Steven Sykes, right, of the Sharks of South Africa hooks Dean Mumm of the Waratahs' of Australia during their Super 14 rugby union match in Sydney, Saturday, March 6, 2010. The Waratahs won the match 25-21. AP Photo/Rick Rycroft.
The Waratahs victory over the Lions last Saturday finally proved the perennial underachievers are capable of playing running rugby. But it is no time to mention the F word.
The Super 14 Finals are notoriously difficult to make, and without, say, the Bulls, this season’s semi-final spots look to be wide open.
With this is mind, the mindset for the Waratahs should be to follow a grand old cliché, and take it one week at a time.
They appear to be building nicely.
After copping a battering from every corner for their lucky escape over the Sharks, the Waratahs ripped apart the defenceless Lions in a totally dominant display.
While it was fantastic to see the small SFS crowd on their feet, cheering at the sight of a blue stampede, one is brought back to earth quickly after considering the quality of the opposition.
The Lions had conceded an exorbitant amount of points in their previous four matches, and it was easy to the see that this would again be the case early on Friday night.
However, the Waratahs should ride on the back of this performance, and continue the momentum generated from the Lions game in order to put away a struggling Western Force.
A win this weekend is imperative and will come if they stick with the same approach and look to play with ball-in-hand.
The ball-in-hand game the Waratahs used to thrash the Lions was laid up front with the Waratahs able to retain possession in attack and limit their penalties in defence.
The Lions were able to build multiple phases on a number of occasions but because of the well-organised Waratahs defence, their progress was more lateral than forward.
In attack, perhaps the finest sight of Friday’s victory was not Drew Mitchell streaking away for any of his four tries, but more the link work of numbers 4-8 in the midfield.
The Waratahs locks and back-row combined wonderfully on a number of occasions both from turnover and phase ball, allowing them to showcase their short passing skills and support play.
David Dennis, Dean Mumm and Kane Douglas exploited the poor Lions defence one and two-out from the breakdown and after their initial busts were made, it was great to see a number of players lining up for the final pass.
Reserve halfback Josh Holmes was the beneficiary of this on two occasions, perhaps showing he is not too far away from a starting jersey.
The forwards will need to set the same strong platform again in Perth on Saturday night so that the backline has the time to display the running rugby we were told were was going to be a feature of their 2010 season.
If they are able to do that, then a Waratahs win should be the end result putting them in a healthy position heading into a tough stretch of games that includes the Blues, Crusaders and Brumbies.
The Force on the other hand will be desperate for a win after failing to secure a single point from any of their previous games. They will also be keen to put a dent in their Australian rival’s finals ambitions.
If the Waratahs can strike a win in the west, and in the process score four tries, then it may just then be the time to start thinking about the F word.
Even so they shouldn’t mention it.
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.
So the dust has settled on the inaugural United Rugby Championship tournament, with the Stormers celebrating a deserved first championship win over the Bulls…
South Africa flyhalf Handre Pollard insists his side will be ready for the British & Irish Lions Test series, which starts on Saturday, despite…
It’s right to question South Africa’s (and Argentina’s) involvement in Super Rugby. But let’s remember: they contribute more than Australia. The rainbow nation has…
British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland wants his team to play a warm-up match against the All Blacks before their tour of South…
The British and Irish Lions' tour of South Africa in July 2021 will not be shifted despite a direct overlap with the new dates…
Queensland fought back to briefly lead the Lions, despite being down two men, before losing their Super Rugby clash 27-20 in Johannesburg. Down two…
