Paul Cully: Waratahs proves that all blacks can feel pressure

AVIS: The quarter-finals of the Super Rugby have shown that the stars of the All Blacks can feel pressure while the Waratahs clashed against the Highlanders in Sydney. Here are five key points of the action of the weekend.

1.

Regardless of whether they are good or that they play well, players end up being judged on how they react under pressure. . The Waratahs got up on Saturday night, led by Kurtley Beale, and the Highlanders showed the effects of stress.

All Black Waisake Naholo collected a yellow card unnecessarily and then dropped a relatively direct high kick. Ben Smith attempted to make a quick transfer under pressure but hit the ball.

READ MORE:
* Sharks take the bite of the crusader's pocket
* Waratahs stun the Highlanders
* No farewell to Sopoaga
* Hurricanes encouraged by victory over chiefs
* Mauger: We must aspire

These are the mistakes we usually see at Wallabies and the examples of errors that many Australian rugby are working so hard to eradicate from the Australian game.

Indeed, it is the Waratahs who have managed & # 39; the last 10. minutes with a lot more coolness and us.

Sekope Kepu did a great job in the scrum when he came back for Paddy Ryan. They looked on one side mentally stronger.

The Waratahs are still facing an extra challenge to win the Super Rugby, but there have been some good signs in this remarkable second half.

2.

Captivating, unexpected, brilliant, and a little weird. It is difficult to accurately capture the return of the Waratahs because for 50 minutes there were few signs of its origins.

Indeed, when Will Miller was trampled by Liam Squire in the first half, he seemed to sum up the gap between the sides: the Highlanders were too big, too smooth, too powerful.

Then Beale intervened. There has never been one and there will never be a substitute for the brutal pace that he has. This has always been his asset. The Waratahs only played 10-15 minutes of footy that they wanted to play and remarkably enough was enough.

The way they capitalized on Naholo's yellow card was superb.

Again, this has been an area in which kiwi sides have traditionally excelled, but the Waratah's ability to find space and the depth and quality of their support was excellent.

Few teams in my memory can make the game as easy and as hard as this Waratahs team. . Wallabies midfielder still in the air

Waratahs # 13 Curtis Rona, like many of his team-mates, had serious difficulties in the first half, especially in defense

The league's convert tends to come out of the lineup for the rest -or nothing. Waratahs fans' games and heart rate rise when smart teams attack Rona and Taqele Naiyaravoro.

The wounds of Samu Kerevi and Tevita Kuridrani leave the Wallabies somewhat exposed in this area

. still an ingenious, adaptable footballer available. Someone who has defended the midfield before and who also has an offensive game.

Reece Hodge was ranked 10th for the rebels, but now looks like the man for the job.

4. The crusaders still carry the mark of favorites

When the dust settled on the weekend, we were back to where we started – the Crusaders are still the team to beat.

The Christchurch Sharks have not always been easy to beat. put the Crusaders' attack under pressure because of their excellent winning line defense that deprived the local team of the space they were looking for to bring their intelligent rear-guard into the game.

However, there is more to one side to the Crusaders' game and they did what the Crusaders' sides have traditionally done – they increased their defense and fed on the Sharks' mistakes.

Then there is the small question of Kieran Read's return. The All Blacks captain is a class player and is already in good shape after a long break. The Hurricanes will have to be special on Saturday night in Christchurch.

5. Angus Gardner proves to be an excellent choice

The way the Australian referee handled the collision between Kurtley Beale and Liam Squire in the first part of the Waratahs game was simply superb.

Given recent decisions, you feared that Gardner could find illegal In what was just a good old-fashioned lump, Gardner always had a great feeling for the game. [19659011HeruledthatSquirehadanhonestlineofsupportandthatBealewasjustasguiltyCommonsenseprevailedandtheneutralswatchingthematchwouldhavenoddedgratefully

Gardner must be a good screamer for the Super Rugby final.

Team of the Week

1. Toby Smith (Hurricanes)

2. Malcolm Marx (Lions)

3. Sekope Kepu (Waratahs)

4. Scott Barrett (Crusaders)

5. Brodie Retallick (Chefs)

6. Kwagga Smith (Lions)

7. Will Miller (Waratahs)

8. Kieran Read (Crusaders)

9. TJ Perenara (Hurricanes)

10. Richie Mo & # 39; unga (Crusaders)

11. George Bridge (Crusaders)

12. Kurtley Beale (Waratahs)

13. Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes)

14. Ruan Combrinck (Lions)

15. David Havili (Crusaders)

– Comments