Connolly's predictions.

[travelling_gerry]

Healthy Waratahs set to bloom this season

February 3, 2008


Former Wallabies coach John Connolly sees mixed fortunes ahead for Australian teams in the Super 14, which kicks off in 12 days.

NSW WARATAHS
NSW will be the big improvers in the Super 14. Whether we like to admit it or not, luck plays a big part in the game and the Waratahs lost four or five tight games which could have gone the other way last year.

They have two great players back on deck in Dan Vickerman and Phil Waugh and they'll have a huge influence on the team. They have an international forward pack led by Matt Dunning and Al Baxter, two international hookers in Tatafu Polota-Nau and Adam Freier, plus Vickerman. There's a world-class back row in Rocky Elsom, David Lyons, Wycliff Palu and Waugh.

They have depth in the halves in Josh Valentine, Luke Burgess and Brett Sheehan and I believe Kurtley Beale will be the next big thing in Australian rugby if he can temper when to play and when not to. Timana Tahu and Lote Tuqiri will lead a young back line that includes Lachlan Turner.

Depth goes a long way, and NSW have it in bucketloads. The big minus for them will be in the goalkicking department, and that could be their Achilles heel. There is also pressure on Ewen McKenzie - another off year may end his coaching career. He is not the flavour of the month with some of rugby's powerbrokers.
I believe they will make the semis.

QUEENSLAND REDS
The Reds are coming off their worst season in 120 years. One of their stalwarts said to me before Christmas that if things had stayed the same, he would have retired from the game.

I don't think that will be the case, as Phil Mooney and his coaching staff will do a good job. They have enough young talent which, handled properly, will push Queensland up the table and they will finish closer to first than last.

The rabble of last year has gone and the memory of the 92-3 defeat by the Bulls will be long gone. The Reds have a good draw, seven games at home and six away. But more importantly, they have the big three - Auckland, Canterbury and NSW - all at Suncorp. They could easily get away with a couple of these games and be semi-final surprise packets. The forward pack is led by an up-and-coming front row of Rodney Blake, Greg Holmes and Stephen Moore, with James Horwill in the second row. Throw in the exuberance of Leroy Houston and Hugh McMeniman and the experience of John Roe and David Croft will make their forward pack a competitive match for anyone.


Sam Cordingley and Chris Latham will lead a young back line and I'm tipping Chris Siale, an acquisition from NSW, to be one of the stars for the Reds in 2008.

ACT BRUMBIES
Welcome to life without George Gregan and Stephen Larkham. It will be a great challenge to fill those roles and, while there's no doubt former Waratah Josh Holmes will slot in for Gregan, whoever replaces Larkham will face a big task.

How the new combination goes could determine whether they improve on last year's fifth place.

Remember that during last season two of their defeats were after the bell.
Had they won those they would have been certain semi-finalists - and it may have propelled Laurie Fisher into the Australian coaching position.

Injury will play a part in their progress, as they don't have the depth of other states.
So much will depend on the fitness of Stirling Mortlock, because he's the impact player they depend on.

They have an experienced back line with Gene Fairbanks, Mark Gerrard, Clyde Rathbone and Julian Huxley. The forwards, led by George Smith, also have a lot of experience, with Nic Henderson, Guy Shepherdson, former Red Mitchell Chapman and Stephen Hoiles.

They'll be a handful for anyone in Canberra and have an impressive record. I predict a mid-table finish, just outside the semis.

WESTERN FORCE

MAYBE the bubble has burst. The loss of CEO Peter O'Meara, the driving force behind the club, will hit the team hard.

Still, they've got Australia's best back line, headed by the nation's best player, Matt Giteau. He'll be supported by Ryan Cross, Drew Mitchell, Cameron Shepherd and Matt Henjak.

There's little depth below these players, but it's the forward pack that most concerns me.

The retirement of Brendan Cannon is a big loss and so much depends on Nathan Sharpe. He'll run the lineout and the play, so if he gets injured there will be problems.
They have perhaps Australia's most exciting young back-rower in David Pocock, but he'll need support around him.

They don't have the forwards to match the big teams in the Super 14.

A mid-table finish would be a very acceptable result. Much better would be surprising.




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http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/j...e#contentSwap1

[The EnForcer]

Did somebody mention a team losing tight games last season?

[frontrow]

I think connolly is underestimating the Force this year, and is really clutching at straws if he thinks Qld can make the finals...I reckon he is on the money regarding Canberra but his comments regarding the NSW frontrow still infuriate me, his continued support for the most useless props in the world drives me nuts, even though i tend to agree with the rest of his comments and feel NSW and WA will be the two form Aussie teams this year...

[James]

Who really cares what Connolly thinks? The reality is that even though we have lost a bit of experience in Brendan Cannon, Rudi Vedelago and Chris O'Young we still have a solid team that has proved it can compete with some of the best packs in the competition (Sharks/Bulls). We have almost the exact same front row and back row as last year and that extra year together and that extra year of experience will only make them better. Our forwards have as good depth as Queensland and so do our backs. I suppose his comments show a short-sightedness that we should expect from Connolly.

I remember when Connolly was first appointed Wallabies coach and everyone (myself included) raved about how great it would be and how he'd fix up the scrum and reinvent the Wallabies forward pack but at the end of the day did he ever do anything? Nothing really changed under Connolly he never took any risks and at the end of the day we ended up with the same old pack as Eddie Jones and the same old backline too. I don't have any doubts about saying that he was a particularly bad coach for Australia.

[GIGS20]

John Conolly confirms everything I've said about him in one press release....Is he on a retainer, or is he looking for Link's job when the 'Tahs suck just as bad this year as they did last year.

I particularly liked the touch of mentioning every player the Warathas have who,se even made a training squad with the Wallabies as a Wallaby (Thos who haven't made a training squad are 'future superstars' whilst conveniently ignoring anybody who has been a stalwart of the national side for many years if they happen not to play in poofy blue!

Do't want to offend anybody on this site who knows John (as I know there are a couple) but Knuckles has his head so far up his ass he's likely to disappear!

Waratahs will perform well below expectation again this year, because they have a nasty habit of believing their own hype........Their pack bites balls (with a single exception in Dan Vickerman) and their depth is nonexistent. Compare that to a Force team who beat the Crusaders (with 10 all blacks on the field) in the first half, and a bunch of younsters who seemed to do OK, but missed a couple of assignments to lose the game.

I hope this improves the odds for the Waratahs, I'll make even more money then!

[chook]

You're just jealous Gigsa cos we are so sexy and talented and amazingly amazing. It's true, cos I said so.

[oxleymoron]

We have to remember that the Horrotahs and Deads finished 13th and 14th last year. Sure, a large climb up the table is possible as we all know, but this is just spin employed by Connolly to "pump up" his mates along the eastern seaboard. I think that there are large reservations held in both Sydney and Brisbane hoping either side don't have another poor season.

As per usual, we are being writen off. That is fine by me. The only expections on the force will come from those who bleed blue and black. Lets just hope that at the end of the season, regardless of our performance as a team, individuals who earn the right to a Wallaby call up are given the chance, rather than be "excluded" because they don't play for the Horrotahs or deads. With Deans in charge, this should happen, rather than the farce of the past couple of international seasons.

[jargan83]

I didnt much care of what he thought when he was coach of the wallabies. He's gotta be kidding with some of those predictions???

[chook]

Pretty spot on with all his predictions there is ol Knuckles. Force will be dismal, as per usual, they lack the spiritual fibre to play well or behave well. Waratahs will shine brightly as is their right as the mightiest of all Rugby teams on the planet.

[frontrow]

Did Tahu give you a knock on the head when he had his photo taken with you mate, that is crazy talk dude...Thats like me saying scarlett Johannsen is a pigdog...Total BS...Gotta admire your spirit though, stirring things up again, you and that bloody quokka...

[chook]

It's what I do FR. Gotta keep the Force Fans from letting their heads get too big. Modesty is an underrated value you know. I think of it as my civic duty.

[GIGS20]

You should bloody well know by now how to take Chooks views on the Waratahs FR....I generally go with, Increase the intensity of what he says by a factor of five, take the exact opposite of whatever it ends up as and you're pretty close to the truth.....As evidence, I submit the following quotes.

"Waratahs will shine brightly as is their right as the mightiest of all Rugby teams on the planet."

"Kurtley got a chipkick in too which I was stoked to see. Nothing came of it but its still a beautiful thing and will win the Tahs the S14 in 2008. No team can defend against it."


"Big Will Caldwell will step up. He is cranky and strong"

"Luke Burgess and Josh Holmes are both better than Henners, Gigsa."

"You guys are just jealous we had the best blue first."

As can be plainly seen, just taking the exact opposite of this sort of rubbish is plainly not enough. No-one can be enough of a 'tahs fan to talk them up as much as they ACTUALLY suck!

[chook]

Yeah, but we are still better looking and more talented.

[GIGS20]

Do the Waratahs play musical instruments?

That's the only talent I'd be prepared to concede!

[James]

We have to remember that the Horrotahs and Deads finished 13th and 14th last year. Sure, a large climb up the table is possible as we all know, but this is just spin employed by Connolly to "pump up" his mates along the eastern seaboard. I think that there are large reservations held in both Sydney and Brisbane hoping either side don't have another poor season.

I don't know there has been a fair few major turn arounds in the history of Super Rugby. The Sharks going from 12th in Super 12 to 5th in the first Super 14 is one. The Force went from dead last to highly competitive last year. I wouldn't write them off completely. Just mostly.