Wallabies great: Waratahs win ‘a springboard’ before Chiefs clash

Wallabies great Matt Burke has described the NSW Waratahs’ nail-biting 30-28 win over the ACT Brumbies in Canberra as “a springboard” before facing the Chiefs, with the men in Cambridge Blue sitting just outside the top six.

New South Wales started the Super Rugby Pacific campaign 2-0 after beating the Queensland Reds and Fijian Drua at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, before dropping their next three matches to some of the competition’s form sides.

The Tahs were beaten 59-19 by the current ladder-leading Hurricanes, lost to the Reds 26-17 at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, and were defeated by the Blues 35-20 in Sydney. Beauden Barrett and AJ Lam helped lead the charge as the Blues completed a comeback win in round six.

It wouldn’t get any easier for the Waratahs, who had the Brumbies up next in the nation’s capital. Dan McKellar’s side ended up claiming a two-point victory, with the accurate goal-kicking boot of rookie Sid Harvey helping the Tahs claim their first win in Canberra in eight years.

“There wasn’t a great deal of fanfare afterwards… it wasn’t as if they had just won the competition, knowing that you’ve got to be able to do a job and the job was to go out and put pressure on the Brumbies,” Burke said on Stan Sport’s Between Two Posts.

“There was some individual moments that were great; Jorgo down the left hand side when he stole, took off and Joey Walton ends up scoring.

“It was a defining moment that needed to be done because what happened the week before, they just didn’t score against the Blues and gave up that 15 point advantage at the time.”

There are four New Zealand sides in the top six, with the Hurricanes and Blues leading the way as the mid-way point of the regular season nears. The Brumbies and Reds are the next two teams back, while the Chiefs and Crusaders round out the top six.

The Crusaders are sixth with a 3-3 record, which is the same amount of wins that both the Tahs and Highlanders have. That sets the scene for this week’s three-game round over the Easter weekend, with four of the top six teams in action.

“Now it’s a bit of a springboard,” Burke added.

“Going over the Chiefs this weekend is going to be incredibly difficult but the Brumbies beat the Chiefs the other week so how does that work in the big scheme of things?

“That ladder around the number six are is getting really packed at the moment… it’s starting to get a bit full around that area which is great for the competition.”

Former Australia U20s captain Teddy Wilson comes into the Waratahs’ starting side to face the Chiefs, with coach McKellar making a few changes to the First XV. Charlie Gamble and Triston Reilly are other notable inclusions in the run-on team.

McKellar has selected two Wallabies on the wings, with Max Jorgensen and Andrew Kellaway set to line up on the edges. At fullback, Super Rugby Pacific’s Rookie of the Year leader Harvey will wear the No. 15 yet again.

Harvey remained cool, calm and composed under pressure last time out against the Brums, slotting a few penalties late to help see the Tahs home. The former Australia U20s and HSBC SVNS Series ace will start at fullback for the third match in a row on Saturday.

“He’s got some poise about him to start with,” Burke explained.

“His stand over the ball and his poise over the ball, he wants to kick the goal and that’s the best part of a goal kicker. He’ll be in this team for a while now because he adds to the scoreline.

“He’s a young kid given the responsibility and sometimes that responsibility just thrives on you and he’s owning it at the moment.”