NSW captain Dave Dennis admits the Waratahs face a balancing act between urgency and calm against the Blues on Sunday.
The repackaged Waratahs don’t want to start panicking about their position on the Super Rugby ladder, but the reality is they must win if they want to keep their Australian conference hopes bubbling.
It’s the difficult conundrum facing NSW under new coach Michael Cheika, who is trying to effect a mass culture change at the perennial under-achieving club.
For the Waratahs, long-term goals are more important than short-term targets.
But that doesn’t mean they’re not desperate to snap a two-match losing streak against the up-tempo Blues at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
“We’ve got a clear long-term goal which you’ll slowly see more and more as the season progresses,” Dennis told AAP.
“But we have to win games. We need that short-term result.
“It’s a bit of a balancing act.
“On Sunday there’s no science to it. The boys desperately want to win. But we are more focused on putting that performance together that is as close to perfect as possible, regardless of the result.”
It’s fair to say Cheika has had to settle the Waratahs down this week following their heavy loss to the Brumbies and disappointing stumble against the Cheetahs last week.
Dennis admits Waratahs players had a hope that their fortunes would immediately turn around in 2013 under Cheika.
However, the skipper is certain the coach was always a little more realistic.
“With the playing group there was probably a thinking it might just click straight away because we had such a good off-season and there’s been a lot of positivity around the club and a few changes,” Dennis said.
“But I’m pretty sure in the background and with the coaches, they’ve got a clear view of where we want to go as a club – and maybe they felt it was going to take a bit longer than what people think.
“Speaking to Cheik, he demonstrates that with the way he speaks to the players.”
Dennis said it’s been a positive week for the Waratahs, with veteran Wallabies Adam Ashley-Cooper and Sekope Kepu re-signing and Nick Phipps agreeing to terms for next season.
“I think we can see a clearer picture of the future,” he said.
Although 2012 was a season to forget for the Waratahs – arguably their two best performances – a win over the Sharks and narrow loss to the Crusaders – of the year came in day-time rugby.
A win over the Sharks and loss to the Crusaders they played, crisp, attacking rugby.
Dennis believes the injection of Rob Horne at No.12 will lift the team against a Sharks side (2-1) which are an attacking force under new coach Sir John Kirwan.
“Rob has always been a confrontational type of centre so I think 12 might even suit him a bit better (than outside centre),” Dennis said.
“He’ll get to that ad-line and give solidness in defence. And hopefully that will open up Adam (Ashley-Cooper) and our back three to a bit of space.”
mania
Guest
rob - you should realise that blues kicked with purpose and intelligence where as the tah's just kicked aimlessly out of reflex. maybe u should learn the game a bit better?
Rob
Guest
Mania if you actually watched the game you would see the waratahs kicked it 6 times compared to the blues 9. This is compared to the reds kicking it 18 times against the bulls.
mania
Guest
i agree with u that the messr sirs need to thrash them at training. the side is young tho and this is exactly what i expected to see. theres a lot of youthful enthusiasm in this side that can be channelled but its keeping the emotional energy levels at a high level thats the trick. games was def in the bag and they let it go. this is super rugby tho and they'll learn immensely from this. seasons early and blues still have a chance. tahs deserve credit for trying to play the game at pace and not hanging their heads when they were down.
Riccardo
Guest
Dump away my friend! I suspect you're right about the complacency. And it's probably true they will grow from losses like these. It's probably also fair to give more credit to Foley & Dennis and the Tahs for their improvement in the 2nd half. My plight is the fact that the game was in the bag and they blew it :)
mania
Guest
riccardo - not that i wanna dump on you already but its gotta be pointed out that blues were playing the better gameplan and still managed to lose it. in most aspects the blues were better. only diff is all those drop balls and handling errors. tah'as had their share but managed to stay in touch long enough to take the lead at full time. i'm guessing but i dont think blues considered them enough of a threat and fell asleep at the wheel
Riccardo
Guest
How on God's green Earth the Blues can falter from a half time margin of 24-10 defies belief. I'm shattered that the Blues could be that ill-disciplined and frankly inept against what is still a pretty average Tahs side. I hope the 2 Sirs roast these flakes and make them watch repeats of their numerous handling errors and offsides and then send them on extra training to pound that mediocrity from their game.
mania
Guest
thats what kirwin did. turned up cleared house and started with a new team that he could call his.
mania
Guest
wow tah's did better than i thought. despite kicking away possession they still managed a win.
Paul
Guest
Much needed win for the Tahs. Blues are at the same stage the Canes and Brumbies were last year with all the development and changes. They will beat some highly fancied teams but I dont think they are ready to progress into the top 6 this year. They just arent experienced enough to step up to the big games when needed.
Timeous win for the Waratahs, had they lost today their season would have ony gone from bad to worse.
Steve
Guest
Official figure was just over 16,000
Matthew Skellett
Guest
I'm watching the game now (masochist that I am) and I have to say apart from the tackling it's the same old 'Tah's -shoot-ourselves-in-the-foot'yet again !!!
Jiggles
Roar Guru
Sunday arvo having cheeky beers would get me along, even if it is the Tahs.
AndyS
Guest
Interesting though that no-one is rolling out the same excuse for Foley having inherited Richard Graham's team. He arrived, paid out a few players and brought some others others in. Cheika could easily have done the same, unless you are saying he already lacks control of recruiting or the support of management...?
DMac
Guest
Doesn't look like it will be 20k to me. More like 15-16k.
DMac
Guest
I think Cheika would have loved to bring in some new faces but he was saddled with Foley's team. Give him a chance.
DMac
Guest
Word. I'm there now, glorious day.
Jiggles
Roar Guru
You always whine about crowds, mate. Maybe you should be part of the solution...
Johnno
Guest
Na I'm not going staying at home .
Colvin
Guest
It's strange that John Kirwan (and Graham Henry) were able to make the Blues a winning team by bringing in a bunch of new unknown players; while Cheika has not been able to do the same with the Waratahs which is nearly a WB team. The aggression the Blues have demonstrated in their matches to date (apart from the last where a number of changes were made to the team) has been the most noticeable characteristic. If they produce that same aggression today the Tahs will be hammered. Something still is not right with the Tahs. There needs to be less talk (about culture change etc.) and more emphasis on getting in there and going for for it. Nothing will beat speed, confidence and aggression linked with a gameplan all have bought in to.