Tahs launch a boot camp

[Jehna]

Tahs launch a boot camp

By Bret Harris
November 19, 2007

NEW South Wales will enter the Super 14 series next year without an established goal kicker, but Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie is confident he will find a suitable replacement for record-breaking Peter Hewat.

In recent years, the Waratahs have been fortunate to have some of the best goal kickers in the game in Matt Burke, Mat Rogers and most recently Hewat, who broke points-scoring records in his three years with the team.

The release of Hewat from his contract to play for London Irish has left the Waratahs without an obvious choice to fill the crucial role.

McKenzie will experiment with eight contenders for the job - Daniel Halangahu, Kurtley Beale, Josh Valentine, Brett Sheehan, Matt Carraro, Ben Batger, Lachlan Turner and Tatafu Polota-Nau - in the Super 14 trial games against Queensland, the Brumbies and the Crusaders.

"We are working through that," McKenzie said. "We've got eight guys who can kick.

"Shannon Fraser (Waratahs' kicking coach), who worked with Fiji at the World Cup, has the job to find someone who can kick at 80 per cent.

"Peter Hewat did a fantastic job for us. We didn't sign him as a goalkicker because we had Mat Rogers.

"He developed a skill, which guaranteed he was selected in the team each week. He set points-scoring records in all three years.

"I'm confident we've got the resources. We'll extend the umbrella as wide as we have to. We have to get them out there. It's a bit of an unknown for us. We've got some good candidates.

"Carraro led the points scoring in the (Australian Rugby Championship) before he got injured.

"Beale kicked in his school days and for Northern Suburbs. Polota-Nau kicked during his school days.

"I'm not stressed about that. We've got the off-season to get it right."
McKenzie said the prospective goal kickers were undergoing a practice regime forcing them to kick under pressure.

"We have a comprehensive program in place to work through kicking under pressure," McKenzie said.

"There's no point kicking well at training if you can't reproduce it in the game."

The Waratahs' decision about a goal kicker could also have a bearing on selections.

Beale and Halangahu are competing for the five-eighth position; Sheehan and Valentine are battling for the halfback spot; Polota-Nau is tussling with Adam Freier to be the starting hooker; while Batger and Carraro would enhance their chances of starting in the outside backs if they were the first-choice goal kicker.

The Australian

[hopep]

Maybe they should go to plan B - score tries and not have to "rely" on a kicker.

Might be a bit risky for MacKenzie though.

[jono]

agreed

[The InnFORCEr]

8 candidates but only 4 will be on field at any one time......more importantly they have left off the only proven drop kicker in the team and the obvious first choice goal kicker.....Matt Dunning!!

[Burgs]

I think Hangers does/did a fair bit of the kicking for Sydney Uni too, he would have to be up there for sure.
The ideal would be if it ends up being Turner, that would allow them more selection choice as I doubt he will be competing for a jersey, just depends if it is #14 or #15 each week.

[prop53]

boot camp, boot them all off lol

[James]

8 candidates but only 4 will be on field at any one time......more importantly they have left off the only proven drop kicker in the team and the obvious first choice goal kicker.....Matt Dunning!!

I was only a matter of time before his name got mentioned.

I remember reading an article about how the Stormer were going to do in 2007 where their first XV didn't have a kicker. Van Der Merwe said 'Well maybe we'll just go the traditional route and score tries instead'. Boy did that not last long.