Super 14 Preview - Waratahs
Knees. Not the favourite body part in Sydney at the moment. While Vickerman is out for at least the first half of the season recovering from shoulder surgery, pre-season games have seen fellow lock Kanaar (season) and prop Dunning (6 weeks) pick up knee injuries, not to mention Lyons is out for the first three weeks recovering from – yes – a knee injury.
Losing four of your starting pack, including both first-choice locks, is not the recipe for a wonderful season. In fact the locks are not far from critical category as third-choice lock Caldwell is only just back from a broken arm and they will be starting one rookie with another on the bench.
At least the Lyons injury is covered with Davidson picked up from the Force, and they have also gained Valentine from the Reds with the departure of Chris Whitaker. Other losses (Rogers NRL, Sailor suspended) seem to be covered in-house with a couple of rising stars in Beale and Turner.
Ah yes, Kurtley Beale. The 18 y.o. wunderkind already called the next Mark Ella will get his chance to show his wares (initially off the bench) after setting the Tahs alight pre-season. I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve seen him at the bottom of a few NZ rucks.
Before the injury woes, the Tahs looked to have a useful squad – but now they look alarmingly thin on the ground behind the starting XV. Another injury or two to the engine room and the Waratahs train will be going nowhere. Doesn’t matter how wonderful your backs are, if you can’t get your hands on the pill you don’t win games.
Luckily their start is not too taxing, with the road trip first up to the easier SAF teams followed by a bye and a home game against the Force. After that, it gets nasty and will need all hands on deck fit and healthy – and if you want to know why Coach McKenzie was so vocal about the ABs resting for the first 7 weeks, it’s because his team is the only one who gets to play all five NZ franchises from Week 8 onwards.
So another season where they choke at the end may be on the cards. But I feel there is the possibility of slipping up early, ultimately costing them a place in the semis. At 8/1 on the tote, I’ll give ‘em a miss.
Prediction: 8-5, missing the semis.
Players to watch: Everyone else can watch the wunderkind; I’ll be watching their tight 5 – they need them to perform and remain healthy for the Tahs to have a shot at the title this year.
Losing four of your starting pack, including both first-choice locks, is not the recipe for a wonderful season. In fact the locks are not far from critical category as third-choice lock Caldwell is only just back from a broken arm and they will be starting one rookie with another on the bench.
At least the Lyons injury is covered with Davidson picked up from the Force, and they have also gained Valentine from the Reds with the departure of Chris Whitaker. Other losses (Rogers NRL, Sailor suspended) seem to be covered in-house with a couple of rising stars in Beale and Turner.
Ah yes, Kurtley Beale. The 18 y.o. wunderkind already called the next Mark Ella will get his chance to show his wares (initially off the bench) after setting the Tahs alight pre-season. I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve seen him at the bottom of a few NZ rucks.
Before the injury woes, the Tahs looked to have a useful squad – but now they look alarmingly thin on the ground behind the starting XV. Another injury or two to the engine room and the Waratahs train will be going nowhere. Doesn’t matter how wonderful your backs are, if you can’t get your hands on the pill you don’t win games.
Luckily their start is not too taxing, with the road trip first up to the easier SAF teams followed by a bye and a home game against the Force. After that, it gets nasty and will need all hands on deck fit and healthy – and if you want to know why Coach McKenzie was so vocal about the ABs resting for the first 7 weeks, it’s because his team is the only one who gets to play all five NZ franchises from Week 8 onwards.
So another season where they choke at the end may be on the cards. But I feel there is the possibility of slipping up early, ultimately costing them a place in the semis. At 8/1 on the tote, I’ll give ‘em a miss.
Prediction: 8-5, missing the semis.
Players to watch: Everyone else can watch the wunderkind; I’ll be watching their tight 5 – they need them to perform and remain healthy for the Tahs to have a shot at the title this year.
Labels: 2007S14
posted by Rob Crawford at 8:59 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home