Ben Donaldson has been excellent more than just his usual kicking game tonight, particularly during the 2nd half where the Waratahs were well secure towards the win at No.10. Every time the Waratahs have their chance with the ball, he designed the attack well by throwing some passage of play thanks to the patience being built there. It allowed them to sneak can sneak their way past the Rebels wall through some room before rewards begin to go their way & that is exactly what the Tahs wanted in the end with both the win & bonus point. Such a dynamic No.10 to watch after the Tahs finished off well for him while adding the extra conversion points with credit to his backline runners.
I’ve gotta say that Jed Holloway has been so influential on the Waratahs second row at No.4. The partnership with Hugh Sinclair worked really well while talking up as always at line-out time, so they know what are the Rebels’ weaknesses & where his side can find the sweet spot. Thanks to Jed, the Tahs were able to get the job done a few times through a mix of sensational steals & penalty tries from this spot. Great to see him come back stronger for his 2nd spell here under Darren Coleman as he still has plenty to offer at age 30, who possesses such a towering build along with excellent vision & brutal strength that reflects his natural game.
And Richard Hardwick has been excellent tonight in the No.8 Rebels shirt where he worked so hard that helped them put themselves on the front foot. The promising signs were there every time he caught the Tahs players down defensively while building some momentum & backing them up with the ball. It’s how the Rebels got away on a flying start as well as winning back turnovers & some penalties thanks to his on-field input. It’s just a shame that the poor line outs really hit them hard; So does a few missing tries where the game could’ve been theirs, but then they couldn’t capitalised it before it went even worse in the end with the loss.
