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Despite an inspirational game by captain and halfback Jake Gordon, the NSW Waratahs have gone down 51-27 to the Chiefs at Melbourne’s AAMI Park on Friday night.
The Chiefs played typically ‘Kiwi’ rugby – clinical, skilful, smart and fast. Winger Jonah Lowe scored four tries; the other winger, Quinn Tupaea, scored two.
And the Waratahs? They were bang out of luck.
In the first minute, the form front-rower was sent off. The hooker was injured in the third minute. The outside centre was yellow-carded in the 13th. And the fullback was run over by a winger and carried off in the 38th.
Yet with seconds to go in the first period, NSW Waratahs flanker Charlie Gamble ran straight into a pair of defenders and bumped them both off before dashing into space and putting Alex Newsome away for a try.
Tane Edmed drilled the conversion from the sideline and somehow, despite possession running 70 per cent to a team from New Zealand, the Waratahs were down just 30-17.
And they did it without Angus Bell (sent off for a lifting tackle) and Jamie Roberts, who spent 10 minutes in the bin for a deliberate knock-down. Dave Porecki was concussed and Will Harrison badly twisted his knee when bravely trying to stop tearaway wing Tupaea.
“It was a tough start with the red card and the yellow card,” youngster Tane Edmed said at half-time.
“But I think we consolidated really well … the Chiefs are just very clinical. And they take every single opportunity.
“You saw there they punished us when we had the cards … we’ve got to minimise their opportunities and maximise ours.”
Waratahs coach Darren Coleman said it wasn’t an ideal start; but after watching the Chiefs score four very fine tries in the first half, if his side went try-for-try with their opponents in the second he’d be proud of them.
“I just want them to rip in. I don’t want them to throw in the towel. This isn’t 2021. We’re a different team now.” Coleman said.
“We’ve had our setbacks but we’re going to stay in the fight. We’re back to 15; there’s no excuse. We want to win this second half.”
Alex Nankivell of the Chiefs runs with the ball. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
They did not – though they did get to within three points.
With uncontested scrums (Tom Horton went off, too), the Waratahs brought on mobile backrower Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco to replace the replacement prop.
Gordon nailed his second try when he ran a fine angle in defence and beautifully anticipated Bryn Gatland’s pass, intercepted and ran 50 metres. And it was suddenly a three-point game.
When Gordon swooped on some sloppy Chiefs ruck ball and ripped off a 50-22 on the fly, all the momentum was with the Tahs.
Yet a poorly executed rolling maul from the resultant lineout was followed by a terrible attempted cut-out pass by Roberts that was intercepted by Lowe, who didn’t need to anticipate the pass so much as stand in the Tahs’ backline, catch the ball and run the other way.
Gordon was everywhere for the men in blue. Two tries, a chargedown – he even threw the ball into the lineout. Yet when Lowe rumbled over for his hat-trick after a tidy, simple backline play, the Chiefs led by 17 points with ten minutes to play.
Then they took Gordon off.
When Lowe notched his fourth and Gatland landed the conversion, the Chiefs passed the half century.
“Really proud of the boys,” Chiefs captain Sam Cane told Stan Sport following the match.
“The Waratahs put themselves under pressure, down to 13 men early and we did the basics well and came away with points. We were pretty clinical.
“The Waratahs defended extremely well. We expected them to.
“It was always going to be tough for them when they lost both their hookers. The scrums were like golden oldies.”
Gordon said he wasn’t sure what to make of the game.
“Discipline hurt us. Losing ‘Belly’, who is a big part of our game, the yellow card, losing both hookers … we’re pretty disappointed.
“We’re trying to be ‘Tah tough’ at the moment. We’re really disappointed with the result. We clawed our way back. They scored 20 points with two men off the field.
“We looked good when we had the ball. We challenged them around the ruck. WE just didn’t do it for long enough.”