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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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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

44 Go to comments
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