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Waratahs break Super Dunedin hoodoo with win over Highlanders
By AAP
The NSW Waratahs have shown they won’t just be making up the numbers in the Super Rugby Pacific finals with a rousing 32-20 away win over the Highlanders.
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Ignoring a horror record in Dunedin which dates back 14 years and chasing their first win in New Zealand since 2015, the Waratahs showed they are a different beast in 2022 to book a crucial win on Sunday.
The victory took the Waratahs (8-5) ahead of the Queensland Reds and into sixth on the ladder.
They face a clash with the ladder-leading Blues back in Sydney on Saturday as the last round determines the top eight finals.
The Highlanders couldn’t have started better with lock Josh Dickson barging across the line in the third minute after an early turnover.
NSW hit back eight minutes later when No.8 Will Harris showed some deft footwork to plant the ball between the sticks for a 7-7 scoreline.
The game took a turn in the 29th minute when Highlanders five-eighth Sam Gilbert was sent off for an ugly lifting tackle in which Waratahs flanker Michael Hooper was up-ended.
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The Wallabies captain was making his return to play from concussion but escaped unscathed.
The visitors immediately used their numerical advantage with a long, floating pass finding winger Mark Nawaqanitawase to score.
Then Hooper showed his pace to dart from the back of a ruck, running 20 metres to score and give his team a commanding 19-7 halftime lead.
The Waratahs lost prop Paddy Ryan to a yellow card early in the second half for a head knock as he attempted to clean out.
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With Waratahs fullback Ben Donaldson spilling an Aaron Smith kick, the Highlanders pounced on the loose ball and used the extra space to put centre Scott Gregory over in the corner.
After a previous penalty strike the margin was just four points with the home side on the march.
But the Waratahs refused to wilt under pressure and five-eighth Tane Edmed kept the scoreboard ticking over with two penalties.
Playing his first game since his return from Japan, forward Ned Hanigan shrugged off the defence and then off-loaded to Edmed for the Waratahs’ fourth try.
NSW attempted to chase another try after regulation time to secure a bonus point, but turned the ball over for Liam Coombes-Fabling to have the final say for the Highlanders.
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Ultimately it is the entire NZR board who should be sacked. Foster wants to be the ABs coach, you can't blame him for that. NZR appointed him in what was a terrible process for actually finding the right candidate, more of a coronation based on the false assumption of "continuity" - it was clear from the BIL tour in 2017 which direction the ABs were heading, continuing that seemed crazy by they decided to do it anyway. They then reappointed him before he had faced a true test before the NH tour of 2021 which was a disaster. They could have sacked him then. They could have sacked him after the Ireland series where it was clear the ABs were well of the pace. They could have done it after the tests in SA which despite being 1-1 were not in the least bit convincing. Basically they have backed the guy every year, but now in the lead up to the world cup they have decided he's definitely not the right guy, yet he remains the coach.
Go to comments"taking the land they felt had been stolen from them during the colonial era" the land had been stolen, and the requisitions were entirely justified. I'm very sorry that Negri's family were hurt but this article is basically just propaganda for apartheid.
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