2012 was a year of massive disappointment for the Waratahs who failed spectacularly to build on the promising performances of the previous and finished 11th in 2012.
Hopes were high ahead of the most recent Super Rugby campaign that the club could kick on from 2011’s fifth-placed finish and qualifying semi-final appearance and claim a first ever Super Rugby title.
The ‘Tahs have reached the final on two occasions in the past, and there was solid opimism that 2012 could be the year that they finally go one better.
But three defeats from their opening four matches was a sign of things to come, and a season-ending run of nine weeks without a win has done little to inspire confidence as the club prepares for 2013.
It is the Brumbies who continue to set the curve for Australian clubs and if the Waratahs are to stand any chance of besting their national rivals then big changes are needed ahead of next season’s February kick-off.
Seven new players have already been brought into the club ahead of the next campaign, while nine members of last year’s squad have already left for pastures new.
The club deserves credit for taking action following a year of disappointment, and the player movement is likely to affect rugby tips online, but with wholesale changes comes the risk that players will not gel in time for the team to mount a challenge for a play-off spot.
The real challenge for head coach Michael Cheika next season will not be to fix up the scrum, to organise the line-out or draw up some new attacking plays, it will be to ensure that there is unity between the members of the new-look Waratahs squad.
The men brought in certainly have the pedigree, but as a team of individuals they stand little chance of delivering the success the club’s supporters so sorely crave.
But if the team plays as one then who knows how far last year’s under-achievers can go? They are certainly a team that those who watch live rugby online will be keeping an eye on.
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