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Folau-less Waratahs continue to plummet down the Super Rugby ladder

By Online Editors
Kurtley Beale of the Waratahs. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images)

NSW Waratahs are bracing themselves for a tense battle over the final six rounds of the Super Rugby regular season after losing ground in the race for the finals.

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A loss to the Bulls in South Africa on Saturday leaves last season’s Australian conference champions with just four wins from 10 matches – a victory over the Melbourne Rebels their only success in the past five starts.

Sitting fourth in the Australian conference on 21 points, the Waratahs face the prospect of knocking off the Lions in Johannesburg next Saturday night to avoid slipping further behind their local rivals.

Amid the drama surrounding Israel Folau’s code of conduct hearing with Rugby Australia and the announcement of assistant coach Simon Cron’s impending departure to Japanese rugby in 2020, the depleted Waratahs performed admirably in defeat at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

“It was pleasing that we stayed in the fight,” coach Daryl Gibson said after going down 28-21 to the Bulls in Pretoria.

“I thought we showed some nice touches with the ball in hand but disappointed that we had some opportunities that we didn’t nail.”

The Waratahs overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half to draw level but a lapse in concentration with 10 minutes to play proved costly as Bulls replacement prop Simphiwe Matanzima drove over for the match-winning try.

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“When we got back to 21-all, there was a big moment there where we had a restart, I felt we didn’t exit our area well and the Bulls were able to generate a score off a lineout, which we know they are very good at,” Gibson said.

While the Waratahs looked dangerous in open play, they were no match for the hosts at the set piece.

“In terms of the game, the Bulls had dominance at scrum time on the day and I think that proved the difference between the two sides,” Gibson said.

Despite Saturday’s 29-19 defeat to the Hurricanes in Wellington, the Rebels still lead the Australian conference.

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The Brumbies joined the Rebels on 24 points with a 26-21 victory over the Blues in Canberra, hooker Folau Fainga’a bagging a hat-trick of tries – they have played an extra game than each of their Australian counterparts.

The Reds remain in striking distance on 22 points courtesy of an ugly 32-26 home triumph over the Sunwolves in a match that had one red card and five yellows issued – with the Toyko-based franchise down to 12 players at one stage.

Nic White’s Wallaby dream still alive: 

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Trevor 45 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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