scoring the teams first try, McKibbon also kicked three penalties and two conversions which wasn't a bad effort for the youngster starting in his first run on game for the Waratahs in what was a crucial match for both sides. After trailing the Sharks 7-0 when winger Lwazi Mvovo scored in the 3rd minute the Waratahs snapped into action to hold the aggressive Sharks at bay and it took 22 minutes for McKibbon to respond when he dived across the line under the posts to put the Waratahs back in the game to draw equal with their opponents 10 all. With the Sharks holding the upper hand at half time leading by a four point margin 17-13 the game was up for grabs and the second half was just as exciting with the lead continually fluctuating both ways. What impressed me most about the Waratahs was their ball control throughout the match and they always threatened the Sharks from every part of the field making easy yards through the direct approach by their forwards. With Berrick Barnes back in control at No.10 and the robust Tom Carter taking the ball up at inside centre the Waratahs three-quarters played with much more fluency that I have seen from them so far his year. Their 34-30 victory over the Sharks could not have come at a better time for the Waratahs who fly to New Zealand this weekend to take on the Chiefs at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton. Any game against our Kiwi neighbors isn't easy but I hope the Waratahs understand what it takes to secure victory. Playing with passion and commitment is always a good start but sticking to the game plan for the entire eighty minutes will also help their cause. The Waratahs are not an easy team to follow and they continually give cause for their fans to believe that they will never win a Super Rugby title but every now and again they just do enough to revive the spirit that keeps us watching with interest in the hope that they play like they did against the Sharks on the weekend. Mark Ella