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The Waratahs are the 'Penney dreadful' of the Super Rugby news stand

By Nick Turnbull
(Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

After yet another defeat, this time against the Melbourne Rebels, the 2020 Super Rugby season for the New South Wales Waratahs is starting to read out like a 19th Century penny dreadful.

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It is official, after three chapters of the 2020 story: the Waratahs are currently the worst side in the 2020 competition having not won a match, nor even really looking like doing so. Furthermore, they have conceded 14 tries in just three games and have been unable to obtain any face-saving bonus points along the way. It’s a truly unremarkable effort.

This story is already turning in to situation critical for Waratahs head coach Rob Penney and his team, yet how and why has this season already become a ‘train crash in slow motion’ when there is obvious talent and experience in both the coaching and playing staff?

What is going wrong?

Earlier this year, there was every reason to believe that the Waratahs would at least have a competitive forward pack. As it has played out thus far, their quality must be questioned.

Are they competitive? Yes. Consistent? No. Dominant? Infrequently.

How can a forward pack that contains significant international experience in the likes of Rob Simmons and Michael Hooper, coupled with the likes of Jack Dempsey, Jed Holloway, Lachie Swinton, and Tom Staniforth not be consistently ruthless at the collision? After all, they are not lacking in size or skill to do so.

Individually, each has done some exceptional work in the three games played thus far – consider Hooper’s performance in the opening round against the Crusaders as an example. Why this Waratah pack has failed to galvanize as a playing unit after three defeats, however, despite their experience, is perplexing.

It appears they have the ‘bricks’ to be a better side than they are now, but are well short on ‘mortar’.

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Rob Penney has taken on arguably the toughest job in Australian provincial rugby. He has the unenviable task of trying to implement his style of rugby into a playing group that may not entirely understand his intentions.

It is obvious from the rugby being played on the field that there is discourse or confusion somewhere within the operation as the option taking and decision-making has been substandard and has cost the Waratahs dearly.

During the press conference post the defeat in round two against the Blues when Rob Penney was addressing the media and commenting on his thoughts, his captain Rob Simmons turned and faced Penney, and appeared to give him a prolonged stare with a facial expression that exuded one of confusion.

It begs the question, are these two even on the same page? Because there does not really appear to be a consistent coherent output on the field to suggest they are.

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Against the Rebels, it was patently obvious the Waratahs did not deserve to win. Ill-discipline coupled with poor application to facets of the game, that requires no talent, were evident in the Waratahs’ performance.

At times the Rebels were allowed to exit their 22 with ease with little to no pressure coming onto the clearance kick. Furthermore, how many kicks from the Waratahs were kicked into an area that relived themselves of possession but not pressure?

This again comes back to option taking and whilst rookie flyhalf Will Harrison is handling himself admirably, he requires a more experienced rugby player than Karmichael Hunt closer to him to assist him with that decision making moving forward.

There is now speculation Kurtley Beale might be brought into the flyhalf role.

Moving Hunt into 13 and bringing Beale into 12, allowing him to assist the talented youngster, would be of greater benefit to the Waratahs in the immediate term. Such a move would allow Jack Maddocks to play from fullback where he could flourish.

A positive for the Waratahs was the performance of 19-year-old loosehead prop Angus Bell. He has the size and strength to be something special, yet technically he appeared to be packing a little too high initially and furthermore spent too much time talking to the assistant referee. More scrums and less chatter would serve him best but it’s easy to understand why the young prop is generating so much excitement.

How chapter four of this story unfolds is unknown, yet if a reader were going to buy the fourth chapter of this Penny Dreadful, they must be hard up for entertainment because the Waratahs thus far are anything but a good news story in 2020.

Rob Penney ahead of the Waratahs match against the Rebels:

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Trevor 1 hours 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.

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Bull Shark 5 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.

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