The Waratahs have been riding their luck for the majority of the Super 14 season. Going down to a twelfth placed Highlanders side in a wet Invercargill may have been the appropriate yardstick to measure their ability entering the business end of the season.
If they do make the super rugby finals, are they the team we want representing Australian Super Rugby?
Its most likely that if they do qualify for the semis, that they will be travelling to South Africa to face either the Bulls or Stormers.
One couldn’t honestly say they would be more confident in the Waratahs going to the Republic to get the job done as opposed to the Reds or Brumbies.
Their victory over the Reds was less than convincing.
I can only wonder how this game would have panned out had it been played later in the season, once the Reds had realised they were no longer cellar dwellers.
The Reds and Brumbies have shown they are a genuine chance to lift the trophy, whilst the Waratahs have bumbled their way through the competition.
Sure, they put 70 on the Lions. But what genuine finals contender hasn’t given them a shellacking.
This seemed to be more a response to critics suggesting they play boring rugby rather than a display of superior footballing ability.
What better team to chance your hand against and prove the critics wrong than the mob running last.
Had it not been for Lachlan Turner’s length of the field effort against the Blues, and Steve Walsh’s contribution against the Brumbies, the Tahs would be sitting at least a few rungs lower than their generous fifth position.
The Tahs face the Chiefs in Waikato this weekend.
The Chiefs are team a lot like the Blues: great attacking flare, but lack the killer punch when it counts, which is apparent in their lack of a home win all year.
Certainly, a reasonable measure for any side with finals hopes, not quite a Bulls at the Bullring challenge, but nonetheless, the cagey Chiefs provide something to beat, unlike the Lions.
If they win, their chances of ruining Australia’s Super Rugby campaign increase. If they lose, it gives the Reds and Brumbies the chance to do the job the Waratahs aren’t capable of.
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