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'Four years of mismanagement': Inexperienced Waratahs not to blame for season from hell

Will Harrison. (Photo by Clay Cross/Photosport)

Proud club man Morgan Turinui has laid the blame for the NSW Waratahs’ season from hell squarely on the front office, not the rookie players.

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The rampant Chiefs consigned the Waratahs to an historic winless campaign with a 40-7 beating at Brookvale Oval on Saturday night.

Winger Sean Wainui bagged a record five tries as the Waratahs slumped to an Australian-record 13th consecutive defeat.

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Turinui feels for the greenhorn line-up and interim co-coaches Chris Whitaker and Jason Gilmore, who inherited a team of largely Super Rugby novices after Rob Penney was sacked mid-season.

Penney, too, had little to work with after more than 1800 caps in Super Rugby experience, including Test captain Michael Hooper and fellow Wallabies stars Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale, Nick Phipps and Sekope Kepu ventured overseas.

Former chief executive Andrew Hore and Daryl Gibson – after four years as head coach – both departed the Waratahs at the end of 2019, the mass exodus leaving the once-champion franchise in tatters.

“Let’s not forget that the real reason the Waratahs have struggled this year is four years of mismanagement of lists – recruitment, retention, talent identification pathways,” Turinui said on Stan Sport.

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“We’re judging them on on-field performance on the back of that. So that’s the context, right.”

Former Waratahs and Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, who guided NSW to their first and only Super Rugby crown in 2014, implored hierarchy to pin their faith in the young brigade led by goalkicking playmaker Will Harrison.

“There is a core group of players that are here at the Waratahs right now that they need to keep and bring through because the scars of the grief that they’ve been getting will be the birth of the successes that they will have later on because they won’t want to go through this again,” Cheika said.

“It’s that simple. If you do and you want to sit through that again, then you don’t deserve that contract.

“I’m sure guys like Will Harrison – and there’s a group of eight or nine of them – that they need to keep rolling so those scars turn into the success of later years.”

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After questioning whether the Waratahs were in denial about their defensive issues last week, Cheika doubled down after they conceded 265 points in their five Trans-Tasman losses to New Zealand opposition.

“I just think defence is an integral part of the spiritual side of your team, where the energy comes from and where the long game is won,” he said.

“And I think perhaps they ignored that a little bit and you don’t hear a lot of commentary about it.

“They have obviously (spoken of defence) in training and that. I understand that. I’ve been in there, I’ve been in their exact situation, getting criticised for many things.

“But I think players have to take it upon themselves to say ‘I need to make my tackles, I need to connect with my man next to me’ and that shows about spirit inside of a team.

“That’s a starting point. Then there’s obviously lots of other things. There’s no one fix.

“But one thing I’m never going to do mate, never, is be scathing about my old team because I’m a fan. I’ll be supporting them.

“I want to see them be successful as much as anyone else here who supports them, especially being a past coach and a part of it.”

– Darren Walton

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R
RedWarrior 1 hour ago
Three-way race to be number one in World Rugby men's rankings

IF SA and NZ win then its 1,2,3 SA/NZ/IRL Otherwise as you were. This is largely irrelevant beyond bragging rights.


As I have pointed out elsewhere the practical use of the Rankings is to determine the seedings bands for the RWC draw. The draw takes place early 2026 and hopefully the rankings will be taken from then.


Important to be in the top 6, the top 12. (and likely the top 4).

This is because there are now 6 groups in the RWC 2027.

If you are in top 6 you are in Seeding Band 1. That means none of the other top 6 will be in your group.

Seeding Band 2 are teams from 7-12, who will have a top 6 team but no other 7-12 team.

After England's defeat by NZ there is clear water between NZ in 3rd, France in 4th and England in 5th. England are desperate for top4, ill come back and explain why later.

Lets look at Seeding Band 1 and 6th place. If you make 6th, no top 6 team is in your group, you are top dog. If you win your group, you won't be facing a top 6 team in your 1/8th final, you will be facing a weaker team. If you fail to make 6th place you WILL have a top 6 team in your group and if you don't win your group you WILL (probably) meet a top 6 in the 1/8 final. That's massive.


Its Argentina holding 6th now. Assuming England hold 5th, then its a 4 horse race for 6th. Argentina, Scotland, Italy and ...Australia. (ranked 6,7,8,9)

Australia play the Lions in NH summer 2025 they are running out of time to get up to 6th for their own RWC. They MUST make a move now. They must beat Wales and they really must beat Scotland to gain points and take points off them. Could they surprise England or Ireland? England may be the better bet but Schmidt knows Ireland so well having masterminded their downfall in France.

Another one to watch is Italy V Argentina. Italy are ambitious and they will want to start pushing the likes of Argentina. If they win this they are still in the hunt. Well worth a watch either way.


Top4: I think the top 6 will be seeded, all the way through from the draw. If thats the case then the top 4 will be seeded to avoid each other until the semi. Good for more certainty around ticket sales etc. That's a possible reason why England want in there. You're not in there you are hitting a top 4 team in a QF. That's an extra 50:50 match you can do without and avoid by being top 4.


Lets look at what Seeding bands might look like with todays rankings:


Seeding Band 1

IRE/SA/NZ/FRA/ENG/ARG

Seeding Band 2

SCO/ITA/AUS/FIJ/WAL/GEO


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: FIJI

1/8 final opponent GEORGIA

Prognosis: advance to 1/4 and potentially beyond


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if NOT in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: SOUTH AFRICA

1/8 final opponent NEW ZEALAND

Prognosis: You know the prognosis


I am pretty sure this is not lost on Joe Schmidt?


Keep in mind when enjoying the matches.

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