Just deserts as NSW serve up poor fare

[travelling_gerry]

Just deserts as NSW serve up poor fare

Greg Growden | March 14, 2009


MEDIOCRITY eventually had to be punished.

The Waratahs had got away for far too long this season with playing mundane, snooze-inducing rugby, and they suffered the consequences when the Brumbies exposed their many frailties last night.

If your hackneyed, midfield kicking game is off-key, as it was with the Waratahs at Canberra Stadium, you are in big trouble. You are also in enormous strife if the passes suddenly don't stick, you can't kick with any sense of direction, key players have brain explosions, the luck runs out, there is no plan B and your only ally is the referee, who gives you an incredible leg-up.

You are also toying with danger when you select players with injuries, as the Waratahs did last night when they included Wycliff Palu, despite a fracture in his left hand. It always comes back to haunt you, especially when NSW's hooker, Tatafu Polota-Nau, also had to continue playing, despite suffering a hideous head knock the previous round against the Reds.

You can get away with these dubious tactics for only so long, and for NSW it hit them last night when their unbeaten run ended in mind-shattering circumstances. Adding to the visitors' exasperation was that for most of the night their opponents weren't exactly brilliant. The Brumbies also seemed keen to show off their inadequacies, but they kept it together at the right time to shut the Waratahs down to just one try, and win through two second-half tries.

Maybe it was the early match psych-out that had the Waratahs all aquiver. Just metres away from where the Waratahs did their pre-match drills, the electronic scoreboard was playing Brumbies' try after try from previous NSW encounters. Larkham, Gregan, Mortlock, Fenukitau, Smith, Gerrard . . . they were cutting them to pieces.

Or maybe it was everywhere the Waratahs looked they were surrounded by Brumbies. Even the South African touch judge Pro Legoete, who just loved thrusting out his flag, was a George Gregan lookalike.

Whatever it was, the Waratahs were in a complete tizz during the first half.
First, Luke Burgess wasted a great first-minute NSW thrust when after several midfield charges he spoiled all that good momentum with an aimless box kick into the quarter that went straight down ACT fullback Mark Gerrard's throat. What was the point of that?

It didn't help shortly after when Burgess obviously saw someone he knew on the Brumbies reserves bench and decided to pass to him, missing three teammates and embarrassingly hurtling it over the sideline.


Then fullback Sam Norton-Knight wanted to be part of Comedy Capers by belting the ball out on the full. Adding to the chaos was that Waratahs goalkicker Kurtley Beale lost his bearings, believing that the target was the goal-post, smashing two shots in a row into the right upright, missing another, until at his fourth easy attempt he at last potted one.

This was becoming a complete embarrassment and the Brumbies weren't helping an average spectacle by also playing blunderathon football, which made it so much easier for the Waratahs defensive line.

And the Waratahs, who do love moaning about the referee, have no reason to whinge about the whistleblower, because South Africa's Mark Lawrence was forever sympathetic to their cause.

The occasional thrill and relentless spills continued in the second half, but Stirling Mortlock and Adam Ashley-Cooper at least succeeded in turning Lote Tuqiri around to score.

Then ACT prop Ben Alexander showed off his beavering skills to put the win beyond doubt.

But there were still too many baffling and unsatisfying moments to make this match memorable.

No wonder Robbie Deans and co must be relieved that if this is the best Australian rugby can offer, thank goodness the Wallabies don't have to play for several more months. It can only pick up.

At the moment what is on offer from the four Australian teams is not exactly enlightening. Lukewarm porridge is a more apt description.


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[zimeric]

geez pieman .. my you ARE pissed off at your team this morning!!!

[GIGS20]

Somebody slipped an extra serve of grumpy in HIS morning pie(s)

Seriously, it wasn't that bad......yeah, they lost, but they were pretty dominant for much of the game, the Brumbies just had AWESOME defence, that was the story of the night, great defence, and no real plan for what to do if somebody resists the battering ram for more than a 1/2 dozen phases.

take note, turn up to the defensive breakdown against the 'Tahs and you can take them!

[Cookie]

Growl-den has been waiting for the opportunity to rubbish the tahs since he predicted them to fail at the start of the season.....as long as he stays of the TWF's back,he can bag whoever he likes.

The Brumbies defence was good,they've obviously learnt something from the force game.

[Burgs]

A tad of an over reaction but refreshing to see he is actually prepared to lay the boots into his own on occassion!

[tragic]

Crikey. What a grumpy-bum. If this is what he's like when the Tahs are near the top of the ladder, what's he going to be like when they slip below 4th?

Or was he just slipped a dodgy pie?

[zimeric]

why does he always have to relate the Tahs to food?

[tragic]

"Write what you know", zim.

[blueandblack]

Crikey. What a grumpy-bum. If this is what he's like when the Tahs are near the top of the ladder, what's he going to be like when they slip below 4th?

Or was he just slipped a dodgy pie?

dodgy pie with some spicy flavouring maybe.

[tic]

It was nice of the Reds to soften up the Tahs, so the Brumbies to go in for the kill.

[GIGS20]

Will you be doing the same to the Sharks.......please?

[The Man]

MEDIOCRITY eventually had to be punished.


Good to hear GG is never going to write another column!

[robyn <3]

Grumble grumble grumble grumble grumble grumble... Did someone put a turd in his breakfast?