Slick Tahs bury Canes
14 May 2010
The Waratahs produced their best performance of the competition to beat the Hurricanes 32-16 and book their spot in the play-offs.
The Tahs took to the field in a jersey that probably matches the wallpaper in Phil Waugh’s bathroom. Perhaps the jersey designers felt not enough people knew exactly what a Waratah was, or perhaps the coaches wanted to distract the Canes with a design so bad it put Stade Francais’ atrocity to shame.
The official line is that the Tahs donned the strip for charity, and they seemed to thrive in the new colours, hammering the Canes up front and scoring some spectacular tries thanks to their sublime support play. The wet conditions should have prescribed a tighter approach, but the Tahs’ tendency to look for the offload had the Canes’ defence scrambling.
The hosts went into this crucial match without their star scrummager, Benn Robinson, and were dealt a further blow when Dan Palmer cried off with injury in the 11th minute. Unfortunately for the Canes, they also lost captain Andrew Hore early on, a loss that seemed to have a greater impact on their scrumming prowess.
The Tahs bossed this set-piece and piled on the pressure through a relentless forward assault on the Canes’ line. The Kiwis were able to withstand the forward barrage and even managed to snaffle a couple of timely turnovers on their own line. But it was when the Tahs ran it from deep that the visitors struggled to get back on defence.
Great offloading complemented penetrative supporting lines until Kurtley Beale received the final pass to dot down. Lachie Turner then created something from nothing, chipping behind the Canes’ defence, collecting the ball, and sprinting upfield. The pass at pace was accurate as Drew Mitchell took the score to 18-6.
Piri Weepu managed to goal a penalty before the break, but the Tahs struck decisively after half-time. Having absorbed plenty of punishment in the first stanza, the Canes defence was lethargic and allowed Mitchell to cut the line. The Wallabies winger found Rob Horne in support and was on hand when the Tahs centre delivered the final offload.
The try and subsequent conversion took the Tahs to a 25-9 lead, and the way the hosts were firing, a Canes fightback seemed unlikely. The hosts had the better of possession and were winning the collisions, a battle that was made easier thanks to the tiring Canes defence.
Another chip over the top eluded a seemingly well-placed Cory Jane as Beale collected his own kick to score. The bounce of the ball was favouring the Aussies, and the try ensured they claimed a bonus point.
The Canes played themselves into the Tahs’ 22, but their desperation was exacerbated by elementary handling errors. Jane knocked the ball over the tryline, and while you could say that the slippery conditions were responsible, the Tahs were getting all their passes away despite the wet.
Turner was sin-binned in the 67th minute but the Canes failed to make the most of their numbers advantage. They spilled a pass from the resulting penalty and then butchered another opportunity when they ran it from deep. The Tahs defended spiritedly, but eventually conceded a try to David Smith.
The Sydney side has played some uninspiring rugby to date, but this performance confirmed why many teams consider them a threat. Their pack is difficult to stop once it gets going, and when they string a couple of passes together, ala the Crusaders, they can translate pressure into points.
They’ll continue to whinge following this win, as the five-point return takes them to second position on the log. Had the Bulls sent their first-string to Newlands and beaten the Stormers, the Tahs would have hosted a play-off.
The Stormers should beat the Bulls B team on Saturday to book a home semi-final, a result that will see Waugh’s charges traveling from Sydney to take on an intimidating outfit in Cape Town. The other play-off should see the Bulls hosting the Crusaders.
By Jon Cardinelli
478 Comments
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14 May 2010, 12:26 pm
There is no way that Saders will beat Bulls next week. It is quite simple that they have still have jet lag and next week they have to fly to Gauteng again! Same happen last year to Chiefs and Bulls murder them in final. After Stormers beat Saders with about 30 points Bulls was relaxed last week, that is not going to happen next week.
I’m a bit afraif for my Stormers against Tahs next week. Earlier in this year Tahs was the best in first 20 minutes but after that Stormers had seen more ball and I thought they was only marginally better at the end.
14 May 2010, 12:26 pm
@BuckT(BuckTrendy)-98: Grant 10 wants them badly. If you are serious I’ll send you his details.
14 May 2010, 12:27 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-94:
Shame- so desparate not to have the Stormers in contention.
14 May 2010, 12:27 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-94: keep on dreaming doos!
14 May 2010, 12:27 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-90: you are picking the canes at this point? another silly prediction i am afraid…
14 May 2010, 12:28 pm
Time left anyone?
14 May 2010, 12:28 pm
Come on you Canes!
Knock these whinging ozzies out of the comp and do us all a favour…
14 May 2010, 12:28 pm
Thanks keo…
14 May 2010, 12:29 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-99: Table Mountain Green tea (smoken not stirred and sipped) does wonders for the imagination…
But dispassionately it could be a Canes Tahs draw and a Stormers loss with a bonus point.
Stormers vs Saders (In NZ)
Bulls vs Canes (In SA)
Bulls vs Saders….
14 May 2010, 12:29 pm
@scorpion(capestormer)-104: hey, keep it clean man!
14 May 2010, 12:29 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-102: bucktrendy at gmail
14 May 2010, 12:30 pm
@BuckT(BuckTrendy)-105: @Yetirat(Yetirat)-107:
Come on Stormercanes you should be cheering on your other team…
14 May 2010, 12:30 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-109:
This result should mean absolutley nothing to the Stormers.
All they need to do is focus on beating the Bulls tomorrow.
That will be enough to secure a home-semi, so really, it doesn’t matter what else happens.
14 May 2010, 12:30 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-94: doubt that will happen son. cant see the canes putting 4 tries past the crying tahs.
14 May 2010, 12:31 pm
Please can somebody tell Naas that it is Hurricanes not Harricanes.
14 May 2010, 12:32 pm
@Jonck(Jonck)-101: this time the bulls play in soweto and with ‘swartgevaar’on their minds their support might not be that vocal.lol
14 May 2010, 12:33 pm
i’ll tell you what though, the stormers are going to have to win to stay in the running for the semis……let alone a home semi. they’ve got it all to do in a wet and blistery cape town tomorrow. it’ll be unattractive rugby…just the way the bulls like it.
14 May 2010, 12:34 pm
come on canes……pull something out of the bag
14 May 2010, 12:36 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-112: want the tahs to win this one, easier semi, then saders at newlands, even someone with your lack of imagination should know that…
14 May 2010, 12:36 pm
@BlueBlood(BlueBlood)-96: It looked as though Franks actually levelled Danie out at the end of the tackle, what I mean is Danie actually fell on his arse rather than his head or shoulders, so to me it wasn’t too bad. Another thing is that was the second spear tackle by hurdles in the match, the first one was after 3 minutes and nothing happened.
14 May 2010, 12:36 pm
come on Canes!!! Newlands is waiting!!
14 May 2010, 12:37 pm
@logie_Jumpbuck(logie_Jumpbuck)-117:
Agreed- nothing else should concern them other than a win.
And I reckon it’s going to be alot closer than most here think. The Stormers should have too much firepower, but as we saw against the Sharks, if you rattle them in these high-pressure must win situations, they haven’t tended to respond well.
A side-effect of not having won anything for a while. They need to learn to win the big games.
14 May 2010, 12:37 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-109: suddenly not feeling to well?
14 May 2010, 12:38 pm
@Vetkoek(Vetkoek)-113: You are spot on there. We must win the next game or we do not deserve the semi.
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-109: No you see that’s where I disagree. you cannot say objectivley that the second placed side in the comp with the best defensive record in history in this comp, and the greatest losing margin of 6 points the whole season is likely to lose at home against a team that has not played together before and without 13 of their front line players. No one has that sort of depth, then you may as well say that the Bulls are the best and second best teams in the comp. (NOOOOOO, that wasn’t an invitation to start)
14 May 2010, 12:38 pm
Weepu keeping the score board ticking over nicely..
14 May 2010, 12:39 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-109: sounds like you have been smoking the mine dump poisen again…lay off the drugs dude, you are not making any sense again
14 May 2010, 12:40 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-109:
It could be alot of things.
It could even be a final without the Bulls.
SHOCK, HORROR AND PERISH THE THOUGHT.
14 May 2010, 12:41 pm
@RL(RL)-115: LOL!!! But on the other hand…
14 May 2010, 12:41 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-109: If you read most of the posts on Keo, you will notice it’s the Bulls supporters who are windgat, then followed by the Sharks and then the Stormers. To this day I don’t know what makes the Sharks windgat.
14 May 2010, 12:41 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-124: don’t bother trying to reason with that twat. he needs to provoke someone to get a reaction and then thinks he’s somehow superior by creating a emotional responce, almost like the Tacitus complex, but without the odd good comment
14 May 2010, 12:41 pm
@logie_Jumpbuck(logie_Jumpbuck)-117: The sun is shining tomorrow. Please check facts(weather report)
14 May 2010, 12:44 pm
@logie_Jumpbuck(logie_Jumpbuck)-117: the sun will be out in all it’s splendour mate!gonna be a lovely day in cape town,africa’s greatest city.
14 May 2010, 12:45 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-124: Okay, the Bulls are the best and MAYBE second best teams in the Competition…
14 May 2010, 12:45 pm
@scorpion(capestormer)-116: remember it goes both ways. we have never played at orlando but neither has the teams we are playing against. difference is we get to practice there. and we get to set the place up like we want it.
what do you think our players were doing this week? knocking back pina colodas on margate beach? i would put good money on the fact that morne steyn was practicing his kicks already.
14 May 2010, 12:45 pm
I think the bulls are thinking of disrupting the stormers and getting a close game, BUT….I also think Schalk and his men kows what went wrong last week and might come in guns a blazin and win this one very far!!!!
14 May 2010, 12:45 pm
Game pretty much over, Waratahs into the semis. And it looks like it going to be a bonus point win for sure.
Which will make Bulls (47), Waratahs (43), Crusaders (41) and Stormers already in with current 39 and they will have to win tomorrow to stay at home.
14 May 2010, 12:45 pm
weak attempt at a tackle by Weepu… just killed his AB chances..
Canes dont score next they are
gooooooooone !
14 May 2010, 12:47 pm
@Kea-Cat(KEA)-129:
Ah- but you see, they don’t see it as windgat. They have this pleasant little idea that because their team has won the Super 14, they come from some position of authority on the matter.
The fact that their team has had so much success, automatically means that they know more about the game than anyone else and should you question them, well…
Us peons should know our place.
But soon enough, they will learn that when your team is at the top, the fall is much harder when they do inevitably fail one day.
And then, much like in 2008, the rugby fundi’s from the north will go very quiet.
Crickets quiet.
Tumbleweeds.
14 May 2010, 12:47 pm
I wil tell you one thing…if we hit that purple patch erly in the game the bulls might regret sending he B-team and talking them up……cause lets be fair…….Al the press and Bulls are talking a very good game and making Kaplan believe they have a chance!!!
14 May 2010, 12:47 pm
@Kea-Cat(KEA)-129: What posts you reading… Where’ve you been? Antarctica?
14 May 2010, 12:47 pm
@Vetkoek(Vetkoek)-122: i hope bash has his kicking boots polished….he’s going to need it.
@jamisz(jamisz)-131: i trust you live in rondebosch and know your weather in the area. it’s not looking good man….and i’m staring out my window. the weather man said the same thing for today….sunshine and no wind. well, that’s not what i’m seeing.
14 May 2010, 12:47 pm
@Nils(Nils)-136: Canes are being out enthused…
14 May 2010, 12:48 pm
canes are out, buy all accounts, don’t see them even getting 1 bonus point! now the Tahs can really start there whinge about not hosting a semi-final, brace yourselves!
14 May 2010, 12:48 pm
@scorpion(capestormer)-132: i agree with the latter, that’s why i live here…not so sure about the weather.
14 May 2010, 12:49 pm
@BlueBlood(BlueBlood)-134:
Exactly. And the Bulls have won plenty on the road at non-neutral venues to know that they still have the upper hand if they host a final in Soweto.
After all, their fans will rightly have more numbers there if they earn the right to host the final.
14 May 2010, 12:49 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-137: Canes are gone for sure. Even before that bonus point try and now they are dead and buried. No hopers whatsoever today.
14 May 2010, 12:49 pm
@Nils(Nils)-136: Aha, could be a Bulls A vs Stormer and Waratahs vs Crusader semis…
Still looking like a Bulls vs Sader final… Specially after Barry puts a few Stormers into traction…
14 May 2010, 12:49 pm
@BuckT(BuckTrendy)-143: goooooooone!!
14 May 2010, 12:51 pm
@logie_Jumpbuck(logie_Jumpbuck)-141: what weather report did you hear, supposed to be rain today, wind change to southerly tomorrow, 18 degrees, no rain
14 May 2010, 12:53 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-147: no matter how the final standings will look like, semis are going to be huge games.
The one and only thing I am dead sure, there will not be Chief clowns there to be massacred. 
All 4 teams do know how to defend.
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