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How the Waratahs plan to bounce back after winless 2021 season
With the official launch of the Super Rugby Pacific season for Australian teams held virtually on Monday, the competition is one step closer to kick-off.
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The latest version of the southern hemisphere’s premier rugby competition is due to begin on the 18th of February featuring 12 teams, but there is still plenty of manoeuvring taking place to ensure that all games go ahead on both sides of the Tasman.
Rugby Australia held a season launch with Brumbies, Force, Rebels, Reds, Waratahs and newcomers the Fijian Drua.
The Waratahs took the opportunity to reveal that scrumhalf Jake Gordon has retained the captaincy for the 2022 season as the club prepares to make their mark on the new-look competition after a disappointing winless season last year.
Gordon and coach Darren Coleman were on hand during the launch and expressed a desire to raise the Waratahs to the same lofty heights as when they were winning a Super Rugby title in 2014.
The Tahs are running with the theme of a reset for 2022, and Gordon believes there is enough talent in the team to make the finals.
“Reset for me, if I am being completely honest, is about forgetting about last year,” he said.
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“We’ve had two trials to start the year and we’ve put on a pretty good performance in both. The majority of the focus is about forgetting last year and trying to improve this year.”
Since taking over as head coach following his title-winning spell with the LA Giltinis, Coleman has been impressed with the players’ attitudes and their desire to restore some pride in the sky blue jersey.
“One of the things I noticed most was how tight they were, and how positive they were off the back of what must have been a very challenging season for them,” he said.
“Usually, when things aren’t going well for a team, there are a few cancers and blokes are into each [other]. The group is really tight, and I think I have been able to facilitate that and give them a bit of belief.
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“I am just helping the boys understand that they are good players and we just need a bit of luck and a good run with a consistent crew to get there.”
It looks to be another challenging year for the competition’s administrators as they navigate border restrictions and the impact of Covid hitting Super Rugby squads.
New Zealand teams have already relocated to Queenstown, while Rugby Australia [RA] is exploring some innovative solutions to maintain the integrity of the competition.
Rugby Australia chief executive Andy Marinos is proposing the creation of a player pool that Aussie sides can draw from should regular squad members be ruled out with illness.
Coleman stated the preference for the Waratahs would be to rely on the squad he has already assembled for the season, with calls growing to utilise the Shute Shield, New South Wales club rugby’s premier competition, as a source of players.
“I just want them to give them a chance. If we come in and in the first few rounds the blokes aren’t performing or putting their body on the line, then yes [players may lose their spots],” Coleman said.
“As long as we are playing with passion and we are defending hard and staying in the contest, then I think the New South Wales rugby public will get behind us.
“The boys in here are all grassroots rugby players themselves, they have all come through those clubs. They’re not rockstars, they want to give back to the game.”
The Waratahs have made some shrewd recruitment moves in the off-season, welcoming back Michael Hooper, Jed Holloway and Ned Hanigan and signing Welsh centre Jamie Roberts. Gordon will be relying on their experience to drive standards in 2022.
“Guys with that level of experience and knowledge, I can’t wait to tap into their brains and see what they’ve got to offer.”
The Waratahs will kick their Super Rugby Pacific campaign off against the Fijian Drua at CommBank Stadium in Sydney next Friday.
Comments on RugbyPass
Hi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
3 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
3 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
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