The Waratahs are finally trying to play running rugby – ”Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition”. At the end of their exciting victory over the hapless Lions, the Fox Sports commentator Greg Clark indulged himself in an orgy of statistics: 11 tries scored by the Waratahs, their highest winning score, their highest winning margin, and Drew Mitchell a record four-try spree.
It was all very heady until we remembered the calibre of the opposition. The Lions have made an art form this year of allowing opponents to rack up huge totals against them. They have conceded 228 points, 70 more than the Highlanders and Force who have both leaked 158 points.
The Waratahs weren’t perfect. Early on in the game Lachlan Turner kicked away a ball when he should have ran, and from time to time Daniel Halangahu several times indulged himself with chip kicks that gave the ball to the opposition.
In my view, especially with the new/old interpretations of the tackle ball laws now in force giving an advantage to the side going into the tackle, the old Randwick rule should be applied to all habitual chip kickers: never chip kick unless you regather the kick.
One of the great Randwick coaches used to reinforce this doctrine with the threat that if a player chip-kicked and did not regather, that player would be dropped from the side.
The Waratahs’ coaching staff should seriously consider this Randwick sanction. These days, once teams get their hands on the ball they can recycle it through phase after phase almost indefinitely, provided they go into the tackle correctly. The Lions put on one 16-phase series against the Waratahs.
They finally turned over the ball and Mitchell raced away for a try. But good teams, such as the likely tournament winners the Bulls and the Reds (a side that is getting better each game and on present form is a finals contender), are able to turn their continuity play into points on a consistent basis.
The Reds, in fact, are the revelation of the season among the Australian teams. Ewen McKenzie has converted a rabble of players into a potent, exciting and smart side. The side looks very fast around the field. They invariably take the right options. There are many ball-runners in the forwards. The back three, especially the impressive Peter Hynes, are inclined to run the ball back hard. Then Will Genia releases the backs with quick, long passes (Luke Burgess, please take note) that put the No.10, Quade Cooper, outside his defenders to set up thrilling attacks. Before the season started most of the experts rated the Waratahs a strong chance for the finals, the Brumbies an outside chance, and the Reds no chance at all. The Brumbies are fifth behind the Chiefs on points difference and remain an outside chance for the finals. The Reds are a point behind them, a strong position given their unlucky loss to the Waratahs in their first match, and the Waratahs are seventh, a point behind again, well off the finals pace.
The Reds have a bye next round. The Brumbies have a difficult match in Auckland against the Blues, and the Waratahs look to have an easy game against the Force. A bonus-point win is an absolute requirement for the Waratahs from this match. And the way to do this is to keep firing their ball-in-hand attacks.
Watching the Reds with intent. Past history aside, they look to be bringing the goods this season. Looking forward to the Reds/Brumbies game.
Picking a winner there would be difficult. Will Genia is a good leader there, maybe the REDS. 2years back it was far more easier to pick the Reds games, one just had to guess by how much they will lose.
The enormous responsibility that the Lions place on the shoulders of inside centre Doppies la Grange every week leaves no doubt who the Crusaders need to mark in Saturday’s Super 14 match in Christchurch.
La Grange, 28, has been the Lions’ outstanding backline player just about every week and is the man that can get them over the advantage line on attack.
In each of the Lions’ five games this year, La Grange carried the ball more times than any other player on the field, including the opponents.
According to rugby statistics website ruggastats.com, La Grange carried the ball 24 times in last Friday’s record defeat of 12-73 against the Waratahs in Sydney.
Among the Waratahs, wing Drew Mitchell and lock Dean Mumm were the most frequent carriers with 10 each.
La Grange was also the major ball-carrier in the previous Lions games against the Brumbies (20 times), Hurricanes (16 times), Chiefs (16 times) and Stormers (16 times).
In some games he has the ball twice as many times as any of his team-mates.
By now the Lions’ opponents should have a good idea of where the ball is going when it is moved down the backline.
However, La Grange’s power enables him to shake off tacklers, even if they know what is coming their way.
Flanker and captain Cobus Grobbelaar made the most tackles in three of the Lions’ five games this year.
However, as a team the Lions have missed more than 20 tackles in each of their last four games.
It appears as if the Lions struggle to re-align their defence when they lose possession.
They had almost 60% of the possession against the Waratahs, but lost 12-73.
With respect to the Waratahs’ position: it is now imperative they string two consecutive wins together. The Lions result was indeed uplifting for Tahs fans, let’s talk more after an attractive win against rhe cellar-dwellers!
Lions coach Dick Muir has benched former All Blacks flyhalf for his team’s Super 14 clash against the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday.
Kick-off is at 06:30 SA time.
Spencer, who has come under fire for his performances to date, has been replaced by Burton Francis.
In other changes, wing Tonderai Chavhanga drops out of the match-day 22 and is replaced by Wigan Pekeur. Scrumhalf JP Joubert, who is replaced by Jano Vermaak, also finds himself with the weekend off.
Hooker Hannes Franklin is the sole front row survivor from the Lions’ 73-12 defeat to the Waratahs and will scrum down alongside Ross Geldenhuys and JC Janse van Rensburg with Heinke van der Merwe set to start on the bench, while Kevin Buys gets a break.
Lions:
15. Earl Rose, 14. Wigan Pekeur, 13. Walter Venter, 12. Doppies la Grange, 11. Wandile Mjekevu, 10. Burton Francis, 9. Jano Vermaak, 8. Todd Clever, 7. Derick Minnie, 6. Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), 5. Franco van der Merwe, 4. George Earle, 3. Ross Geldenhuys, 2. Hannes Franklin, 1. JC Janse van Rensburg
Substitutes: 16. Charles Emslie, 17. Heinke van der Merwe, 18. Willem Stoltz, 19. Robert Kruger/Jacques Lombaard, 20. Jacques Coetzee, 21. Carlos Spencer, 22. Michael Killian
Reds arguably the suprize package of the tournie so far…
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