One could argue that the one coach who should be most sated after round one of Super Rugby was Michael Foley, who watched his Waratahs come within the brink of upsetting the defending champions – and finally ensure a NSW season begins with the amount of hype and expectation attached to Australia’s most prolific rugby state.
However it was Foley’s opposite Ewen McKenzie whose bellow of kept up air was audible at the conclusion of the match, when wing Dom Shipperley scored the match winner after a moment of madness from reserve scrumhalf Brendan McKibbin.
At that point Waratahs supporters were already venting, wondering why the young number nine was on the field in the first place, as man-of-the-match Sarel Pretorius was the most threatening player on the field before being subbed.
With the home team looking lively for the scalp of the title holders with moments to play, the Waratahs had possession but centre Tom Carter directed McKibbin to kick.
Moments later the clichés were complete, as Reds reserve Ben Lucas scooped the pass onto Ben Tapuai, who fed it to a charging Shipperley to score.
The truism for the Waratahs was that rugby is an 80 minute contest, and that more often than not to giveaway possession is a cardinal sin, and to ignore both coaching lines taught while still in the crib is something that Foley and his troops will not want to do again.
Meanwhile the Reds gleefully took the win to give them the veneer of a champion, an outfit that can triumph despite the odds, that never drops their heads even with mere seconds left on the game clock.
Crucially however, while the Waratahs may have boasted scrum dominance, greater ferocity at the ruck and some well drilled defence – the Reds were always looking eager and for runners, and the final try came quite simply from team-mates running off each other’s shoulders, while more than one home team score was catapulted by inadequate supporting play.
Down in Canberra a Brumbies team rolled up their sleeves and ground out a victory over a willing Force, in a match that had World Cup winning Springboks coach Jake White’s influence all over it.
The Force, who showed last season their technical proficiency at the breakdown, courtesy of possibly the best battalion of loose forwards in the conference, were blunted by the co-ordination of the Brumbies pack.
The Brumbies had to shut down shop on defence at times, but it was almost cruelly displayed how the Force will miss the offensive genius of James O’Connor, with the Perth based franchise missing a decisive strike out wide.
That was in contrast to the Brumbies, whose prowess at the set piece was encapsulated by a stellar display in the air, pinching Force throws at will as the “back to basics” approach preached by White was evident in Canberra’s first Super Rugby match of the season.
Of further boost to the loyal in Canberra was the enthusiasm shown by the Brumbies backs including Robbie Coleman and Nic White.
Next week the Reds will entertain the Force in Suncorp Stadium’s first match of the title defence, and with the visitors falling by just one point during their last Brisbane visit, it will be fascinating to see if the battle unfolds in similar fashion on Saturday.
The Reds showed they can cope (so far) without the mercurial talents of Quade Cooper, and their 2011 trademark of quickly adjusting tactically week in, week out, will be eagerly anticipated as they run out onto the hallowed ground where they lifted the Super Rugby crown last year for the first time.
The Rebels will make their regular season debut against the Waratahs, and the delicious anticipation in that encounter is that AAMI Park is becoming a regular supporters cauldron, while the talents of James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale will eagerly test a simple but effective NSW defence.
The Brumbies, who sit on top of the Australian Conference table after the first round, will take the bye this week.
Australian Conference Round One:
Brumbies 19 – 17 Force
Waratahs 21 – 25 Reds
Bye: Rebels
Australian Conference Round Two:
2 March – Rebels v Waratahs @ AAMI Park
3 March – Reds v Force @ Suncorp Stadium
Bye – Brumbies