Waratahs have a duty to Australia
By David Campese
February 10, 2006
NEW South Wales has a responsibility to Australian rugby this season.
The Waratahs are clearly the best of the Australian sides and, after the awful year the Wallabies endured in 2005, it is time for the game in this country to get back some positive vibes.
NSW is the side to breathe some optimism back into Australia's hopes for a revival before the Wallabies take to the biggest stage of all - the Rugby World Cup in France in September next year.
I have no doubts the Waratahs will match in the first year of Super 14 what they did in the last Super 12 series.
They will comfortably reach the semi-finals, and more than likely make the final. They might even go one step further and win NSW's first provincial title of the professional era.
The Brumbies, for mine, are facing a tough season.
Unless they change their style of play and get tougher up front, others will surely pass them by despite the number of Test players in their backline.
Western Force, in its first year, will hold its own under the coaching of the Kiwi John Mitchell but will struggle for depth if its suffers injuries. As for Queensland, expect the Reds to cause a few upsets before finishing down the table. While they have a lot of promise in their squad, experience is in short demand.
Which leads us to the Waratahs, who will be with the pacesetters all the way providing they start the tournament well. Their first three games are on the road.
Coach Ewen McKenzie's decision to stay with NSW, rather than chase the Wallabies job, is the best thing that could have happened to the Waratahs. His mind will be focused solely on their success. No distractions.
NSW have also bought wisely, with Sam Norton-Knight a utility player who could make a genuine impact if given the chance. He has some terrific skills.
There is also plenty of that key ingredient of experience. In the backline, Chris Whitaker, Morgan Turinui and Lote Tuqiri will be the linchpins, at least until Mat Rogers returns. All are well and truly Test hardened.
The Waratahs pack also has a stable look about it, with Matt Dunning, Al Baxter, Dan Vickerman, Phil Waugh and David Lyons certainly established these days as international forwards.
Throw in the up-and-coming brigade like Stephen Hoiles, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Wycliff Palu, and the Waratahs have a nice blend going.
Their major rivals?
Obviously the Crusaders, the five-time Super 12 winner and defending champion, will be thereabouts again, while the Blues will give the series a shake after a disappointing seventh last year.
New Zealand sides, like their Test team last year, will be the dominant outfits in Super 14. They could have three teams in the semis, with the Hurricanes also showing they have a Waratahs-like blend with the experience of Tana Umaga and Jerry Collins mixed with rising stars like Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith.
Popular opinion in South Africa holds that the Bulls will again be the best chance of becoming the republic's first SANZAR provincial champion. Let the games begin.
