Waratahs realise they’re far from home and dry

Acutely aware of their dubious record on the road, the NSW Waratahs have identified an unbeaten run at the Sydney Football Stadium this season as the key to securing a Super 14 semi-finals berth.

The fourth-placed Waratahs are four-from-four at the SFS in 2008 and realise anything less than victory over the lowly-rated Lions on Saturday night and then the undefeated Sharks next week in their final home game will place their participation in the playoffs in serious jeopardy.

NSW have lost only nine of 30 home matches over the past five years under coach Ewen McKenzie, with more than half of those defeats coming last season alone when the injury-ravaged Tahs finished second last.

But while the SFS has proven somewhat of a fortress for the Waratahs, they have suffered double the amount of losses – 18 from 28 games – away from home since McKenzie took charge in 2004.

With a treacherous three-week South African road trip to complete their home-and-away campaign, the Waratahs are treating the Lions and Sharks fixtures as finals come early.

“We know we’ve got to hit the road for the last three rounds and you only have to look at our history – we do quite well at home and not as well when we’re on the road – to know we’ve got to make sure we do well,” McKenzie said today.

“We understand that if we drop, the dynamics change and we’re under pressure.”

McKenzie said the Waratahs were also intent on atoning for the heartache they put their loyal fans through during the nightmare 2007 season – NSW’s worst in 13 years of Super rugby.

“We didn’t do very well at home last year so we’re certainly trying to make amends for that,” he said.

“We’ve got two home games to go and we want to make sure we do the right things by the fans that have turned up.

“We’ve boosted our crowds again and the support base has been very good, so we want to make sure we do the right thing by them. And not just win but play well.”

The outgoing McKenzie, who has been linked to a coaching position in France next year, arrived back from his whirlwind three-day trip to Paris – where he held “positive” talks with Stade Francais’s millionaire owner Max Guazzini – pleased but not surprised to learn his troops had trained well in his absence.

“I expected nothing less,” he said.

“I think Phil Waugh has done a great job as the captain this year, particularly with his leadership, and this is a week where words like complacency and things like that can come into play if you let it.

“Most of us have been around long enough to understand the dynamics of the competition, Phil certainly has, so it doesn’t surprise me that those guys would be cracking the whip.

“So that’s perfect. You want everyone proactive in each week and in each preparation and that’s how it’s been and that’s probably why we’ve put ourselves back in contention and we certainly don’t want to take our foot off the pedal.

“We’re well positioned in the competition now.”

McKenzie named the same 22-man line-up which shaded the Western Force 17-12 in last Saturday’s derby in Perth and said the Lions should not be underestimated.

“They led the Crusaders at halftime last week, which shows how well they can play, particularly up front where they have a lot of size,” he said.

“Yet again we’ve had a week of rain in Sydney so that’s another factor which will add to the toughness of the match.”