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The Waratahs have put in a disjointed and error-ridden performance to go down comfortably to the Sharks in Durban this morning, punished by ill-discipline and poor execution.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Sharks 31
Waratahs 14
This early Sunday morning game sees the Waratahs travelling to Durban to play the Sharks. Join The Roar from 4:30am AEDT for all the live action as we cover this Round 3 match from South Africa.
Both sides enter this match with differing results from last week, the Sharks winning a thriller in Canberra on the stroke of fulltime while the Waratahs were well beaten by one of the early competition favourites, the Lions in Johannesburg.
The Waratahs will be looking for a big improvement from their forward pack this week after being pushed around at times against the Lions and the job certainly does not get much easier this week, as the Sharks have named a large and fast forward unit.
Unfortunately for the Waratahs, they are still missing some key personal for tonight’s match, namely Bernard Foley and Nick Phipps, their regular halves pairing so it is up to Matt Lucas and Bryce Hegarty to guide the Waratahs around the Shark tank this morning.
While the defensive performance from the Waratahs last weekend left a touch to be desired, they will be buoyed by the fact they scored a number of well-constructed tries themselves and certainly know they have the firepower within the side to jag a win today.
The Sharks pairing of Cobus Reinach and Patrick Lambie will see the Sharks with an advantage in this area and their calmness and experience will serve the Sharks well as they look to kick off their side’s home season on a winning note.
One key match-up to keep an eye on will be in the scrum battle as Tendai Mtawarira goes head to head with Sekope Kepu, the two experienced internationals have faced off on many occasions and will add another chapter to their personal rivalry while the performance of the two open sides, the ever reliable Michael Hooper up against one of the rising talents of South African rugby, Jean-Luc du Preez.
Prediction
Despite the travel, I think the Sharks have the pack and being at home again will be too much for the Waratahs in the end.
Sharks by 5
Join us this morning as we cover all the action live here on The Roar and don’t forget to use the comments section below.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.