Nathan Sharpe: Bench a key as tide turns

[travelling_gerry]

Nathan Sharpe: Bench a key as tide turns

The West Australian April 14, 2010, 6:53 am

Getty Images / Teaukura Moetaua © Enlarge photo






The six tries we scored against a grisly Highlanders opposition showed the attacking momentum we have been searching for all season.
We will look to continue that frame of mind this week against the hot-and-cold Blues in Auckland.


We are expecting an exceptionally physical game because they will be disappointed with their loss to the Stormers.


When playing teams such as the Blues you have to prepare to face their best-possible form, or you will get burnt. Badly.


They have a solid core of All Blacks in their strongest line-up, with more speed than nearly any team in the competition.


The last time we played them in New Zealand they blew us away in the first half but the boys rallied to come from behind in one of the Force's finest performances.


In many sports, the role of a prominent group of reserves is often overlooked in the success of a team.


Nearly all teams which have won a title have strength from the first squad member to the last. This has been one of the most pleasing aspects for us in recent weeks.



Our bench has been outstanding.


When our bench players came on with 20 minutes to go against the Highlanders, we really started to open them up.


Sam Harris, Justin Turner, Nathan Charles, Matt Dunning and Ben McCalman produced superb efforts last weekend, adding to the good work already done by the teammates they replaced.


Many people will look at this and not realise our early games contributed greatly to this depth.


As they say, it's sink or swim for a player in his first season, and many of our lads have had to learn to swim very quickly because of the number of injuries we had at the start of this season. They will only get better, too.


We have had the good fortune of staying in Queenstown, not only because we are two wins from two here but also because it is an unbelievable spot. It was great watching many of the boys get out and enjoy the town.


A group of us went river surfing in the rapids on Sunday, which was a tremendous, if cold, experience. Essentially, they give you a wetsuit, flippers and a boogie board and you make your way about 5km downstream through some seriously churning water. We finished by watching Richard Brown perform double somersaults off a giant swing into the water and Matt Tink, our scrum coach, land on his rear from a 15m drop, effectively hobbling him for the rest of the week.


I was also delighted to have one of those classic conversations with Mitch Inman on the trip out.


Inman: Sharpie, what's your favourite destination to tour in rugby?


Sharpe: Mate, it would have to be Cape Town first, then daylight second, for sure.

Inman: Oh yeah, where's daylight?

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...as-tide-turns/

[BDAVEY]

Great article by Sharpie and Co u can feel the momentum building and passion between the lines.
Capetown as a fav spot..... cant work that out daylight??? missing something??

[Burgs]

Well, I guess Perth is no longer a destination for him

[palitu]

Great article by Sharpie and Co u can feel the momentum building and passion between the lines.
Capetown as a fav spot..... cant work that out daylight??? missing something??

cape town is better by a shite load, ie there is daylight between first and second...

[PerthGirl]

The thought of the Brownie doing somersaults into the water makes me nervous. WE DON'T NEED ANYMORE INJURIES, GUYS!!

[zimeric]

cape town is better by a shite load, ie there is daylight between first and second...

I LOLed that Inman thought Daylight was a cosy town in the South Island somewhere

[hertryk]

cape town is better by a shite load, ie there is daylight between first and second...

Please guys..over my head too...Please put a poor woman out of her misery, and explain the "daylight" thing??????

[BDAVEY]

Please guys..over my head too...Please put a poor woman out of her misery, and explain the "daylight" thing??????

I am with u hertryk ... i have missed something somewhere too.....

[GIGS20]

The term AFAIK came from horse racing, where if a horse won with a huge lead daylight was said to come second implying there was daylight between the two, you could see a clear gap etc. Daylight second is a colloquialism meaning nothing comes close.

but maybe Sharpie likes to go here

[BDAVEY]

The term AFAIK came from horse racing, where if a horse won with a huge lead daylight was said to come second implying there was daylight between the two, you could see a clear gap etc. Daylight second is a colloquialism meaning nothing comes close.

but maybe Sharpie likes to go here

shit now i am confused

[hertryk]

The term AFAIK came from horse racing, where if a horse won with a huge lead daylight was said to come second implying there was daylight between the two, you could see a clear gap etc. Daylight second is a colloquialism meaning nothing comes close.

but maybe Sharpie likes to go here

Thank you I wouldn't have slept without knowing

[GIGS20]

shit now i am confused

Thank you I wouldn't have slept without knowing

One man's trash!

[Timbo]

but maybe Sharpie likes to go here

Yep them thar Tennessee folk sure are innovative in their place names!!

Nearby are Half Acre, Lucky and Pleasant View - and not too far away is the thriving metropolis of Soddy Daisy......

And people complain about Innaloo!!

PS Googled Daylight RC and got nothing - so not sure who Sharpie was playing against

[tragic]

I think Upper Swan is worse than Innaloo.

There's people who haven't heard the "daylight" phrase?