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Young guns guide Waratahs to come-from-behind victory over ill-disciplined Highlanders
The Waratahs have secured a first-up pre-season victory by coming from behind to beat a rusty Highlanders outfit 40-21 in Sydney on Friday.
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Playing in front of a small home crowd at Leichhardt Oval, the Waratahs found themselves on the back foot inside the opening 10 minutes as the visitors asserted their authority with two contrasting tries.
Young centre Sio Tomkinson did his best to stake a claim in the Highlanders’ starting midfield by snaffling an intercept to run in the match’s first try from 40 metres out in the second minute.
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A Mitch Hunt conversion was soon followed by another try, this time to injury call-up Nathan Vella, who has come into the Highlanders set-up as Ricky Jackson’s replacement for the season.
The former Hurricanes and Sunwolves hooker finished off a nice sequence of phase play build-up with a pick and go try, of which Hunt converted.
Things started to slip away from the Highlanders, though, with a lack of discipline costing Aaron Mauger’s side, which was forced to defend for long periods when the Waratahs got their hands on the ball.
A raft of offside infringements was soon yielded a yellow card to lock Jesse Parete, which no doubt aided Wallabies prop Harry Johnson-Holmes’ try from a barrage of pick and go’s three minutes later.
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It's the first time the 24-year-old has played since last April.https://t.co/9Rt3q45pL1
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 18, 2020
A strong defensive effort by the Highlanders kept the second quarter scoreless despite the attacking intent shown by Rob Penney’s men.
However, another yellow card – this time shown to Tomkinson in the 38th minute for entering the ruck from the side – proved to be costly, as the Waratahs opened the third quarter with a try to promising flanker Carlo Tizanno.
Experienced wing Alex Newsome followed that up by finishing off a Will Harrison cross kick just three minutes later, which took the hosts into a 19-14 lead.
A lineout drive deep inside opposition territory saw the Highlanders salvage score-equalling try to replacement prop Daniel Lienert-Brown, who now stands as one of the squad’s most experienced players.
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Bryn Gatland’s conversion took the Dunedin club into a two-point lead, but an array of errors and sloppy defence made for a disjointed last half hour from the Highlanders’ second half substitutes.
Subsequently, Tizanno bagged himself a brace shortly after Lienert-Brown’s try, while Michael McDonald effectively put the game to bed with his 64th minute score to put the Waratahs into a 33-21 lead.
The @BluesRugbyTeam have withstood a big second-half comeback from the @ChiefsRugby to win their pre-season @SuperRugby game in Waihi on Friday.https://t.co/99vtCp6gUl
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 17, 2020
James Ramm put the icing on the cake for the New South Welshmen by splintering a lacklustre Highlanders defence from a lineout to dot down under the posts in injury time.
While combinations and tactics are still being formulated throughout this truncated Super Rugby pre-season, it’s clear that there is plenty for Mauger’s youthful, inexperienced squad to work on ahead of their season-opener against the Sharks at Forsyth Barr Stadium on February 7.
Between now and then stands the club’s second and final pre-season clash against the Crusaders in Wanaka next Friday.
By contrast, the wide-ranging attack and comparatively polished outing shown by the Waratahs should please new head coach Penney as he awaits the return of his Australian World Cup stars.
New fullback Mark Nawaqanitawase didn’t get on the scoresheet, but he joined Tizanno and teenage prop Angus Bell as some of the most impressive performers in the Waratahs’ compelling victory.
Penney will have one more opportunity in pre-season to fine tune his side when they travel to Dalby to face the Reds next Friday before their season kick-off against the Crusaders in Nelson on February 1.
In other news:
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Sometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 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. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? 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?
9 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 comments