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Waratahs looking to regain dominance – Super Rugby 2018 Preview

Waratahs Preview

It’s been three seasons since the Waratahs took home their maiden title, and each one has been worse than the last. From an 11-win season in 2015 that saw the side finish 2nd in the round-robin, the Waratahs fell to their worst ever result in 2017 only managing four wins.

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For Kiwi coach Daryl Gibson this season will be make-or-break. The deterioration of the side’s results under his watch hasn’t gone to plan for the Waratah’s succession planning. Gibson was the backs coach during the 2014 championship season.

“2018 is a new start for us, at a new home with a new attitude and approach. We are fully aware of the expectations there are of us as a team and me as a coach. Aside from the obvious goal of winning, we want to implement a style of play that we are known for,” Gibson told Green and Gold Rugby.

 “At the same time, we want to be a fit and mobile team which is reflective of the players we have recruited.

The biggest off-season addition is the return of superstar Kurtley Beale, who is expected to return at inside centre and re-form his successful combination with Israel Folau. Beale’s biggest benefactor will arguably be flyhalf Bernard Foley, who plays best when Beale shoulders some of the load.

Incumbent halves Nick Phipps and Foley may come under pressure from young pairing Jake Gordon and Mack Mason. Gordon especially, gives the Waratahs a running game from 9 that Phipps cannot. Mason is an Australian under-20 flyhalf that could be the Waratahs future at 10.

One of the shortcomings of last season was only having one true centre in Rob Horne on the roster, with Folau offered as cover. The return of Beale, as well as the signing of Force star Curtis Rona and Bay of Plenty mid-fielder Lalakai Foketi has bolstered the midfield depth. One of the NRC’s best emerging players of a couple of seasons ago, centre Irae Simone, could also be ready for a breakthrough season.

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There is no question of talent at the Waratahs, with three of best players in the World in Michael Hooper, Israel Folau and Kurtley Beale. The bigger question will be whether they can finally pull it together under Gibson’s structures and a young pack.

There were suggestions last year the pack was ‘unbalanced’, with too many ball-handlers in the back row and not enough big bodies to bring physicality. The addition of Rob Simmons from the Reds should add some size and lineout stability, as well as young Brumbies lock Tom Staniforth who makes the move north to chase a starting role.

Michael Hooper will lead a young backrow with emerging talent Jack Dempsey, Jed Holloway, Queensland product Maclean Jones, ex-Rebels open side Will Miller and highly touted youth prospect Brad Wilkin.

The front row has experience in Sekope Kepu, but is fairly green with young starters in Tolu Latu and Tom Robertson. A host of babies in relative terms for props join the squad in Harry Johnson-Holmes, Cody Walker and Shambeckler Vui.

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“We have put a strong emphasis on strength and conditioning in our pre-season preparations. This is one area that let us down in previous years and if we want to play an expansive, positive game of rugby, our players need to be in the physical condition to do so for 80 minutes,” Gibson said.

All the talk from Gibson indicates that the Waratahs will play an expansive game, much like the success found during the 2014 season. The biggest test for the side will be depth. The pack is very young, especially in the tight five. If injuries play a part then the Waratahs set-piece will suffer.

They may have the best backline in Australia. The addition of Curtis Rona is a gem – he was a big part of the Force’s attack and had a major impact at Super Rugby level in his first year transitioning from the NRL. Adding a quality centre allows Folau to move back to fullback which has been his best position.

The question will be whether the forward pack can hold up to allow the backs to hit their straps. With so much on the line for Gibson and so much talent back, we back the Waratahs to finally click and pip the Brumbies as Australia’s top side.

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2018 Predictions

Australian Conference Placing: 1st

Player of the Year: Michael Hooper

Rookie of the Year: Brad Wilkin

Breakout Player: Mack Mason

Best Signing: Curtis Rona

Franchise History

Best finish: Champions in 2014

Worst finish: Sixteenth in 2017

In: Kurtley Beale (Wasps), Lalakai Foketi (Bay of Plenty), Harry Johnson-Holmes (NSW Country Eagles), Will Miller (Rebels), Alex Newsome (Force), Nick Palmer (Hawke’s Bay), Curtis Rona (Western Force), Rob Simmons (Reds), Tom Staniforth (Brumbies), Lachlan Swinton (NSW Country Eagles), Cody Walker (Sydney Rays), Shambekler Vui (Force).

Out: Andrew Deegan (Connacht), Rob Horne (Northampton), David Horowitz (Rebels), Matt Lucas (Brumbies), Dean Mumm (Retired), Will Skelton (Saracens).

Squad: Kurtley Beale, Cam Clark, Jack Dempsey, Damien Fitzpatrick, Israel Folau, Bernard Foley, Jake Gordon, Ned Hanigan, Bryce Hegarty, Jed Holloway, Michael Hooper, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Maclean Jones, Andrew Kellaway, Sekope Kepu, Tolu Latu, Mack Mason, Ryan McCauley, Kelly Meafua, Taqele Naiyaravoro, Alex Newsome, Nick Palmer, Nick Phipps, Hugh Roach, Tom Robertson, Paddy Ryan, Matt Sandell, Rob Simmons, Irae Simone, Tom Staniforth, Lachlan Swinton, Shambeckler Vui, Michael Wells, Brad Wilkin.

More Super Rugby Previews

Jaguares searching for winning recipe

Can Bulls overcome Kiwi confines?

Sharks always the Bridesmaid

Stormers the enigma of South Africa

Lions in state of uncertainty

Queensland Reds heading forward with youth movement

Brumbies looking to change gears

 

 

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J
JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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