Pack mentality must change
Not saying we are going to win, but it has to be a good year to be playing the Tahs away?!
Pack mentality must change
Rupert Guinness, c/o Rugby Heaven
Monday, February 12, 2007
The Waratahs' lineout may not be recognised as the force it was last year without injured Dan Vickerman and Al Kanaar, but for all the discussion on the void they left in the set piece, the least worried about the issue is the man now leading the NSW lineout - Will Caldwell.
"I have spent a lot of time with Vicks over the last 12 months for this particular reason: if he gets injured who steps up to the plate?" the second-rower said.
Caldwell admits assuming the role of calling the throws is tough, and it takes time - as it did for Vickerman when he inherited it from Justin Harrison.
"But there is no better way than playing games to get comfortable with that calling role. And I am comfortable in it. It doesn't phase me at all," he said.
Caldwell, 24, is not a Super 14 rookie, as he earned 11 caps in his debut season last year. But he is leading a new generation.
And it is good for them that the memory of what it is like to first play Super 14 is fresh in his mind, as he can see how the debutants of today may be finding it. "It is a lot quicker," he said. "You probably find yourself running around in circles for the first 20 minutes, finding your feet and timing."
What Caldwell has learned is the need to be accountable for results like what the Waratahs produced in the 22-9 loss to the Sharks.
On Saturday against the Cheetahs in Kimberley, Caldwell says every member of the Waratahs lineout must atone for their errors against the Sharks, and being an inexperienced unit is no longer an excuse. "There were a couple of individual things that stuffed us up - two times on the throws and a couple of lifts that were missed," he said.
Caldwell also says the Waratahs pack needs to get its back line quicker and cleaner ball. "I was watching the game this morning, and we didn't execute first-phase play until 33 minutes in. The backs didn't get a run for 33 minutes."
