Waratahs unceremoniously exit the finals race.

Written By: Sagerian on May 25, 2010 No Comment

People are surprisingly patriotic sometimes.

As some of you may know, I was one of the Waratahs supporters who went up to QLD earlier this year to cheer on my Waratahs as they played the Reds. It was a true festival of hate and I left there with many comments regarding my team, my state and my sexual preference still ringing in my ears.

If you told me then that some people from QLD, and even WA (but apparently not ACT, who some claim are the “classier” bunch), would cheer on the Waratahs if they were the only Australian team in the semi-finals, I would have laughed at you without a doubt.

But there it was last week. Support for a Waratahs team that was very much David verses the stifling defence of the Goliath Stormers. It somehow made me feel better about the Waratahs chances, but unfortunately it was some of the same rugby we’ve seen for years, and there was never going to be a reward for playing conservatively.

So where to start. Before kickoff, we knew there was not going to be a home grand final for the Waratahs even if they went on to win the game. That was fine by me, so long as the Tahs just played to their strengths. Unless I’m blind (and I was pretty drunk by the time the Stormers scored their only try of the match), the Waratahs lack a reliable plan B. It surprises me that a professional rugby team that presumably spend time studying game footage, can’t put together multiple game plans.

The crash and bash rugby, which hasn’t really been a strength of the Waratahs this year, was employed in order to beat a bigger team. If Palu was in the squad, this may have been a viable option when paired with using the weapons in the backline, but I don’t recall Rob Horne getting much, and our very dangerous back three didn’t seem to get good ball.

On the four or so occasions the Tahs made a break and got inside the 22, panic took over through a combination of dropped ball and reckless passes, contributing to 27 turnovers. A semi final can’t be won when you don’t take the limited chances you get.

The same panic and lack of patience was evident on defence as well, giving away too many kickable penalties. In my view, the game was lost by the Waratahs through the following.