Waratahs win shows they have the raw material to give the comp a nudge
Of course, the goal of this game – sports journalism – is to spot the theme early. What’s going on? What is a pattern? Who’s hot? Who isn’t? Who is rotten?
I challenge any He picked it after half-time of the Waratahs-Reds game at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday night. The whole thing was a chaotic mix of bash, biff, barge and fumbling, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, interspersed with the occasional burst of seriously clever play.
On the one hand, Tahs like Joseph Aukuso Suaalii, Harry Potter and especially Max Jorgensen showed their sheer class, constantly threatening the Queensland line with no-look passes and pranks that left defenses devastated.
Max Jorgensen made his second attempt.Credit: Getty Images
On the other hand, when Queensland put the ball up in the 20th minute, not a single Waratah shouted what we were all taught in the U/12s through the pain of doing 20 push-ups: “MINE!” shout. The ball landed in a postcode of its own, and invaders from the north easily recovered it.
Despite all this, despite the Tahs’ three tries in the first 40 minutes – including Jorgensen waltzing past the Queensland defense in a way that would have made Matilda proud – the Reds refused to bow to their betters and scored two superb tries of their own, trailing just 17-12 at the break.
But isn’t it certain that the second half will present a theme?
It didn’t happen in the first 25 minutes. It’s not like nothing happened. Nothing memorable happened. All it proved was that both Queensland’s Fraser McReight and NSW’s Charlie Gamble were both worth three men a piece.
Finally, with 14 minutes left, the game came to life.
The Beauties took a 24-12 lead as the Waratahs scored to the right of the posts following clever lead work by Gamble and Queensland had to work hard or go home.
