‘Just so disappointed’: Heartbreaking defeats starting to ‘hurt’ Waratahs

After speaking with a few Waratahs players, Wallaroo Sera Naiqama has explained how the team’s series of heartbreaking defeats are starting to “hurt” them in Super Rugby Pacific.

The Waratahs shocked defending champions the Crusaders 37-24 in the second round of the season in what appeared to be a statement victory for the men from New South Wales.

But another win has proved hard to come by with the Waratahs falling in quite heartbreaking circumstances in consecutive matches against the Highlanders, Blues and Fijian Drua.

They had a chance to win their last match in golden point but fly-half Tane Edmed failed to convert a drop goal opportunity. But the Drua’s Kemu Valetini wouldn’t make the same mistake.

Valetini was the hero for the Drua as they recorded their first-ever win over the Waratahs, while the New South Welshman now sit 10^th on the ladder with four defeats from five starts.

“There were scenes directly right after the game when the boys looked so deflated,” Waratahs women’s lock Sera Naiqama said on Stan Sports’ Rugby Heaven.

“Having conversations with a couple of them, they were just so disappointed that they were in the fight, they were doing all the right things but there are moments in the game… that they haven’t been able to ice it.

“Yesterday I know that the Waratahs took the men out to Maroubra Beach, a bit of a change of scenery, just to get around the boys.

“They’re a competitive side, they’re doing all the right things but these narrow losses are really starting to hurt them.”

The Waratahs shot out to an early lead with hooker Mahe Vailanu scoring the opener in just the third minute and playmaker Edmed adding two shots at goal shortly after.

The first-half was literally all the Fijian Drua from there, though, as centre Iosefo Masi ran in a headline-grabbing hat-trick to help give the hosts a strong 26-10 lead at the break.

With their backs up against the ropes, the Waratah scored four tries to the Drua’s one in the second 40 to ultimately send the match to extra time.

But this fixture will go down in history as another loss for the Tahs as pressure continues to mount on coach Darren Coleman. But Wallabies legend Tim Horan has insisted that Coleman is “too good of a coach” for Rugby Australia to lose.

“The comeback against Fiji was superb,” Horan explained.

“They’ve lost a couple of really close matches. The one against the Highlanders at home a couple of weeks back, they should’ve won that one.

“We all looked at the start of the year and we thought those first five rounds for the Waratahs were going to be really tough. A lot of people were saying they might not win a game in those first five rounds.

“Of course, they upset the Crusaders and now we look at the Crusaders and where they sit on the table, it probably wasn’t really an upset.

“I feel for the Waratahs. I think they’re a side that’s trying to build some sort of momentum in the team.

“I think it’s good if something happens to Darren Coleman that they still keep him in camp in somewhere around Australian rugby.”