NSW Waratahs find balanced game plan in hard-fought victory over the Stormers

WHILE winning pretty has been the focus of Michael Cheika’s tenure, the Tahs’ ugly victory over the Stormers was their most important step forward.

The Waratahs kept the Stormers to just one try in Cape Town.

WHILE winning pretty has been the focus of Michael Cheika’s tenure, the Waratahs’ ugly victory against the Stormers was their most important step forward this season.

After being thumped by the Sharks a week earlier, there was much debate about finding the right balance between playing expansive rugby and tightening the reins.

NSW dug deep and dirty in Cape Town; fixing their set-piece wobbles from their previous showing in Durban, flooding the Stormers’ breakdown, and taking their penalty goals – with precision.

It was boring, but necessary against the creatively-challenged Stormers, who rely so heavily on defence and are so clueless about winning games that they repeatedly kicked possession away in the final quarter while trailing on the scoreboard.

The one-try-apiece, 22-11 result rightly pushed the Waratahs to fourth on the ladder and the Stormers dead last.

While the Waratahs ran the ball comfortably and made significant inroads throughout the game, they were shrewd enough to realise that a four-try bonus point was fantasy-land stuff at Newlands, where they had not won in eight years.

Instead, they relied on the judicious boots of Bernard Foley (four from four) and Kurtley Beale, who kicked two outstanding long-range penalties from as many attempts to push NSW home in the second half.

The balance was reached between playing attractive rugby and rugby that achieved an attractive result.

No visiting side had won in South Africa this year but in the space of four hours the Crusaders beat the Lions in Johannesburg and the Tahs triumphed in the once-impenetrable fortress of Newlands.

NSW skipper Dave Dennis said: “That’s a really big result, the first Australian team to win over here this year.

“We’ll go to Perth and try to keep the momentum going [against Western Force], but [it’s] a really good result at the back end of a tough two weeks.

The Waratahs kept the Stormers to just one try in Cape Town.

“Last week we were nice and physical, but we lacked a bit of finesse in our attack and our breakdown. It was a lot better and we got the result.

“We have been a bit disappointed around set-piece the last couple of weeks.

“We know we are capable of putting in a good performance. The scrum and lineout were really good and set a nice platform for the win.

“We’ve got a good forward back, but we’ve got a great backline as well. If we can lay that platform, it’s a great opportunity for our guys to play.”

The Perth fixture now looks decidedly tougher than it appeared a few weeks ago, with the Force on a four-match winning streak.

Few expected the looming match to hold such magnitude at the start of the season, and even less so after NSW hammered the Force 43-21 in their first game.

It is now a battle between fourth and fifth on the Super Rugby ladder, signifying the strength of the Australian conference with the Brumbies in second spot.

All three sides are within three competition points of each other, so this weekend’s results, including the Brumbies’ trip to Brisbane to play Queensland, will have major ramifications for the make-up of the conference heading into the second half of the season.

Coach Cheika’s mantra has been to convince the once-damaged Waratahs players to chance their arm and play the most attractive and aggressive brand of rugby in the tournament.

His project has made great strides, but along the way their fundamentals fell off. Shaky scrums, wayward lineouts, and disciplinary issues at the breakdown were seized upon by the Sharks and Brumbies, teams one and two on the table, both who have beaten NSW so far this year.

The all-out razzle dazzle might convince more rugby fans to turn up at Allianz Stadium, but it won’t win a lot games in the Republic or in the finals.

The Stormers result shows that Cheika’s men showed they are adept at mixing the graft and gloss of the game.

Leading by 10 points in the final minutes, the Tahs repelled numerous raids on their own line as the Stormers pressed for a try. It was a heartening sign about their defensive pride, even with the game won.

NSW will likely miss wingers Peter Betham (ankle) and Alofa Alofa (knee) against the Force on Saturday, but should welcome back Israel Folau, Wycliff Palu and Rob Horne.