Waratahs can’t afford to give away so many penalties early if they hope to win in New Zealand

SOME say success comes by working smarter, not harder. The Waratahs don’t believe that. To be the first Aussie team to win in New Zealand in two years, they have to work smarter and harder.

Israel Folau (2nd left) is congratulated by teammates after scoring for the Waratahs against the Brumbies on Sunday.

SOME say success comes by working smarter, not harder.

The Waratahs don’t believe that.

To be the first Australian team to win in New Zealand in 25 matches on Saturday, NSW know they must do both: work smarter and harder.

The Tahs travel to Dunedin on Thursday to take on the Highlanders, who are flying after eight straight wins.

NSW rattled up 50 points in beating the Rebels but a review of the tape kept their feet firmly on the ground.

The Waratahs conceded eight penalties in the opening quarter, giving up penalty attempts and a mountain of territory.

Were it not for Ben Volavola’s wayward kicking — and a timely intercept from Taqele Naiyaravoro when the Rebels were set to score — the Waratahs could have trailed by 20 points after 30 minutes.

Waratahs centre Dave Horwitz.

They didn’t, and three scores before halftime saw the Tahs kick their season-long habit of having to chase big deficits in the second half.

“Opening is still an issue for us. Our ill-discipline leaked a lot of points and (Rebels kicker) Ben Volavola could have punished a lot more. That was an issue,” Waratahs centre Dave Horwitz said.

“Our start was better in not conceding points and not being down by 20 or 30 at halftime but we were just too overeager and crossed that line too much.”

“(Highlanders kicker) Marty Banks has been kicking at over 90 per cent this year so he’ll definitely take advantage of those. Also with Aaron Smith there looking to take quick taps, (cutting out) the penalties is just a non-negotiable.”

Banks has only five kicks all season.

“We know we are capable of good discipline and we are going to need it if we don’t want to be behind the Eight ball from the off,” assistant coach Chris Malone said.

The Waratahs have changed their training routines to “start big” — swapping small drills for team runs — in a big to shake off their habit of trailing at halftime. Scoring more points than the Hurricanes and Blues in the second half has instilled confidence they can match Kiwi teams, but not if they give up too much to start with. They lost both, after all.

In contrast the Highlanders are notoriously good starters, said Malone. The Tahs conceded five tries in the opening 30 minutes against the Landers in a trial earlier in the year, only to rally in the second half.

“One thing we know is they are going to start hard, and fast,” Malone said.

“Being able to ensure we get things right, particularly early in the game, (is key) so you don’t put yourself under any undue stress.”

Any victory over the Highlanders is going to require the Waratahs to roll up their sleeves, added Malone.

“They are a working team,” he said. “They all work hard for each other, and you can see that from the stats.”

The Highlanders average the most tackles per game in Super Rugby, which correlates to the fact they also kick the most.

NSW will be well aware they have been undone by Highlanders’ kicking strategies in every encounter for the past three or four years, and must be on high alert.

Horwitz said the NSW back three had to be positioned for the short kicking threats of the dangerous Kiwis.

With a clash against the Chiefs coming up the following week, the Waratahs will stay in New Zealand between games for the first time since 2010.

Interestingly, they played the same two teams — losing to the Highlanders in Invercargill and beating the Chiefs in Waikato.

“It will be good,” Horwitz said.

“Spending time with the boys only enhances the connections and makes them more positive. You spend more time together and ultimately that leads to thinking about the game and making those bonds.”

Originally published as Waratahs can’t afford to give away so many penalties early if they hope to win in New Zealand