Israel Folau scores second-half double as NSW Waratahs thump Melbourne Rebels in Sydney

ISRAEL Folau crossed for yet another double as NSW Waratahs recovered from a poor first half to thump Melbourne Rebels in Sydney.

REBELS reject Kurtley Beale haunted his former team with an emphatic second half display as the Waratahs bounced back to form with a resounding win on Friday night.

Cut from Melbourne last year due to disciplinary and personal issues, Beale punished the Rebels with a scintillating man-of-the-match performance that showcased the best of his attacking capability.

The playmaker set up all three of NSW’s second half tries, the last two to Israel Folau, as the Waratahs rebounded from last week’s loss to the Brumbies to notch their third bonus-point of the season.

After a dour first half which the Tahs led just 11-8, Beale lit up Allianz Stadium in the second 40 with trademark exuberance to win back the Weary Dunlop Shield.

“In the first half I think he was trying too hard, maybe he wanted to show his old team, ‘You shouldn’t have let me go’,” NSW coach Michael Cheika said of Beale.

“It probably didn’t go right for him, but I think it’s a sign of how Kurtley’s maturing, that he didn’t panic. He just stuck to his game.

“He made one nice little manoeuvre at the start of the first half which put Peter Betham over for the try, that settled him down and he got going from there.”News_Rich_Media: NSW Waratahs coach Michael Cheika praises his side following their hammering of the Melbourne Rebels on Friday.

Cheika said the Rebels targeted Beale and NSW’s other recruit from the Rebels, halfback Nick Phipps.

“They tried to get [Beale] once after the tackle in a little rummage, and they were all over Nick at the back,” Cheika said.

“The discussion we had was that there is no point in chatting and carrying on, at the end of the game you’ve got to say ‘Gee, we shouldn’t have let those two blokes go’.

“When you’re against your old team, that’s the message you’ve got to leave.”

And Beale did.

He gave an inside pass that put Betham into a gaping hole three minutes into the second half, with the winger racing 30 metres to score.

Beale then produced the two moments of the match in the 49th and 74th minutes.

He galloped onto a long pass in midfield, accelerating past two defenders, dragging another two across the field and then passing inside to Folau who sprinted 25 metres to score under the posts untouched.News_Image_File: Jacques Potgieter received a standing ovation for his robust performance.

Late in the game, with the Tahs desperately seeking their fourth try for the bonus point, Beale took a pass deep in his half, dummied and stepped inside Rebels flanker Scott Fuglistaller, then raced 60 metres upfield before drawing the final defender and sending Folau off for his double.

Folau’s eighth try of the season from just four games now puts him just two away from Peter Hewat’s all-time Waratahs season record of 10.

For Beale, it was sweet revenge having been shown the door at Melbourne.

Battling personal issues, Beale returned to Sydney to be closer to his family and signed with NSW, having left the franchise in 2011.

This was his finest performance in the blue jersey since his return, and will be a welcome boost of confidence after he was shut down brutally by the Brumbies.

After suffering the 28-23 loss in Canberra, NSW coach Michael Cheika gave his side a passionate two-minute address under the posts before kick-off.News_Rich_Media: Melbourne Rebels coach Tony McGahan and Scott Higginbotham comprehend the big loss to the Waratahs on Friday night.

They responded accordingly, with winger Alofa Alofa scoring in the fourth minute, crossing in the corner after a long raid up-field that involved numerous passes between backs and forwards.

But that was the lone highlight of the first half for the home side, as the Rebels’ intensity at the breakdown and scrum stifled their attack.

Melbourne skipper Scott Higginbotham and halfback Luke Burgess had been identified as the Rebels’ two dangermen, and they combined for Melbourne’s first try in the 28th minute.

Higginbotham ran hard onto a flat Burgess cutout pass close the line, carrying Paddy Ryan over the line to score.

The teams then traded penalties in a frustratingly stop-start half, before Beale weaved his magic to the delight of the Waratahs faithful.

The small but raucous crowd also appreciated the burly efforts of backrower Jacques Potgieter, giving him a standing ovation when he was subbed late in the game.

The Waratahs now head to South Africa where they face a tough road trip in Durban against the competition-leading Sharks, and the defensively formidable Stormers in Cape Town.

WARATAHS 32 (Israel Folau 2, Alofa Alofa, Peter Betham tries Bernard Foley 3 cons 2 pens) REBELS 8 (Scott Higginbotham try Bryce Hegarty pen)

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