Super Rugby: Waratahs promise much but fail to deliver - again - against Blues
IT was a new ground but we’d seen this fight before.Long before the Kiwi hoodoo was a thing, even.
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IT was a new ground but we’d seen this fight before.
Long before the Kiwi hoodoo was a thing, even.
The Waratahs loss to the Blues was a re-run of rope-a-dope, and it’s probably pretty easy to figure which team played the role of dope.
A packed out Brookvale Oval was a sign that the move to the suburbs would be a great idea next year when Allianz Stadium is re-developed.
So tick that box. But NSW will have to promise more for the fans if they hope to bring back a similarly enthused crowd.
MATCH: Waratahs go close against Blues
BAFFLING: What was Beale doing?
There was just far too little for the punters to cheer about at Brookie, and with no shortage of opportunity for the Waratahs, either.
The Tahs spent the majority of the match throwing punch after punch after punch after punch. Spoiler alert: if haven’t you’ve seen Rumble in the Jungle but just like George Foreman, the Waratahs went from punching all night to ending the night flat on the canvas.
The Blues were a long way from being Muhammad Ali but they did what they had to win despite only having 28 per cent of territory for the entire match.
The Waratahs were camped in the Blues’ half for almost three-quarters of the game but NSW couldn’t get the job done, such was their over-supply of mistakes, penalties and poor options while holding the ball.
Every time the Waratahs worked their way into a scoring position, they somewhat worked their way back out of it again.
Penalty. Knock on. Penalty. Penalty. Another penalty. Another knock-on
Some were dubious calls - aren’t they all - but the Waratahs simply couldn’t land a killer blow in the second-half.
Not they didn’t have a few clues how to go about scoring. They’d done it a couple of times in the first half.
After giving away a few tries to the Blues with errors - aren’t they all - the Tahs woke up to what amounted to success: rolling mauls and giving the ball to Israel Folau.
They scored two tries in the first half after turning to both. Folau’s work from kickoffs and at the end of the line, with Beale in support, was especially dangerous.
But then came the second half and the Waratahs somehow decided to do other things.
For blocks of five and ten minutes, the Tahs camped in the Blues’ territory. But time and again their pressure came to nothing, and nearly every time they had themselves to blame.
Penalties for silly ruck offences, playing lineout jumpers in the air and most frustratingly, turning the ball over on first phase.
Instead of using patience and wearing the Blues down with, say, some rolling mauls or Folau in a bit of space, we saw instead a pushed pass on first phase. Or a penalty. Or two penalties.
The Blues woke up briefly, came off the ropes and knocked over six points in gift-wrapped penalties before resuming their defensive stance.
Michael Hooper scored late to make a game of it and suddenly the Blues looked wobbly in the legs. Could this be the night?
Nuh-uh. A mistaken belief that they had a penalty advantage saw Beale lob a kick over to Folau for a potential match-winner.
It missed its mark and it wasn’t a penalty advantage.
The fight was over.
Originally published as Super Rugby: Waratahs promise much but fail to deliver - again - against Blues
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