Crusaders vs. Waratahs
Jade Stadium (@
HT 9/17
FT 19/43
No play by play summary this late in the week - just one word, repeated many times: bugger!
Some points to note from this game.
First Crusaders S12 tackle - Rueben Thorne - long may he continue to knock them down.
Most silly facial hair - Nathan Mauger - who appears to be going for the Grizz Wiley look. Don't go there mate!
It only took 15 minutes and already the ref (Mr Mark Lawrence SA) was telling Meg Marshall to shut up. I guess that was as good a summary of how well the game was going.
Caleb Ralph didn't win any fans with his inept catching display, although the first dropped pass may have had a powder-blue hand in the way.
The first real offensive defence from Crusaders didn't come until early in the 2nd half. Pity it didn't stay a while.
Shortly after that Nathan Gray hit the ground like a sack of spuds, and it didn't look like anybody hit him. I could only think that he got the ball in his face. Did anyone else see what happened?
McCaw got pinged for hands in ruck. I think that this is because he was one of two tacklers. The 3rd person makes the tackle a ruck it seems.
It makes sense I guess, but it is always going to be a gimme penalty. Any decent loose forward isn't going to waste his time doing a body count while the ball is waiting to be claimed. This is exactly the reason they are in the side, tackle, stand up, snaffle the turn-over ball!
Bloody Murray Mexted hasn't improved over the break. I was going to suggest a bullet to the head, but there is no proof that he actually has a brain in there!
However, I will grant him one excellent observation (unfortunately the first and last of the season). As McCaw stood up in that aforementioned tackle/ruck the Swamp-thing attempted to tackle him/clear the ruck. He ended up doing, what Muzzer called "a gymnastic routine" on top of McCaw.
I don't remember clearly what happened in the end, but I do recall McCaw lurching upright with an upside down Waugh holding onto him. Quite strange really.
I have been thinking about Waugh's golden locks, and realise that they are as much a mark of his ability and style of play as anything else. You couldn't play tight and get away with hair like that.
It would not stay on your head long enough to be noticed!
Of course he like McCaw is in and out of tackles, often with the turnover ball so fast that he can get away with the flowing locks - er I mean his hair!
So much for the play - the highlight of the game was at half-time when I saw the first screening of the new Crusaders DB Draught TV advert. Refer to the story of the adverts filming. http://www.planetnz.com/rugbyheads/article.php?articleid=576
I will have to have a closer look, but I am sure that both my knees were clearly visible for at least 1 second.
So Saturday was a proud moment for me at least if not the Crusaders!
