Super12 2002 - Round Nine
Waratahs 19 defeated Brumbies 11 (Sydney)
juggernaut
/'juguhnawt/ noun
1. anything requiring blind devotion or extreme sacrifice.
2. any large, relentless, destructive force. --verb (i)
3. to proceed relentlessly.
Sound familiar? It bloody well should. Without wishing to
completely discard any semblance of objective observation, I'm going to indulge
in a little unabashed Waratah worship.
For supporting NSW has required blind devotion and - at times - extreme
sacrifice. They've been dreadful in the past. Really dreadful. Incredibly
piss poor. You get the picture. Divided and ponderous, they have been the
perennial underachievers of the Super12. And their fans have suffered with
them.
But the Waratahs of 2002 have - against all odds - finally
realised their potential. In a match that was a complete dud as a spectacle,
but a fierce contest nonetheless, the 'Tahs won a battle of attrition against
the glamour team of the Super12 - the ACT Brumbies. Through commitment, skill
and team work, they have become a large, relentless, destructive force,
albeit a large, relentless, destructive force with a shitty lineout.
By contrast, the Brumbies appear to be a team somewhat in decline. In the
face of opponents with bustling defence, they have faltered. Sure, they're
still recycling the ball and securing an outrageous amount of possession,
but this year they have been less able to convert that possession into points
on the board. The backline just doesn't look as potent, and hasn't been helped
by the departures of Joe Roff and Rod Kafer, or the poor form of Andrew Walker.
Stirling Mortlock has been their main attacking weapon, and he was MIA for
most of Saturday night's game courtesy of a fairly serious ankle injury, which
will probably see him sidelined for at least the remainder of the Super12
preliminary rounds.
Then there's the small matter of not having a reliable goalkicker. Regular visitors to this site will know that that has been one of my gripes for quite some time - that the Brumbies' lack of a reliable 80% kicker would start costing them vital games if and when the rest of the pack started catching up to them. With an ace boot, they could have won this game, or at the very least secured a vital bonus point for losing by seven points or less. Now they face the very real prospect of missing out on a semifinals berth. I'm not prepared to write them off just yet, but victory over the Highlanders this weekend will be absolutely critical.
I'm in two minds about the referee, Andy Turner. He sure does like blowing that whistle, but both the Brumbies and the Waratahs gave him little choice, infringing repeatedly to gain whatever advantage they could at the breakdown. Though I am still mystified as to why Mat Rogers got punted for ten. Possibly a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it did seem a particularly harsh call.
There were great performances all over the field for the Waratahs,
but two members of the tight five deserve particular praise. Matt Dunning
showed that he has all the skills, and will develop into a very fine international
prop. I'm not sure that Bob Dwyer would have been all that impressed to see
him skylarking on the wing when he retrieved that kick and scurried back up
the sideline, but he came through - as he so often does - and saved the day.
His defence was also outstanding, and - perhaps most significantly - he is
maturing as a scrummager. And then there's Tom Bowman, a man who has been
in the representative wilderness and badly out of form for some years now.
He is now showing some of the form which saw him labelled as the next John
Eales in the late 90s. And so NSW finds itself with three top notch locks
in Jono West, Van Humphries and Bowman. An embarrassment of riches.
All the pieces are falling into place for the Waratahs. The right coach. The
right captain. The right talent. Depth at all positions. Semifinals bound,
but not there just yet. Three tough matches to go. May they proceed relentlessly.
- Dan Fowell
Reds 27 defeated Cats 15 (Johannesburg)
The Reds got it done against the Cats. Nothing too flash (though Chris Latham scored a heck of an individual try), but this was potentially a danger game for the Queenslanders, being the first of a two game tour of South Africa, and also being a match played at altitude.
The Cats' form has been lacklustre all season, and was no better against Queensland. They face the Crusaders next week, a match they will lose. Then come two local derbies - against the Stormers and the Sharks. And although matches against their fellow South Africans probably represent their best chances for victory, it would not be at all surprising if they finish the competition with just one victory - against the only slightly more wretched Bulls.
Despite the paucity of quality opposition, the Reds will consider this a good day at the office, securing a precious bonus point for scoring four tries. They now move into the Top Four on the table, joining the Crusaders, Waratahs and Brumbies.
The Reds have a tough run home, and will need to win at least two of their final three matches - against the Sharks (away), Waratahs (home), and Highlanders (away) - to have any chance of making the semifinals.
Much will hinge on the fitness of Elton Flatley, who left the field injured against the Cats. His ability to organise the Reds' backline and his goalkicking were sorely missed following his departure. The Reds will need to have Flatley back on deck if the momentum they have generated towards the end of the competition is to continue to build.
- Dan Fowell
