'Four years of mismanagement': Inexperienced Waratahs not to blame for season from hell
Proud club man Morgan Turinui has laid the blame for the NSW Waratahs’ season from hell squarely on the front office, not the rookie players.
The rampant Chiefs consigned the Waratahs to an historic winless campaign with a 40-7 beating at Brookvale Oval on Saturday night.
Winger Sean Wainui bagged a record five tries as the Waratahs slumped to an Australian-record 13th consecutive defeat.
Turinui feels for the greenhorn line-up and interim co-coaches Chris Whitaker and Jason Gilmore, who inherited a team of largely Super Rugby novices after Rob Penney was sacked mid-season.
Penney, too, had little to work with after more than 1800 caps in Super Rugby experience, including Test captain Michael Hooper and fellow Wallabies stars Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale, Nick Phipps and Sekope Kepu ventured overseas.
Former chief executive Andrew Hore and Daryl Gibson – after four years as head coach – both departed the Waratahs at the end of 2019, the mass exodus leaving the once-champion franchise in tatters.
“Let’s not forget that the real reason the Waratahs have struggled this year is four years of mismanagement of lists – recruitment, retention, talent identification pathways,” Turinui said on Stan Sport.
“We’re judging them on on-field performance on the back of that. So that’s the context, right.”
Former Waratahs and Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, who guided NSW to their first and only Super Rugby crown in 2014, implored hierarchy to pin their faith in the young brigade led by goalkicking playmaker Will Harrison.
“There is a core group of players that are here at the Waratahs right now that they need to keep and bring through because the scars of the grief that they’ve been getting will be the birth of the successes that they will have later on because they won’t want to go through this again,” Cheika said.
Not a bad way for the Chiefs to finish the season but for the Waratahs? Yikes. #SuperRugbyTT #WARvCHIhttps://t.co/VPKXTkIRt3
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 12, 2021
“It’s that simple. If you do and you want to sit through that again, then you don’t deserve that contract.
“I’m sure guys like Will Harrison – and there’s a group of eight or nine of them – that they need to keep rolling so those scars turn into the success of later years.”
After questioning whether the Waratahs were in denial about their defensive issues last week, Cheika doubled down after they conceded 265 points in their five Trans-Tasman losses to New Zealand opposition.
“I just think defence is an integral part of the spiritual side of your team, where the energy comes from and where the long game is won,” he said.
“And I think perhaps they ignored that a little bit and you don’t hear a lot of commentary about it.
“They have obviously (spoken of defence) in training and that. I understand that. I’ve been in there, I’ve been in their exact situation, getting criticised for many things.
“But I think players have to take it upon themselves to say ‘I need to make my tackles, I need to connect with my man next to me’ and that shows about spirit inside of a team.
“That’s a starting point. Then there’s obviously lots of other things. There’s no one fix.
“But one thing I’m never going to do mate, never, is be scathing about my old team because I’m a fan. I’ll be supporting them.
“I want to see them be successful as much as anyone else here who supports them, especially being a past coach and a part of it.”
– Darren Walton
Comments on RugbyPass
Utter grub, hope he gets his leg broken. Shocking he is still playing after intentionally breaking quinn tupaeas knee
2 Go to commentsGreat to see NZ 7s teams finally coming into form and playing at the level that is expected of them.
2 Go to commentsChief Cheapshot on the market again.
2 Go to commentsCrusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
10 Go to commentsJoe S has some talent to pick from. The Reds loosies look the best in Super? Aus might just give Razor a headache this year. Int. experience v Cantab greenhorn:) Should be fun.
10 Go to commentsEnd to end play, “THE FANS” this game was entertainment of the best. The conditions added to the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsSorry to say, but sadly the sadas were just ordinary and havilli at 10 as an abs selection just won’t cut it. He’s better suited in the centre’s and is a victim of past charge down kicks, he’s too slow under pressure. There’s better talent further north and I don’t mean dmac however I believe razor will sort him out. A feature of his presents on the park is the fact that the guys will follow him.
10 Go to commentsMarler was brilliant throughout both in the scrum and open play. His slap made virtually no contact with Ramos who milked it for a penalty when he could have been a decent sportsman and laughed it off, it was non-violent and shouldn't have been penalised. Smith failed repeatedly to kick when necessary and put up a couple of bombs into the TLS 22 that just handed back possession at key moments to the other side.
3 Go to commentsCros was outstanding and rightly awarded France TVs player of the match award. Mallia was brilliant as usual (the y is below the 6 on a UK keyboard and he deserves better than that). Level also seems to have been scored harshly as he walked the ball into touch under pressure from a Lynagh kick from well outside his own half which should never have led to a 50-22. Agree with BullShark that Dupont, while class at times, seemed to go missing for patches in the second half with props, hookers and wings frequently filling in at 9 as he couldn't get off the deck and up to the next ruck on time. A 7 by his standards at best, his kicking was also too long, too often. Kinghorn's overall contribution was worth well more than a five.
3 Go to commentsThe Harlequins team must be in minus figures. Did the reporter actually watch the game?
3 Go to commentsHow on earth did Walker escape a red card? Not dangerous? Dupont has his face in a mask earlier this season. Shocking decision. What is the point of TMOs? We had the Fassi ‘non-penalty try’ yesterday and now this.
2 Go to commentsCould have been a different result but yet again French tv able to affect the result by not showing the very clear high shot on harlequin centre if this would have been on a French player would have been on screen at least five times
3 Go to commentsAmazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
3 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
2 Go to commentsVery generous! If you’d missed the game, reading this you’d conclude that it was the Quins front row that cost them the game. Marler getting a blanket 6 for his demented contribution to the game. Puzzling.
3 Go to commentsCan’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to commentsHarlequins doing their best to do as little damage as possible with all the possession. Looks like they skipped catch and pass drills this week.
7 Go to commentsSeeing pictures of Jacques high-fiving it with Irish players breaks my heart. Too soon. I need more time.
1 Go to commentsquins is all over the place. The minute they get the ball they panic. Quins can still win tho just need to win all rucks otherwise just don't bother.
7 Go to comments