• Fixtures
• Results

Tahs win bore-a-thon

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:59

Doubtful: Waratahs captain Phil Waugh

The Waratahs held on for a pedestrian 14-10 win over the Western Force in Perth on Saturday in what must rate as the least exciting game of the Super 14 season.

The teams scored one try each in a game that never reached any great heights as a spectacle, and the only real excitment came in the last few minutes when both teams tried desperately to secure the win.

There appeared to be little or no exuberance from the players. The skills were ordinary, the decision-making too often poor, there were 22 penalties and a free kick, and there was an abundance of lateral movement by both teams, with precious little penetration.

Contrast this game with Friday's match between the Blues and Brumbies and the assessment of the skills, option-taking, incisiveness, and even the enthusiasm of the playes, is rendered all the more difficult to appreciate.

The positive for the Force is that they did at least collect a losing bonus point as a reward for a step-up in determination and competitiveness from previous games, but it was not sufficient to upstage the Waratahs, who were not at their best but did just about enough to secure the tight victory.

The Waratahs will celebrate the win because it moved them to fourth on the log, but they will be all too aware that they will need to improve by leaps and bounds to be serious semi-final contenders.

The 18 turnovers conceded by the Waratahs will be a specific concern for coach Chris Hickey as a more capable attacking team than the Force would turn this into points.

The Force won 54 per cent of possession but they conceded 15 penalties to the seven given away by the Waratahs and in the end this was decisive, as the visitors goaled three penalties to the home team's one penalty, and penalties cost the Force great attacking opportunities as well.

The Waratahs took a 3-0 lead in the second minute through a close-range Berrick Barnes penalty goal after the Force had infringed in a line-out.

From the kick-off the Force took the ball through 17 phases, switching direction cleverly, but were penalised for failing to release on the ground in front of the Waratahs posts as they attempted to secure their 18th phase.

The Force were enjoying a territorial advantage and in the 10th minute, when the Waratahs were penalised for obstruction, James O'Connor kicked a penalty goal to level the score at 3-3.

Barnes missed a sitter of a penalty from close to the uprights two minutes later and Brett Sheehan came close for the Force with a kick from the halfway line.

The first try came in the 16th minute as Daniel Halangahu stuck through a neat attacking grubber and Drew Mitchell skilfully picked the rolling ball up off the ground to score seven metres in from touch. Barnes' kick again flew wide right but the Waratahs were ahead 8-3.

The Force struck back in the 25th minute when Scott Staniforth scored from an interception and O'Connor converted to put the home team ahead for the first time in the game (10-8).

That was the end of the scoring in an even first half. The Force had won 53 per cent of possession but had conceded eight penalties to the four of the Waratahs, while the visitors had given away ten turnovers and the home side only four.

The Force probably just about deserved their narrow lead because of their tight defence and their continuity on attack - albeit much of it lateral.

At the start of the second half, Ryan Cross intercepted for the Force but didn't have the pace to finish and then Sosene Anesi had a chance to set up Mitchell on his outside for a possible try for the Waratahs but he held onto the ball and the movement died.

In the 51st minute the Waratahs had their first scrum put-in of the game. They attacked strongly but could not penetrate the Force defence and were pressurised into errors.

However, they regained the lead in the 57th minute when tighthead prop Tim Fairbrother was penalised for not binding at a scrum in front of his posts just outside the 22 and Halangahu goaled to put the visitors up 11-10.

The Waratahs continued territorial advantage in the half paid dividends again as the Force were penalised at a ruck 15 metres in from touch and Halangahu goaled to stretch the lead to 14-10.

The Force attacked strongly and after an elusive run by O'Connor had stretched the defence inside the 22, the Force went over the goal-line but the TMO adjudged that they were held up. At their five metre scrum Fairbrother was again pinged by the referee for incorrect binding and the chance to take the lead was lost.

The Force had another five metre scrum soon after that but an indecisive replacement scrumhalf Chris O'Young fluffed the opportunity to attack the goal-line and the Waratahs regained possession with a strong counter-ruck.

From a penalty on the halfway line, O'Connor kicked a superb touch, but despite the line-out six metres from the Waratahs tryline and then a penalty five metres out and concerted attack, the Force were not able to score as they were twice penalised inside the 22 for failing to release on the ground - with Waratahs skipper Phil Waugh prominent in saving the game as he put pressure on the Force ball-carriers in the tackle.

The Force had enjoyed territorial advantage towards the end after struggling to gain territory earlier in the half, but their inability to crack the Waratahs defence cost them the game - and two penalties against them for not binding and two for a tackled player not releasing, were crucial.

Man of the Match: Waratahs wing Drew Mitchell was the one back on the field who looked consistently dangerous with ball in hand. For the Force, Matt Hodgson's workrate on both defence and attack was exceptional. Locks Nathan Sharpe (Force) and Dean Mumm (Waratahs) both had fine games, as did flanks Phil Waugh (Waratahs) and Ben McCalman (Force). But the Man of the Match must be Waratahs hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau, who was as effective as always in the set pieces and powerful on the drive - he carries the ball more often and more potently than most players in any position.

The scorers:

To the Western Force:
Try: Staniforth
Con: O'Connor
Pen: O'Connor

To the Waratahs:
Try: Mitchell
Pens: Barnes, Halangahu 2

Teams:

Western Force: 15 Mark Bartholomeusz, 14 Scott Staniforth, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 James O'Connor, 11 Nick Cummins, 10 David Hill, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Richard Stanford, 7 Matt Hodgson, 6 Ben McCalman, 5 Nathan Sharpe (captain), 4 Sam Wykes, 3 Tim Fairbrother, 2 Ryan Tyrrell, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Ben Whittaker, 17 Kieran Longbottom, 18 Tom Hockings, 19 Luke Jones, 20 Chris O'Young, 21 Mitch Inman, 22 Pek Cowan.

Waratahs: 15 Sosene Anesi, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Tom Carter, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Daniel Halangahu, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Ben Mowen, 7 Phil Waugh (captain), 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Damien Fitzpatrick, 17 Dan Palmer, 18 Will Caldwell, 19 Locky McCaffrey, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Kurtley Beale, 22 Rob Horne.

Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Stuart Dickinson (Australia), Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)
TMO: Julian Pritchard (Australia)

By Len Kaplan

Contact Us | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Advertising

This site requires cookies to be enabled!

Send Feedback on Rugby365!

News | Tournaments | SA Schools

Copyright © 2009 Primedia Online. All rights reserved. Developed by Primedia Online