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Wallabies great weighs in on Waratahs’ decision to drop Mark Nawaqanitawase
Rugby World Cup winner Tim Horan agrees with Waratahs coach Darren Colena’s decision to drop Mark Nawaqanitawase, saying the Wallaby needs a mental and physical break after a quiet start to the Super Rugby Pacific season.
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Horan was watching on from the sidelines last weekend as the Waratahs fell to a disastrously heavy defeat to the Brumbies at GIO Stadium. But during that Australian derby, Horan noticed that Nawaqanitawase wasn’t as active as he normally is.
The Waratahs have a 1-6 record this season and have the Crusaders up next. The defending champions are one spot behind the New South Welshmen on the ladder with a 16.67% win percentage. For both teams, this clash seems to be a must-win.
Tahs coach Darren Coleman dropped a selection bombshell on Wednesday by omitting Wallaby Mark Nawaqanitawase from the matchday 23, with Triston Reilly coming into the starting side on the right wing.
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Wins
3
Draws
0
Wins
2
Average Points scored
30
36
First try wins
40%
Home team wins
60%
There are a handful of other changes to the Waratahs’ starting side, including the return of Langi Gleeson at No. 8, but there’s no question that the decision to drop Nawaqanitawase is one of the bigger talking points for the Tahs.
“Mark probably needed a break,” Wallaby great Tim Horan explained on Stan Sports’ The Call Up. “It just looked like the last couple of matches he wasn’t as engaged as he was this time last year.
“This time last year, he’s running inside of Jake Gordon, outside of Tane Edmed, he’s looking for opportunities.
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“I saw on Saturday night in Canberra, he stayed on the wing more than what I’ve seen and didn’t go looking for a bit of work. He had a couple of opportunities in the second half but hardly touched the ball in the first half.
“I think he just needs to take a break mentally and physically and then bounce back the following week.
“But Triston Reilly gets an opportunity… Triston Reilly was really good with a couple of opportunities he’s had so far this year.”
Triston Reilly, 25, has scored one try from four Waratahs matches this season. The sole five-pointer came into the Waratahs’ only win of the season which was a 37-24 upset of the Crusaders in Super Round at Melbourne’s AAMI Park.
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Reilly comes into the starting side after an impressive performance with Randwick in the Shute Shield. The winger joins Dylan Pietsch and Max Jorgensen in the Waratahs’ starting outside backs combination, with Wallabies Lalakai Foketi and Izaia Perese inside them.
Those players are either Test quality or almost at that level, but they’ve failed to fire for large parts of this season. With the Crusaders up next, and a potential chance to move into the top eight for the Tahs, this is one match they have to get right.
“(Reilly) had been very active and probably deserves to be out there,” ex-All Black Mils Muliaina said.
“I tend to agree. It’s that time of the year where you start to look at your top players and think, ‘Well, are they starting to plateau?’ Nawaqanitawase has.
“When you go to Canberra it’s pretty hard to get active anyway… Riley, he’s enthusiastic, he wants to look for work.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments